Elijah Hewett – Deck of DT 2025

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Dave – coach of Skinny Boys – was the 2012 AFL Fantasy Classic champion. He joins us today as a special guest for Winners Week where a former No.1 comes on to chat about a player for the Deck of DT.

Why should I pick him?

Currently at 48% ownership, Elijah Hewett is one of the most highly selected players in the pre-season and looking at his history it is easy to see why, having been on our 2025 radar ever since persistent injuries ended his 2024 season without playing a game. As a result, the first round draft pick from 2022 enters his third year priced at a 30% discount to his sub and concussion affected 2023 average of 46. So we have a promising 3rd year player available at a rookie price in the forward line where he isn’t competing with the gun midfield rookies, plus the added bonus of DPP flexibility.

Taking a closer look at his 2022 season, in the final 10 games of the season when he was able to avoid the vest and play full games, he played a mix of forward and inside mid, attending 47% of the CBAs and averaging 56 fantasy points. A repeat of that performance should net him over $200k and be a more than worthy rookie selection. However, this will be his third year in the system and having completed a full pre-season so far (albeit with a modified program), there are plenty of reasons to believe that he can make a decent improvement on this as the Eagles invest in someone who they will hope will be a key member of their midfield for years to come. That would make him a more than serviceable F6.

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

Although Hewett seems like a bit of a gift, we do have to temper our expectations for him. He is more of an impact player than an accumulator even when he gets time in the midfield, and very little in his junior numbers points towards him being a fantasy star of the future.

When he went on his high CBA run in late 2023, there was no Reid and minimal Yeo. When you also add in new arrival Graham as well as Hutchison who both got thrown into the match play midfield mix of new coach McQualter, we are looking at a lot more competition for midfield time compared to 2023. In the recent match play, Hewett played more as a forward who rotated into the midfield rather than vice versa which could really limit his scoring if it continued into the season.

Another complication relates to the reason he is cheap in the first place. The Sesamoiditis that derailed his 2024 season is an overuse injury which he had battled for some time. He ended up having surgery to overcome it which appears to have resolved the issue but can lead to complications like the bone stress he experienced when he attempted a comeback in July. The risk of further injury issues is real and even if he stays on the park, the club will likely be cautious with his load which could limit his minutes and midfield time.

Deck of DT Rating.

QUEEN

If his pre-season continues to track along well then we will be hard pressed not to pick him come round 1, rookie priced forwards with good job security and midfield minutes are not to be passed by. The big question is whether we can entrust him on field where we ideally want him given he is at the top end of rookie pricing, so there will be a big watch on his role during the preseason. The Yeo injury does enough to swing him to F6 for now but I will hoping another decent F6 contender emerges or even looking at a restructure to bring another midfield rookie on-field if the role isn’t looking promising or injury issues flare up.

SkinnyDave

Winner 2012, 20th 2021