RIDDELL me this, Riddell me that. Ash is the premium to have in 2025.
As we heaped praise on Ebony Marinoff during the off-season, it has been Ash Riddell who has well and truly blown apart the competition to start the AFLW Fantasy season. Her average (134.7) is a massive 16 points per game higher than the next best. If you started this North mid you're likely sitting at the pointy end of the rankings.
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Round three was sadly defined by some poorly timed injuries for highly owned players (Jasmine Garner, Shelley Heath, Charlie Rowbottom), with Garner and Heath both failing to come out onto the ground after half-time. Thankfully for owners of Heath, the popular defensive target, signs are positive that she will be fit to play in round four. Sadly, Garner and Rowbottom are both set to miss, so will be must-trades for all owners.
It wasn't a round just defined by injuries, with the scoring coming from some relatively popular mid-priced options was truly spectacular. Matilda Scholz (137) tore Gold Coast to shreds, Erone Fitzpatrick (109) blitzed Brisbane with her goalkicking (two) and pressure (eight tackles), and defenders Cambridge McCormick (107) and Meave Chaplin (109) tackled their way to the first 100-plus scores for defenders in 2025! If you owned any combination of these players, chances are you are sitting pretty at the top of your league tables this week.
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Top five price rises
1. Tessa Boyd (DEF, $621,000): +$193,000
2. Dayna Finn (MID, $886,000): +$185,000
3. Erone Fitzpatrick (MID, $725,000): +$179,000
4. Matilda Scholz (RUC, $1,013,000): +$178,000
5. Carly Remmos (MID, $795,000): +$159,000
Top five price falls
1. Jasmine Garner (MID, $1,422,000): -$184,000
2. Chelsea Randall (FWD, $660,000): -$182,000
3. Madeleine Guerin (MID, $726,000): -$159,000
4. Alicia Eva (FWD, $520,000): -$154,000
5. Sabrina Frederick (RUC, $678,000): -$152,000
Top targets
Tessa Boyd (DEF, $621,000, avg 76)
Coming into the season as an injury replacement player, Boyd has been seriously impressive in her first two games. Not only has she averaged 76 Fantasy points, but has also been more than handy for North Melbourne defensively – she averages nine intercept possessions (first at North), three rebound 50s and 2.5 intercept marks per game. Combined with North's injury list, the concerns over her job security have dissipated and Boyd presents as one of the best value players in the competition. New players often struggle with consistency, but Boyd is the sixth highest averaging defender and there are few reasons to see why her scoring might fall away.
Ash Riddell (MID, $1,582,000, avg 134.7)
Riddell has started the season in incredible form, with back-to-back 40-plus disposal games. With Marinoff not currently hitting the massive scores we saw last season, Riddell has suddenly become the must-have midfielder leading the top Fantasy sides. Her partner-in-crime Jasmine Garner is about to miss her first game, which does create some intrigue – will North remain the dominant force it has been? Will teams focus more on clamping down Riddell? Will Riddell be able to overcome this close attention and continue her high scoring ways? I suspect the answer to all of these questions is yes.
Sierra Grieves (MID, $499,000, avg 78)
After a couple of disappointing games to start 2025, Richmond needed to find a better way to connect with its forward line. Welcome Grieves. The No.11 draft pick was excellent on debut, collecting 18 disposals and five score involvements. Notably, it was her willingness to take on corridor kicks, as well as run and carry to disrupt the backline set up of the Bombers, that stood out. Grieves looks set to play plenty of midfield minutes at the Tigers, and could be an excellent value play for Fantasy coaches.
Sell
Jasmine Garner (MID, $1,422,000)
Sadly this uber-premium midfielder has been struck down by an ankle injury, pushing her out of the North Melbourne midfield for at least two weeks. With the value that she still has, trying to pick up another premium mid is the play this week – be it in moving across to Garner's teammate Ash Riddell (hopefully you have some cash in the back), or searching for a little bit of value in a Tyla Hanks, Brit Bonnici, Ella Roberts, or Georgia Nanscawen.
