The easy bargains – think Daniel Rich and Jack Ziebell – are no longer plentiful and most of the youngsters who were pegged to make their senior debuts this season have done so.
But fear not – there are still clever trades to be made, provided you know how to read the market.
For instance, you’d think that the list of players who have suffered the biggest form drop would be a poor hunting ground for the bargain-conscious coach.
But Hawk Luke Hodge, who sits atop of the biggest loser list after 11 rounds, is an increasingly attractive prospect after dropping in value by $121,300 to command a relatively affordable $307,800.
He produced a healthy 84 points against the Sydney Swans in his return from injury last weekend and with another week to rest up during the split round, he could well reproduce that form regularly in the second half of the season.
Another to consider is Brisbane Lions ruckman Mitch Clark, who has rocketed up the standings in recent weeks after coach Michael Voss gave him a new lease on life in the ruck.
Clark has strung together three successive 100-point performances, peaking with a 126-point effort against North Melbourne in round 10.
Although his price is nearing $370,000, it’s not bad for a ruckman capable of averaging 100 points a game over a five-week period.
In the spirit of identifying short-term trends, it’s worth taking a look at Magpie Alan Didak, whose value has dropped by more than $70,000 this season.
He’s recovered from the calf and hamstring injuries that kept him out for five weeks and he produced a 127-point game against Melbourne at the weekend.
With the Pies approaching top form, there’s no reason why Didak can’t continue to rack up the points.
Similarly, Melbourne’s Brad Green is more than $90,000 cheaper than his initial price of $431,900 and he will remain a key player for the Demons in the second half of the season.
Now, it wouldn’t be a Market Watch column without the number-crunchers producing a couple of bargain-basement buys and impressive young North Melbourne defender Nathan Grima fits the bill.
He’s just played his third game and with an average of 67 points per outing, he’s still good value at $135,400, even after jumping in price by more than $48,000.
Better yet, his past two matches have surpassed the 80-point barrier, suggesting Grima is a youngster on the rise.
Finally, Fremantle's Michael Walters ($86,600) and Clancee Pearce ($75,300) are worth watching after they made their debuts against Port Adelaide on the weekend.
Walters managed 70 points and Pearce produced 68 – good first-game efforts in anyone’s language.
While their places in the team will be governed to a degree by the state of Fremantle’s lengthy injury list, they might be worth snapping up for a pittance if they reproduce anything like that form against Geelong in two weeks’ time.
Top 10 movers
1. Brendan Whitecross (Haw) $288,100 (+$201,500)
2. Andrew Collins (Rich) $284,600 (+$198,000)
3. Daniel Rich (BL) $299,400 (+$172,800)
4. Garry Moss (Haw) $237,600 (+$162,300)
5. Robin Nahas (Rich) $240,100 (+$156,800)
6. Jack Ziebell (NM) $273,300 (+$154,700)
7. Angus Graham (Rich) $241,200 (+$154,600)
8. Mitch Clark (BL) $369,400 (+$151,600)
9. Zac Dawson (StK) $229,600 (+$150,300)
10. Andy Otten (Adel) $274,500 (+$148,000)
Top 10 losers
1. Luke Hodge (Haw) $307,800 (-$121,000)
2. Lance Franklin (Haw) $307,700 (-$120,300)
3. Brett Jones (WC) $206,800 (-$104,700)
6. Michael Rischitelli (BL) $241,800 (-$103,400)
5. Steven Salopek (PA) $312,800 (-$103,400)
6. James McDonald (Mel) $256,300 (-$103,300)
7. Troy Simmonds (Rich) $269,700 (-$101,200)
8. Campbell Brown (Haw) $204,700 (-$97,400)
9. Daniel Kerr (WC) $243,100 (-$96,100)
10. Barry Hall (Syd) $264,300 (-$91,300)
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
