ROUND two saw the rookie scoring pendulum swing away from the high-scoring round one, and coaches are now left with a number of core players potentially missing the coming weeks through injury/suspension, particularly in defence!
The rookie roulette wheel was no more than obvious than in the point scoring from the Gold Coast rookies. Lily Quigley went from 10 Fantasy points to 68 Fantasy points between Rounds 1 and 2, Alannah Welsh went from 28 to 86 Fantasy points, Mikayla Nurse went from 13 to 45, whilethe popular trade-in target of Round 2, Ava Usher, failed to fire like her teammates, scoring only 47 after 78 the week prior.
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In defence, coaches who own Zippy Fish (111) and Rebacca Webster (96) were ecstatic with their elite premium scoring. Unfortunately, the late omission of Charlie Thomas (illness) plus the minor shoulder issue for Lucille Cronin saw many coaches fielding bench players. Those issues were then compounded when popular premium defender Maddi Gay injured her shoulder late in the Bombers game. That injury will see her miss at least one week (and likely more). Further, drastic underperformance of the second most popular trade in Round 2, Violet Patterson (33), was already disappointing, made worse when a tackle laid on Gabby Newton in the second quarter saw her suspended for Round 3.
The biggest question for coaches this week will be how fix up those red dots in defence? Will it be by grabbing a premium defender? Could one or some of them be covered by bench rookies? Will a mid-priced option jump out of the pack? While we are confident that the answer will be clear in hindsight, there is a lot of uncertainty on the best way forward. Our trade targets this week will hopefully provide some guidance on where we see the best value / scoring potential.
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Top five price rises
1. Jordyn Allen (MEL, MID, $533,000): +$199,000
2. Nell Morris-Dalton (CAR, FWD, $469,000): +$176,000
3. Maria Moloney (PA, MID, $660,000): +$153,000
4. Alannah Welsh (GCS, FWD, $395,000): +$142,000
5. Sophie Eaton (PA, MID, $392,000): +$139,000
Top five price falls
1. Brittany Bonnici (COL, MID, $877,000): -$158,000
2. Megan Fitzsimon (MEL, MID, $602,000): -$153,000
3. Georgia Nascawen (ESS, MID, $882,000): -$138,00
4. Lucy Single (GCS, MID, $731,000): -$128,000
5. Serene Watson (STK, DEF, $674,000): -$126,000
Top targets
Zippy Fish (SYD, DEF, $957,000) - 104.5 Fantasy points
She is currently the highest -veraging defender in AFLW Fantasy, and for the 25 per cent of the competition who don't have Fish, it is looking like the second-year Swan is en route to being one of the first 90+ averaging defenders. Tasked with being the No.1 ball user for Sydney in the defensive half, Zippy is the ideal trade target for those looking to upgrade Maddi Gay after her shoulder injury.
Rebecca Webster (GEE, DEF, $796,000) - 94.5 Fantasy points
The Mick Stinear-led Cats recovered from their substantial loss to the Kangaroos by comprehensively thrashing St Kilda. Under a new coaching regime, Webster has thrived, becoming the ideal link between the star-studded midfield and a stout defensive group that lacks great speed or experience as a primary distributor. While 94 points per game is an unlikely mark for Webster to maintain, Webster looks to have become the Maeve Chaplin equivalent for Stinear at Geelong, and Chaplin averaged 75 points per game in 2025. A great target for those owners of Maddi Gay who already own Zippy Fish.
Madison Prespakis (ESS, MID, $962,000) - 101.5 Fantasy points
Prespakis appears to have returned to her AFLW B&F form in 2026, and the Bombers are clearly doing more to feature her foot skills and stoppage prowess this season. This includes the new wrinkle of having Prespakis in charge of taking kick-ins, adding cheap +3s in addition to more space to work for kicks and marks in transition With Richmond, Fremantle and Gold Coast as match-ups in the next month, the Dons need to replace the disposals previously ‘allocated' to Maddi Gay, and Prespakis is the No.1 option.
Lucy Wales (HAW, RUC, $1,128,000) - 121 Fantasy points
Wales has started the season on fire in 2026, not only delivering against Melbourne's makeshift ruck line-up but also against Power star Matilda Scholz. She has had a subtle role shift, sitting behind the ball more often to assist with the Hawks' lack of key defensive depth. This has massively increased her aerial presence, jumping from 2.8 marks per game last season to 6.5 marks so far this year. Facing the depleted Pies line-up this week, Wales is not only a great trade target for those needing a ruck upgrade but also a captaincy option.
Erone Fitzpatrick (CAR, FWD, $798,000) - 90 Fantasy points
It was hard to imagine that Fitzpatrick would be the second highest averaging forward after her 48 vs St Kilda in Round 1, and many were questioning if her form in 2025 was sustainable this year. 'Ronny' cast aside any questions about her premium bona fides, scoring a round-high 132 points vs Adelaide this past week, and filling out the stat sheet: 30 disposals, seven marks, eight tackles and three goals. Those stat lines will not be possible every week, but for any coaches wanting to restructure and shift cash from their midfielder and defence into the forward line, Fitzpatrick presents as a great option with scoring potential, value on her $798k price tag, and a solid run upcoming (with the flag that the dreaded North Melbourne match-up is coming in Round 5).