Courtney Murphy (RUC, $489,000)
After only scoring 42 from a season-low 47 per cent time on ground against Richmond in round three, Murphy only made an additional $20k in value. Now that Steph Wales is a test to return as the No.1 ruck for Essendon, the time is now to cash in Murphy and get that cash on the field. If you have some good team value, it could be tactical to trade in a non-playing ruck to allow for some captain loopholing, particularly now that Ebony Marinoff is no longer the automatic 130-plus captain option every week.
Jess Rentsch (DEF, $564,000)
At this stage it is safe to say that Rentsch's 75 in round one was probably more down to playing the Suns, who have become the AFLW's easiest team to score Fantasy points against. As another rookie with the dreaded combination of season-low time on ground (67 per cent) and season-low score (40), Rentsch's time in our Fantasy teams has likely come to an end. As the likely most expensive player on a lot of benches, she presents as a handy stepping stone to a number of value defenders, like a Shelley Heath ($757,000) or Erika O'Shea ($693,000), or even a fallen premium, such as Charlie Thomas ($834,000).
Other sell candidates: Georgia Patrikios (MID, $881,000) is nursing injury and half-forward role; Charlie Rowbottom (MID, $1,038,000) has a shoulder injury and no return-to-play timeline; Emma McDonald (FWD, $320,000) is injured and has no return-to-play timeline; Ange Stannett (FWD, $502,000) and Brooke Tonon (FWD, $491,000) as neither scoring nor roles have improved.
Top rookies
Best rookies to play on field:
Defenders:
- Tessa Boyd (NM, $621,000)
- Rebecca Ott (STK, $612,000)
- Yasmin Duursma (CAR, $695,000)
Midfielders:
- Zippy Fish (SYD, $967,000)
- Lucia Painter (WCE, $726,000)
- Sierra Grieves (RIC, $499,000)
Rucks:
- Havana Harris (GCS, $742,000)
Forwards:
- Laura Stone (HAW, $619,000)
- Blaithin Bogue (NTH, $587,000)
- Amber Clarke (STK, $509,000)
Best of the rest (under $500,000 for your bench):
- Annie Lee (COL, DEF, $488,000)
- Jemma Rigoni (MEL, DEF, $342,000)
- Ash Centra (COL, MID, $417,000)
- Lily Paterson (PA, MID, $341,000)
- Elli Symonds (HAW, RUC, $359,000)
- Piper Dunlop (GEE, RUC, $448,000)
- Paige Scott (RIC, FWD, $384,000)
- Amelia Martin (SYD, FWD, $369,000)
Captains
After round two brought with it multiple 150-plus scores, a degree of normalcy returned to the captaincy ranks in round three, with only the ever-reliable Riddell managing to surpass 140. She therefore gets the nod as the No.1 captain option for round four. Marinoff now sits outside the top five, never fear though, she ranks as the sixth best option this week, with the tougher Brisbane match-up being the key reason for her dropping down the ranks. Monique Conti and Goldsworthy both have incredible match-ups and have semi-regular 120-plus ceilings in past seasons, so get their highest captain rankings this year (with both being excellent VC loophole options if you have a non-playing player to execute it with).
No.1: Ash Riddell (vs Collingwood, Sunday 3.05pm AEST)
No.2: Monique Conti (vs Melbourne, Saturday 12.35pm AEST)*
No.3: Zarlie Goldsworthy (vs Gold Coast, Saturday 1.05pm AEST)*
No.4: Laura Gardiner (vs Fremantle, Sunday 1.05pm)
No.5: Tyla Hanks (vs Richmond, Saturday 12.35pm AEST)*
* = VC Option
Other options to consider: Ebony Marinoff (vs Collingwood), Ella Roberts (vs Port Adelaide), Eliza West (vs St Kilda), Mim Strom (vs Sydney), Mia King (vs Collingwood)
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