Four down, 20 to go!

A week can be a long time in fantasy footy. How quickly we forget the 30’s and 40’s we saw from the mainstream FWD cash cows and now, they’re poised to sit on our fields during two more early bye rounds. A lot of our rookies now find themselves around the $400K mark and it’s clear that some of them are almost at their peak value. Shuffling rookies is always part of our thinking at the trade table each round and with a few cheaper options emerging, there’s nothing wrong with pulling the trigger early on a popular rook if it helps you land the upgrade you desire!

Make sure to also cast your eyes over:
My DT Talk 2024 Rookie Guide
My DT Talk 2024 Preseason Watchlist
SBF article – The most important rookies/cash cows for 2024

Rookie/cash cows are typically defined as players who started the season priced at $300,000 or lower

Cash Cow King – Round 4

Another cash cow managed to hit triple figures over the weekend, although not all of Jeremy Sharp’s (106) owners benefitted from his massive score. Gathering 29 touches and 7 marks vs. Carlton saw him post the best rookie score from Gather Round, with surprise packet debutant Sam Clohesy (95) only a few points behind him. Those two were clearly ahead of their peers this week as Ryley Sanders (84) was the only other rook who passed the 80-point mark. Mainstream MID/FWD combo Darcy Wilson (79) and Harley Reid (78) performed well for the coaches who resisted the urge to give them the flick.

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Round 4 Power Rankings

After 4 weeks of action, these are the top 10 cash cow performers in season 2023!

Power Ranking 2024 #AFLFantasy Cash Cows Round 4 💰🐮

1. Matt Roberts ↔️
2. Ryley Sanders ⬆️ 2
3. Oliver Dempsey ⬇️ 1
4. Jeremy Sharp ⬆️ 1
5. Colby McKercher ⬇️ 2
6. Harvey Gallagher ↔️
7. Seth Campbell ⬆️ 2
8. Harley Reid (NR)
9. Darcy Wilson ⬆️ 1
10. Caleb Windsor (NR) pic.twitter.com/ODqW7jHktr

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) April 9, 2024

Making Moves

Money makers

Despite the concern surrounding competent cash cows in our forward line, a handful of the well known rookies performed admirably in Round 4. It was great to see Harley Reid ($401K, 78, BE 18) excelling against the Swans the way we thought he might and the most traded in player last week Oliver Dempsey ($490K, 72, BE 12) wasn’t much further behind him – gathering 19 touches in another strong showing. In that same game, another popular trade target in Harvey Gallagher ($390K, 51, BE 7) ensured he kept moving in the right direction while Seth Campbell ($391K, 64, BE 20) is getting the job done for his owners. Facing a bye next week, Campbell may only survive one more week for his owners but there’s no urgency to send him packing.

A portion of coaches are electing to move Matt Roberts ($555K, 69, BE 34) on this week while he rests after he saved hiss core late with a 42-point quarter. I still view Roberts as one of the best cash cows going right now and if you can hold him through his bye he’ll continue to be a strong contributor when a fresh batch of DPP’s drop in Round 7. Coaches who have Jeremy Sharp ($4947K, 106, BE 5) sitting at M9-M10 can easily switch him onto the field for Roberts, fresh off a season-best performance vs. the Blues that featured 29 disposals, seven marks and a goal.

I was able to cash in Sharp’s score via some loophole action last week, but it meant that I had to leave Ryley Sanders ($495K, 84, BE 9) on the pine. The Bulldogs rookie has nudged his three-rpund average north of 80 and as long as Bevo continues to give him midfield minutes, there’s nothing to suggest he’ll be slowing down. Speaking of minutes, Gold Coast debutant Sam Clohesy ($253K, 95, BE -22) was the cash cow star of the round – registering an impressive 92% TOG while gathering 22 disposals and eight marks against GWS. He is the most sought-after player at the trade table this week for good reason, thriving on a wing during Gather Round in a similar role that Brandon Ellis has played in the past. His new teammate Will Graham ($252K, 63, BE 4) could also be targeted by coaches who need a DEF boost, as Graham took Sam Flanders’ midfield minutes with 49% of the CBA’s.

