REMEMBER Kamdyn McIntosh? He was the talk of the football world in round one after a smoking debut against Carlton at the ripe 'old' age of 21 that earned him the year's first Rising Star nomination.

The good news is he's still running around for the Tigers 11 rounds later, and despite a lacklustre score of 20 against the Eagles last Friday, has brought in a cool $214,000 for NAB AFL Fantasy coaches who stuck with him (or forgot to trade him) since that opening salvo.

Take your AFL Fantasy pulse now

This year's Rising Star nominees are a showcase of Fantasy cash cows but, true to the age of the nominees, it's the ones who have been in the system for a year or two who really deliver value.

Ever since the start of 2014 when gun draftees were handed heftier price tags, Fantasy has demanded a much more savvy approach than just picking the best midfielder from the previous year's draft.

Just one third of this year's Rising Star nominees to date were drafted at the end of last season – Angus Brayshaw, Cory Gregson, Isaac Heeney and Adam Saad (rookie draft).

Take on Sloane, Naitanui, Pendlebury and more in a Fantasy celebrity league

In Fantasy terms, Saad and Gregson have delivered the most value for money, with Heeney's clear status as a gun putting a heavy price tag on his head when the season began.

Brayshaw was similarly expensive to begin with, which makes his $127,000 price rise off a 73.6 average quite outstanding. He's going to be a Fantasy star for many years to come.

However, the best of the lot looks to be the man who tore into Port Adelaide last Saturday and has Carlton fans drooling – Patrick Cripps. The Traders talked up Cripps during the NAB Challenge and we hope you were listening.

2013's No.13 draft pick leads all Fantasy players for total price rises (a whopping $253,000) and all Rising Star nominees for Fantasy averages (85.7). The baby-faced assassin has laid 50 tackles this year, which boosts his numbers nicely.

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Mind you, put a decent young midfielder somewhere near the ball, and they will clock up Fantasy points. There's no such guarantee with key forwards. That's why Jesse Hogan's numbers also stack up well.

Hogan has ticked about every box a Fantasy coach could want from a tall forward who was priced under $200,000 at the start of the year. He's second only to Cripps amongst the nominees for average points and has doubled in value since the start of the year.

So when planning your 2016 Fantasy assault, start taking careful notice of the youngest players on club lists this year, even if they're not getting a lot of senior games.

Chances are they'll be the ones who will have you swimming in the Fantasy dollars when they get their chance to shine.

How the Rising Stars have fared in Fantasy

PLAYERPOSITIONGAMESPRICE +/-TOTALAVERAGE
Patrick Cripps (Carl)MID9$253,00077185.7
Adam Saad (GC)DEF/MID10$230,00069669.6
Kamdyn McIntosh (Rich)DEF/MID11$214,00074767.91
Jesse Hogan (Melb)FWD10$196,00075275.2
Cam McCarthy (GWS)FWD12$167,00074061.7
Cory Gregson (Geel)MID12$167,00073261
Billy Hartung (Haw)MID9$129,00063370.3
Angus Brayshaw (Melb)MID12$127,00088373.6
Mitch Honeychurch (WB)FWD7$100,00039856.9
Tom Boyd (WB)FWD11$40,00053348.5
Isaac Heeney (Syd)MID/FWD5$38,00026753.4
Tim Broomhead (Coll)FWD8-$34,00043654.5

You! My team. Now!
Rory Sloane [MID, $483,000] – avg 93.1: Sloane started the year like a house on fire but a fractured cheekbone slowed him right down after a dip in form. He's freshly re-signed now and notched a healthy 109 last Thursday against the Hawks. Up against the leaky Lions this Saturday, he is ripe for the picking at this price.

Orazio Fantasia [FWD, $195,000] – avg 74.5: Fantasia's spot in Essendon's line-up looks secure following the injury to Travis Colyer. The Bombers desperately need his pace and he's picked up strong Fantasy numbers in his time at half-back over the last two games. He sports the AFL's best break-even of -19 this week, along with the most Fantasy-perfect name in the game.

Get 'em in
Matthew Kreuzer (RUC, $266,000)
Shaun Edwards (DEF, $185,000)
Max Gawn (FWD/RUC, $371,000)
Sam Colquhoun (DEF, $248,000)
Jack Steele (FWD/MID, $249,000)

Farewell for now
Jack Gunston (FWD, $448,000)
Eddie Betts (FWD, $402,000)
Taylor Walker (FWD, $428,000)
Josh Kennedy, Sydney Swans (MID, $516,000)
Travis Colyer (FWD/MID, $391,000)