WITH the bye rounds fast approaching, coaches who have been ignoring the inevitable should start to think about it.
While some brave souls follow the strategy of completely ignoring their bye structure and taking it as it comes, I like to do my best to field as close to a 'quality 18' as I can for each round.
Your trades over the next two weeks should aim to leave you with an even spread of players missing each week over the byes, which will give you the best chance to win your head to head match-ups.Obviously, having a well-timed bye for your team is not a reason to grab an out of form player, but it should carry some extra weight at this time of year when narrowing your selections.
For example, I really want to trade in Dane Swan and Steve Johnson. But as I already have a number of gun players missing for the round eight bye, I will trade in Tom Liberatore to ensure I still have some quality players on the field when the first bye is in progress.
CHOPPING BLOCK
Although he has a handy round 10 bye, it looks like we have seen the best of Dom Tyson [MID, $348,751] and it is time for him to go.
Many coaches jumped off last week following his red vest and score of 46, but for the 48,417 coaches who held him, it might be best to find a replacement following his 66 on the weekend against the Swans.
As someone who held on to Tyson, I watched him closely during a quiet first quarter, but even as he came into the game, he looked a shadow of the hungry player who scored 116 and 111 in the opening two rounds of the season.
After the weekend's game he dropped $7,730 in price after scoring 66 and with a break-even of 81, he looks set for another small drop. He has been very serviceable with a respectable average of 79 and a price increase of $131,351 since the start of the season, but you've got to know when to fold them.
FORM + HANDY BYE = MUST HAVE
Sam Mitchell [DEF/MID, $524,692] is running hot on the back of a field day against the Tigers. His massive score of 142 from 35 touches and 12 marks gave him his third score over 120 in the last four weeks.
He is averaging 108 for the season and looks set to be the highest scoring defender for the year by quite a significant margin.
After rising almost $20,000 this week, expect a further rise from Mitchell as he carries a low break-even score of 68. Despite many popular defenders coming from the Hawks, Mitchell still has a handy round nine bye as opposed to many of the competition's elite midfielders who won't play in round eight.
Buyer beware: Although I think Mitchell is a great long term selection, do not expect his upcoming opponents the Saints and Swans to give him enough room to take 12 marks like the Tigers did on Sunday. I think Tom Curren will follow him very closely this week.
Marc Murphy [MID, $518,373] was one on the big price movers this week, increasing by $31,872 after registering his second 140+ game in a row. It has been no coincidence that Murphy’s increase in scoring has coincided with a dramatic improvement in his tackling numbers where he has registered season highs of 12 and 11 respectively. He has a break even of just 52, so he looks set to rise further over the coming weeks, despite the likelihood of facing tough defensive opponents in Brent Macaffer and Tom Curren leading into his round nine bye.
ROOKIE RADAR
Second gamer Mitch Hallahan [MID,$143,112] avoided the vest in his second game for the Hawks and embraced the opportunity with a well-rounded match including 20 disposal, six marks and four tackles for 85 points.
Although he only saw a quarter of play on his debut the previous week, his Fantasy credentials were evident with an impressive 31 points in the final quarter against impressive opposition in the Cats.
It is hard to gauge his job security in such a quality team, but on form, he looks to have earned a spot over the bye period if he maintains his current form. He has a break even this week of -20, which makes him one of the best cash cows available.
WHAT ARE THE TRADERS DOING THIS WEEK?
Warnie
Out: Joel Selwood, Ben Griffiths
In: Sam Mitchell, Mitch Hallahan
Warnie is aiming to fix up his bye structure by getting rid of the under-performing Joel Selwood for Sam Mitchell and he's milking the cash cow that is Ben Griffiths by downgrading to Mitch Hallahan. This leaves the Warne Dawg with over $375,000 in the bank to use throughout the byes!
Out: Alex Fasolo, Ben Griffiths
In: Rhyce Shaw, Luke Dahlhaus
Calvin is using some spare cash to upgrade the injured Fasolo, while also jumping on in-form defender Rhyce Shaw.
Roy
Out: Ben Griffiths, Dom Tyson
In: Tom Liberatore, Mitch Hallahan
I am using a traditional downgrade/upgrade trade to assist with my spread over the byes, while also strengthening my team significantly in the midfield. Liberatore has outstanding history against his opponents leading into his week off.
