14 down, 10 to go!

Our philosophy remains the same – get our rookies off the field. Despite the scoring prowess that Zak Johnson and Tom McCarthy showed last round, you should still aim to have those guys on our bench by the time the bye rounds conclude. They can be helpful during the best-18 rounds if they pop for a stellar score, but trusting an on-field rookie this late into the season when normal scoring returns is a risky scenario. They are still crucial to our success in terms of cash generation over the final 10 rounds of the season, but with the three-trade luxury ending relatively soon, it’s important to keep casting our eyes forward to ensure you’re fielding the best possible team.

Rookie/cash cows are typically defined as players who started the season priced at $400,000 or lower

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Cash Cow King – Round 14

In a time of need, a few of our new cash cow additions stepped up with HUGE point totals in Round 14. The list was headlined by trade in targets Zak Johnson and Tom McCarthy, with the duo registering triple-figure scores that would have pushed some dead weight out of your best-18. The unique option (1172 traded him in!) Tyrell Dewar finished as the highest scoring rook last weekend with a juicy 115 points, while a pair of Jaxon’s in the form of Jaxon Prior and Jaxon Binns rounded out the nominees after flirting with 100-point scores themselves.

*If you’re having issues submitting your vote try clicking “view results” first and that should resolve the problem 🤞

Who's gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 14?

• Zak Johnson (104)
• Jaxon Prior (95)
• Tyrell Dewar (115)
• Tom McCarthy (101)
• Jaxon Binns (89)

View Results

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Round 14 Power Rankings

After 14 weeks of action, these are the top 10 cash cow performers in season 2025!

Power Ranking 2025 #AFLFantasy Cash Cows Round 14 💰🐮

1. Daniel Curtin ⬆️ 2
2. Elijah Hewett ⬆️ 2
3. Kane McAuliffe ⬇️ 1
4. Levi Ashcroft ⬇️ 3
5. Zak Johnson (NR)
6. Sam Davidson ⬆️ 1
7. Sam Butler (NR)
8. Harvey Langford ⬇️ 3
9. Joe Fonti ⬇️ 4
10. Riley Bice ↔️ pic.twitter.com/foQTIzNCm6

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) June 17, 2025

Making Moves

Let ’em grow

The most popular buy last week turned in a huge effort in Round 15 with Zak Johnson ($384K, 104, BE -33) climbing almost $100K on the back of his 104-point effort. Acquired by almost 20,000 coaches, the budding Bomber will be leaned on again heavily for cash generation over the next month plus – with West Coast debutant Tom McCarthy ($293K, 101, BE -25) equally impressive in his first AFL match. Coaches could still trade into McCarthy despite the Eagles’ week off and I’ve got no problems with trading into Johnson as well, given the money this duo will generate to facilitate future upgrades. Those two weren’t the only money makers to emerge last weekend as Harry Rowston ($256K, 75, BE -3) avoided the vest to post an impressive score and shoot his breakeven down into the negatives.

Rowston’s place in GWS’ senior side seems less guaranteed than the aforementioned duo, but an impressive VFL average of 99.4 suggests that he’ll keep scoring at a reasonable clip if he’s given the chance. His teammate Nic Madden ($325K, 47, BE -5) also continues to move in the right direction and those who bought into the Giants’ ruckman over the last fortnight may use him to plug a hole in their teams with Max Gawn on the bye. His 47 points against Brisbane didn’t jump off the page, but he’s shown enough to encourage his owners. Port Adelaide pair Mani Liddy ($245K, 42, BE 13) and Hugh Jackson ($277K, 15, BE 21) don’t come with the same optimism – although, it was encouraging to see the mid-season draftee in Liddy play a full (ish) game for the Power. Some may target him as a downgrade option in the midfield and surely I’m not the only one who hopes he continues to avoid a red or green vest.