Sell
Maddison Gay (ESS, DEF, $868,000) - 91.5 Fantasy points
Gay is starting to get an injury-curse tag, after picking up a tricky shoulder injury against the Swans late in the match. She is confirmed to miss this weekend, but is listed as a TBC beyond that as the Bombers are still working out a return to play timeline. A great starting pick, Gay is now a sideways trade - the question is whether to target a premium like Zippy Fish or someone cheaper like Rebecca Webster or Serene Watson.
Ash Richards (STK, FWD, $559,000) - 41.5 Fantasy points
Richards has had a disappointing start to the season, playing more half-forward than we hoped and only pinch hitting through the middle in big losses. The Saints' next couple of games don't get easier, against the undefeated Swans and North Melbourne sides. The only hope is that coach Dal Santo recognises that change is needed and brings Richards further up the ground. But in the meantime with a dropping price and North on the horizon, Richards might need to be moved on.
Violet Patterson (COL, DEF, $520,000) - 66.5 Fantasy points
We were trying to ignore the possibility last week but the return of the cavalry at Collingwood pushed Patterson out of her distributor role across half-back, and she was much quieter for it. She was much quieter against Fremantle, only collecting nine disposals and one mark, but also picked up a one-week suspension that rules her out of Round 3. Patterson has already made a stack of cash, and is an easy candidate to trade if you are looking to upgrade some underperformers.
Sierre Grieves (RIC, FWD, $562,000) - 55 Fantasy points
Richmond has played some incredibly direct football over the opening two rounds, averaging a league low 236 disposals per game despite being above in metres gained. It leaves players like Grieves and Yassir spending most of their game defending opposition ball movement, rather than collecting touches and marks. It may not be a priority trade out, but unless the Tigers start to hold possession more, Grieves won't accumulate the high Fantasy scores we want despite her great form and role.
Top rookies (under $350,000 at start of season)
Best rookies to play on field:
Defenders
Aoife Healy (FRE, $396,000)
Bryde O'Rourke (GEE, $408,000)
Mikaylah Antony (HAW, $265,000)
Midfielders
Chloe Bown (ADE, $509,000)
Jordyn Allen (MEL, $533,000)
Ava Usher (GCS, $472,000)
Rucks
Yasmeen Janschek (GWS, $412,000)
Madeleine Quinn (SYD, $416,000)
Forwards
Kellyann Hogan (COL, $299,000)
Alanah Welsh (GCS, $395,000)
Claire Mahony (NTH, $399,000)
Best of the Rest (under $350,000 for your bench):
Mikaylah Antony (HAW, DEF, $265,000)
Emma Murray (GEE, DEF, $288,000)
Lily Quigley (GCS, MID, $277,000)
Juliet Kelly (ADE, MID, $341,000)
Maggie Johnstone (ESS, MID, $310,000)
Priya Bowering (GEE, MID, $240,000)
Paige Price (GCS, RUC, $254,000)
Kellyann Hogan (COL, FWD, $299,000)
Captains
Round 2 was the round of the high scoring ruck, with three rucks scoring over 120 points, outperforming the popular captaincy duo of Ebony Marinoff (112) and Jasmine Garner (115). That has caused a bit of a shift in the formulation of the captaincy rankings this week, with Lucy Wales' match-up vs Collingwood and Scholz's GWS fixture seeming primed for more 120-point scoring. Given the potential for coaches to have red dots in defence, coaches should consider pairing Ebony Marinoff (who plays the well down on form West Coast) as their VC, with one of Wales or Scholz as a back-up option if Noffy were to underperform. That is not to say that Marinoff is likely to score poorly this weekend, the Eagles just allowed Charlie Rowbottom to score 116, but the Eagles have previously run a tag on the Crows captain. Garner and Riddell play the Western Bulldogs first up on Saturday, and while those two have previously feasted vs the Dogs, that was prior to Tam Hyett's squad becoming one of the most difficult scoring match ups for midfielders. High scoring is definitely still possible, it just comes with increased uncertainty.
No.1: Ebony Marinoff (vs WCE, Saturday 2:35pm AEST)
No.2: Lucy Wales (vs COL, Sunday 3:05pm AEST)
No.3: Matilda Scholz (vs GWS, Sunday 12:35pm AEST)
No.4: Jasmine Garner (vs WBD, Saturday 12:35pm AEST)
No.5: Ash Riddell (vs WBD, Saturday 12:35pm AEST)
Other options to consider: Mim Strom (vs Carlton), Laura Gardiner (vs St Kilda), Sophie Hurley (vs St Kilda), Madi Prespakis (vs Richmond), Mon Conti (vs Essendon), Kiara Bowers (vs Carlton)
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