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THE EAGLES will be without the enigmatic Nic Naitanui for the better part of the year. However their midfield is in good shape, with four-time Hawthorn premiership player Sam Mitchell making his way to the club in the off-season.

Luke Shuey (MID, $597,000) has gradually increased his Fantasy output to knock on the door of a 100-point average. Fellow midfielder Andrew Gaff (MID, $564,000) dropped below 80 Fantasy points on six occasions in 2016 to bring his average down almost 10 points from the previous season. Gaff is arguably a value pick this year if he can bring his mark and tackle counts to where they were a couple of seasons ago.

It’ll be interesting to monitor the impact Mitchell has on his new teammates. The Eagles will be a team that we will need to monitor over the JLT Community Series to help us make decisions on who we should select in AFL Fantasy Classic and Draft.

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If there is a safer midfield option than Matt Priddis (MID, $623,000), then I’ll eat my trucker hat. The Brownlow medallist has missed just four games in the last six seasons, averaging more than 100 Fantasy points in that time. The key to Priddis’ Fantasy game is his high tackle numbers and high possession counts, even if he handballs more than he kicks! The inside midfielder should be taken early in your Fantasy draft due to his durability and low standard deviation on his Fantasy output week-to-week.

With Naitanui recovering from an injured ACL and Scott Lycett likely to miss the first part of the season, Jonathan Giles (RUC, $348,000) could be a mid-priced ruckman worth considering. He played as the first ruck in West Coast's final two matches of the season to score 90 and 70. If Giles has that role in the first few weeks, he may replicate his average in his first year at the Giants when he went at 82 points per game.

Elliot Yeo (MID/FWD, $477,000) has averaged 79 in his last two seasons, where he has been available in Fantasy as a DEF/MID. This season he can be selected in the forward line. 'Yeo-Yeo's' Fantasy output has been up and down (pardon the pun). This is mainly due to his role. As a midfielder, we have seen plenty of three-figure returns as he is capable of racking up high disposal numbers while laying multiple tackles. If the Yeo-Yeo can keep the string up, by getting more midfield time or returning to the backline and playing as a loose man, the 23-year-old has some upside and can be a handy draft player when he has a favourable match-up.

Having averaged more than 92 in every season since 2005, Sam Mitchell (MID, $602,000) will head into 2017 as a 34-year-old, but has shown no signs of slowing down. It’s going to be hard to pick someone in the twilight of their career – however, looking at Mitchell’s start to 2016 when he scored 124, 146, 117, 130 and 101 in his first five games, we could see something special on the open expanses of Domain Stadium.

With a relatively settled and mature squad with most draftees given time to develop, Francis Watson (DEF, $150,000) is a name to keep under your hat. The 21-year-old is listed as a category B rookie for the Eagles and averaged 63 Fantasy points for Claremont in the WAFL this year. The pacey half-back flanker has been impressing on the training track this pre-season and will be in line to be upgraded to the senior list. Watch this space.

2016 was a year to forget for Jack Redden (MID, $392,000). In his first year at the Eagles, the former Lion played 15 games at an average of 64.8, the lowest in his eight-year career. In the five years prior, Redden has averaged 109, 103, 95, 106 and 97. Playing on a forward flank, he didn’t produce the same numbers and he rounded out his season with a stint in the WAFL. Redden was back training early and if Adam Simpson has him in the best 22, the 26-year-old could be a bargain on your Fantasy Draft day.

After picking Chris Masten (MID, $443,000) up for my bench last year in our draft, I thought I had a bit of a bargain. A guy who averaged 98.6 in 2013 when others being taken were in the low 80s - surely I was onto a winner. As tempting as Masten may seem at his lowest price since 2011, it’s not worth the pain. When someone can go 111 and 94 and you decide to put him on your field and you are dished up 54, 44, and 52 the following weeks, then he moves right to the top of the 'never again' list! 

West Coast's positions and prices for 2017

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