Coaches who bought into Jackson will obviously be hoping he can avoid a similar fate, however it’s hard to see things changing after starting in the fluro for two of his three senior games to date. On the more expensive side of things, Tyrell Dewar ($464K, 115, BE -14) and Jaxon Binns ($480K, 89, BE 31) were among the best-performing rookies over the weekend and fantasy managers may consider them as plays at F6 or M8 respectively. While I have high hopes for Dewar and think he could be a stellar, unique option after West Coast’s bye, I don’t have the same confidence in Binns after seeing him yo-yo between the VFL and AFL side for the bulk of the season.

Watch this space

If it wasn’t for the bye round, there would undoubtedly be trade interest in Sam Butler ($432K, 77, BE 8) this week, especially given the scarcity of forward rookies available at the moment. Yes, buying into a player priced over $400K can be a risky play (shoutout to the Riley Hardeman owners), but Butler has put forth two strong games since entering Hawthorn’s senior side. Coaches who opted for cheaper options in the forward line, such as Isaac Keeler ($356K, 37, BE 12), Max Ramsden ($328K, 49, BE 12) or Archer May ($245K, 42, BE 13) weren’t stoked with how that trio performed over the weekend. I still don’t have a lot of confidence in any of them, or the other downgrade opinions up FWD for that matter – which may hamstring some coaches at the trade table.

We don’t want to get stuck with dead rookies that we chase in the bye rounds to help us land the uber-premiums in each line and while it continues to be a source of frustration, there are some alternatives. Coaches who may still be clinging on to the likes of Finn O’Sullivan ($482K, 56, BE 26) or even players such as Tobie Travaglia ($444K, 41, BE 33) and Matt Carroll ($428K, 67, BE 27) could cash them in to make the necessary coin for another trade. More established options like Jaxon Prior ($644K, 95, BE 65), Sam Davidson ($637K, 76, BE 67) and even Dan Curtin ($581K, 72, BE 29) or Elijah Hewett ($622K, 80, BE 39) could be moved on if you’re cash strapped – although, given their recent form I’d be tempted to give Curtin and Hewett a longer leash. The time is coming to also move on from Angus Clarke ($429K, 40, BE 31), with his performance against Fremantle on Thursday unlikely to contribute to your best-18 scorers and an average of 46.7 points in his last three a sign that he’s not going to make much more coin.

Let ’em go

I don’t want to waste your valuable time, so in short, any coaches still clinging on to Levi Ashcroft ($714K, 39, BE 113), Harvey Langford ($607K, 50, BE 88) or Xavier Lindsay ($541K, 24, BE 92) need to jump off ASAP. Lofty breakevens mean that they’re only going to keep sliding in price and as I’ve explained above, there are a lot of other options to buy into. The likes of Kai Lohmann ($436K, 24, BE 43), Joe Fonti ($496K, 18, BE 54) and Riley Hardeman ($521K, 41, BE 58) aren’t as pressing to trade out of our teams, however they are a reminder that buying into a rookie who has already made a decent chunk of a change can quickly become a failed pick. It wouldn’t shock me to see all three of these cash cows surpass their breakeven on the weekend, but if they’re going to be residing on your field once Round 17 arrives then you need to jump ship.

We’ve been gifted with some successful Essendon rookies in recent times although, there have also been some flops. Luamon Lual ($283K, 30, BE 12) scored almost half as many points on the weekend as he did in his debut vs. Carlton, while basement priced ruckman Lachlan Blakiston ($230K, 13, BE 42) is expected to be straight back out of the senior team a week after his AFL debut. The Bombers have already announced the debut of Vigo Visentini ($230K, DNP, BE 25) in Round 15 and while he comes with a much more promising track record (92 AVG in 9 VFL games), he is still expected to split the ruck work with Todd Goldstein which will obviously impact his scoring. Another ruck prospect in Hudson O’Keefe ($271K, 20, BE 19) suffered a hamstring injury against the Eagles, drawing a line through him as a viable cash cow and while he managed to top 50 points in that same contest, I still have my doubts over Bo Allan ($248K, 52, BE 25). Even though the talented Eagle checks in at under $250K thanks to his sub-affected scores, I can’t see a world where he makes us a ton of cash in the later stages of the fantasy season.

