BARGAIN hunters beware – this week is your last chance to bolster your Toyota AFL Dream Team squad before price fluctuations come into play.

And that means early-season flyers with a very attractive price tag - like Essendon’s Heath Hocking and Carlton midfielder Richard Hadley – are set to soar in value.

Each player’s value will be adjusted once they’ve played three matches and for most that means the market will swing into action after this weekend.

And that leaves Dream Team coaches with some serious decisions to make.

Do you take a punt and drop the underperformers in your squad in favour of a new, value-packed alternative?

Or do you back your original judgement and hope that your entire midfield isn’t really crocked by injury and that they’re just easing into the season.

One player who hasn’t eased himself into the year is Bombers youngster Hocking.

With an average of almost 105 points per game, the former Dons rookie has made a mockery of his $213,000 rating and his value is set to skyrocket next week.

Similarly, former Lion Hadley has finally overcome his injury troubles and his form at Carlton is beginning to echo his glorious early years. While he’s a bit more expensive at $308,400, coaches are getting serious value for their investment with more than 123 points per game.

Last week in Market Watch, we expressed surprise at the prolific points tally racked up by North Melbourne’s Leigh Harding. Well, consider us doubly surprised and equally delighted after the speedy utility again delivered the goods against the Bulldogs with 108 points.

Harding’s averaging almost 130 points a game and he costs less than $300,000. That’s more than Collingwood ball magnet Dane Swan and more than the irrepressible Richo. It’s even more than Dream Team’s most expensive player, Geelong champ Jimmy Bartel.

Far be it from us to tell you what to do but we know a good deal when we see one.

Finally, when Dream Team coaches think of suitable defenders for their squads, they’re not often going to contemplate adding a big, burly full-back into the mix.

I mean, when was the last time Simon Prestigiacomo racked up 30 touches, 10 marks and six tackles?

(It’s been a while since any of Presti’s opponents had numbers like that either, but that’s another story).

No, it’s all about nippy running half backs in Dream Team – think the Swans’ Marty Mattner and Rhyce Shaw, Adelaide veteran Andrew McLeod and even the athletic Brendon Goddard at St Kilda.

But the Bulldogs’ Brian Lake is making a mockery of conventional Dream Team wisdom. At a tick over $320,000, the artist formerly known as Brian Harris is collecting points like they’re on the verge of extinction.

A 136-point game against North Melbourne on Sunday followed his first-round effort of 87 against Fremantle, leaving him with an average of almost 112 points per game.

It just goes to show that beauty (and a bargain) is in the eye of the beholder – and not necessarily in their Dream Team bank balance.