Keep the faith

There aren’t too many clear cut replacements for these rookies in the forward line, meaning they can live to see another day for now. Caleb Windsor ($397K, 61, BE 31) is the most popular of this bunch, although he’ll likely be traded by the majority of coaches when his bye arrives next week. Windsor’s score of 61 against Adelaide was a season-high and while he has made a fair chunk of change, he is nearing peak value. Chris Burgess ($302K, 18, BE 27) was subbed out of that same game and his owners won’t have as much patience. Three of his four scores have been under 50 points and we all know that key FWD’s aren’t traditionally the greatest fantasy contributors. While Burgess should be given the flick soon, there are a few prominent forward’s who still have a touch more cash to make.

Aaron Cadman ($357K, 42, BE 18) and Zane Duursma ($406K, 61, BE 29) didn’t shine for their owners over the weekend, however the duo are safely entrenched in their respective team’s best-22. Cadman continues to attend a handful of ruck contests that have nearly 27% of the competition praying for the Giants project to gain RUC status (unlikely) in a few weeks, while Duursma may provide his owners with some assistance through the next fortnight. Once ROund 7 arrives, you’ll probably want to move him on though, with Darcy Wilson ($381K, 79, BE 13) in the same boat despite a strong score over the weekend. If you need to trade Wilson to facilitate another upgrade, he is hardly a must-have anymore – however, you could opt to keep him in your outfit as a contributor for the bye rounds.

Cut them loose

It’s important to remember that we’re only a month into the fantasy season and the red dots sitting on your bench should be addressed sooner rather than later. North Melbourne pair Toby Pink ($242K, DNP, BE 20) and Charlie Lazzaro ($351K, DNP, BE 20) may earn a recall this week, but if not they should be axed from your lineup – and the same can be said for defenders like Zach Reid ($244K, DNP, BE 38) and Marty Hore ($355K, DNP, BE 31). Currently, the most traded out player prior to Round 5 is Hore’s defensive teammate Blake Howes ($396K, 30, BE 55), who lured us into a false sense of security only to score 23 and 30 across the last fortnight. With DEF downgrades available, he needs to be dealt quickly, while Geelong’s Jhye Clark ($331K, 35, BE 17) doesn’t appear to be the capable cash cow that we were hoping for.

Thin Ice

I’m putting Colby McKercher ($499K, 50, BE 38) on notice, through no real fault of his own. Moving into the midfield against Brisbane meant McKercher didn’t have access to as many cheap +6’s and his score suffered as a result. I get that he was an elite MID during his junior days and that’s clearly where North Melbourne wants him to play once he matures, but if the Roos gun continues to heavy usage at CBA’s (14/26 over the weekend) he not might be the keeper pick that we envisioned. Another score in the teens from Harvey Thomas ($295K, 15, BE 13) deflated a lot of owners – undoing all positive gen on offer after his 100 points vs. West Coast. Thomas found himself dragged and subbed out relatively early against the Suns and there are no guarantees he’ll remain in their 22 this week to take on St Kilda.

Wait and see

Kai Lohmann ($270K, 78, BE 6) FINALLY got to show us what he was capable of on the weekend, shaking off the sub vest and producing a strong score that will reignite his cash generation. Starting with a 35-point first quarter and kicking two goals are both encouraging signs from the Brisbane FWD, however, there’s still a small flag regarding his place in their best lineup. I have faith he’ll avoid the vest against Melbourne on Thursday, but it might be worth waiting another week to assess Lohmann’s role and performance against a decent Dees squad. Gold Coast duo Ethan Read ($270K, 25, BE 38) and Bodhi Uwland ($295K, 51, BE 8) aren’t great trade targets with Read poised to exit the Suns’ lineup after just one week.

You could hold on to Uwland for a little longer as a valuable DEF green dot, although his scores won’t make a dramatic difference to your team. A handful of cheaper, tall talents should remain off the fantasy radar with Mykelti Lefau ($222K, 37, BE 14) and Jed Walter ($273K, 34, BE 39) players I won’t be touching in 2024. Because I’m good at my job I’ll at least mention Max Ramsden ($235K, 60, BE 2) who scored 60 last week, although he looms as a short-term option with Mitch Lewis listed as 1-2 weeks on the injury report. I don’t advise in grabbing Ramsden, even if you desperately need the cash.