Sub status

Subbed On – Cooper Hynes, Josaia Delana, Kai Lohmann, Robert Hansen Jr, Xavier Lindsay, Hugh Jackson, Clay Hall

Subbed Off – Archer Day-Wicks

The majority of the sub-affected rooks last round wouldn’t have hurt fantasy coaches. Seeing players such as Kai Lohmann and Hugh Jackson start in the vest was annoying and some may still have been clinging onto Xavier Lindsay. A third vest for Cooper Hynes in four AFL matches means that he’ll likely stay priced at $230K for the rest of the season – making him nicely priced for 2026. Let’s hope by the time we get there, the sub rule is a thing of the past…

Q & A

I’m adding a Q&A section to the weekly articles to help address the biggest issues we have with our rookies/cash cows. If I don’t get to your answer in the article, I promise I’ll answer it on Twitter – and as always, you can drop your follow-up question below.

Tell us about Tauru @sportsbyfry

— Tails 83 (@83Tails) June 17, 2025

There is a lot of buzz surrounding Alix Tauru this week and even if he doesn’t get picked for a Round 15 debut, a lot will be tempted by the Saints’ DEF/FWD when he does enter the fray. The talented swingman recorded 85 points on the weekend thanks to 16 disposals and 12 marks with eight intercept possessions, but he doesn’t own the greatest fantasy track record. In his four other VFL games this season, Tauru has chalked up scores of 43, 87, 36 and 36 – fresh off a 2024 campaign where he averaged 67 points in 12 Coates Talent League games. If he isn’t hauling in 6-8 intercept marks, then it’s hard to see Tauru topping 50 points regularly, so he’s one I’ll avoid at first. That being said, his DPP is convenient and if St Kilda opt to get some senior games into their kids to close the season, then Tauru is someone who could play a role for the fantasy community.

Can you split Rowston and Johnson please. Johnson probably better role and job security, but is quite a bit more expensive now

— NeilT (@neily19) June 17, 2025

A lot of coaches will ignore both of them because of the impending Round 16 bye. However, I think you can still buy into either of these MID rooks, with Johnson still a legitimate option. Sure, you missed the 100+ score, but he still has bulk coin to make and as you stated, I feel better about his place in Essendon’s team compared to Rowston.

Best forward downgrade option? And best value forward ?

— Bailey (@BK71999) June 17, 2025

I still think there’s a world where you could buy into Sam Butler despite his inflated price tag, but that doesn’t help you much this round. There are still justifiable concerns around the other downgrade options in the forward line and we’ll have our fingers crossed that someone puts their hand up when the teams drop on Thursday night. In terms of value, I bought into Cooper Lord last week and his last five average of 77 indicates there’s still some meat on the bone – with Dylan Moore I like the idea of targeting after Hawthorn’s week off.

Sort of not a rookie price any more, but Dewar? #AFLFantasy

— FossilOz (@WA_Botanist) June 17, 2025

Speaking of value FWD’s, Dewar has found a new lease on fantasy life and will become a popular buy next week. His scores from earlier in the season can’t be examined too closely, with a new role potentially helping the versatile Eagle become a solid source of cash gen in the coming rounds. As I’ve mentioned a few times, there’s always a risk buying into a player who has already made a fair chunk of change so we’ll have to monitor what Mini McQualter says closer to West Coast’s next hitout.

Remember the Name

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

DEFENDERS

Josh Gibucs (Tigers, $230K)
Luke Beecken (Lions, $230K)
Alix Tauru (Saints, $313K)
James Barrat (Saints, $247K)
Ben Jepson (Suns, $230K)

MIDFIELDERS

Luke Urquart (Kangaroos, $230K)
Josh Smillie (Tigers, $322K)
Cody Anderson (Hawks, $230K)
Ben Camporeale (Blues, $230K)

RUCKMEN

Max Heath (Saints, $230K)
Taylor Goad (Kangaroos, $230K)
Tom Campbell (Demons, $316K)
Kayle Gerreyn (Bombers, $232K)
Lachlan McAndrew (Crows, $302K)

FORWARDS

Zac Banch (Kangaroos, $230K)
Ashton Moir (Blues, $230K)
Liam McMahon (Bombers, $230K)

Fry

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