Sub status

Subbed On – Taj Woewodin, James Tunstill, Loch Rawlinson, Caleb Mitchell, Kane McAuliffe, Angus Hastie

Subbed Off – Chris Burgess, Jhye Clark, Harvey Thomas

A few relevant fantasy rookies continue to be ruined by the vest with Angus Hastie ($200K, 0, BE 72) pretty much a cross-off now. The Saints teen has played two games now for less than 32 total minutes while compiling just 4 disposals – effectively killing off any chance that he remains an option in 2024. Sydney youngster Caleb Mitchell ($200K, 0, BE 37) even managed to spend a whopping three minutes on the ground against the Eagles!

Let’s hope Richmond debutant Kane McAuliffe ($200K, 23, BE 25) doesn’t have the same fate! The promising Tigers cub only featured in 22% of the game last weekend and laid a few tackles to at least ensure he won’t move backward. Last little rant – ENOUGH of players debuting from the sub position, it’s borderline embarrassing. If they earn a place in the team give them a genuine run. If not, leave them in the two’s until that chance arises.

State League Stats

As the footy world descended on South Australia, most of the state league put their feet up for the week with the WAFL the only competition in action. There weren’t any West Coast or Freo players who stood out from a fantasy standpoint so the SLS section will return to normalcy next week. For the diehard fantasy coaches out there, here are the stats from the relevant rooks who did take part in the WAFL last weekend:

Zane Trew (107) – 26 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles
Harvey Johnston (72) – 20 disposals, 7 marks
Clay Hall (64) – 22 disposals (16 handballs), 3 marks
Harry Barnett (47) – 7 disposals, 21 hitouts
Cooper Simpson (44) – 10 disposals, 1 goal

Remember the Name

In no particular order, here are some of the other rookie-priced players to consider throughout the season.

DEFENDERS

James Leake (Giants, $252K)
Jakob Ryan (Magpies, $200K)
Oisin Mullin (Cats, $245K)
Billy Wilson (Blues, $201K)
Riley Hardeman (Kangaroos, $234K)
Archie Roberts (Bombers, $200K)
Jedd Busslinger (Bulldogs, $200K)
Charlie Edwards (Crows, $240K)
Connor O’Sullivan (Cats, $270K)

MIDFIELDERS

Ed Allen (Magpies, $200K)
Jake Rogers (Suns, $261K)
Caiden Cleary (Swans, $231K)
Hugh Jackson (Power, $200K)
Harry DeMattia (Magpies, $228K)
Mitch Hardie (Cats, $200K)
George Stevens (Cats, $200K)
Jack Bytel (Magpies, $270K)

RUCKMEN

Henry Smith (Lions, $200K)
Coen Livingstone (Eagles, $200K)
Max Heath (Saints, $200K)
Nathan Kreuger (Magpies, $261K)
Archer Reid (Eagles, $213K)
Will Verrall (Demons, $200K)
Dante Visentini (Power, $283K)
Taylor Goad (Kangaroos, $243K)
Mitch Edwards (Cats, $207K)

FORWARDS

Tyrell Dewar (Eagles, $200K)
Kynan Brown (Demons, $200K)
Nate Caddy (Bombers, $273K)
James Tsitas (Suns, $200K)
Ashton Moir (Blues, $216K)
Steely Green (Tigers, $200K)
Darcy Jones (Giants, $200K)
Bigoa Nyoun (Kangaroos, $200K)
Reef McInnes (Magpies, $285K)
Billy Dowling (Crows, $200K)
Koltyn Tholstrup (Demons, $264K)
Brayden George (Kangaroos, $200K)
Logan Morris (Lions, $210K)

Fry

An Australian coffee/burrito enthusiast who is the frustrated owner of 16 fantasy teams. Writer for SportsbyFry and DT Talk ?