THAT'S right, even though AFL officially kicked off last weekend with the Opening Round, it’s not too late to start playing AFL Fantasy. Head to fantasy.afl.com.au to create your team for your chance to win a Toyota HiLux and many other great prizes… but more importantly, bragging rights over your mates.

Our starting team for 2024 has been shaped from hours of pre-season work and of course the Opening Round. This round gave us a ‘free look’ at some players and even though they will now have an early bye, we feel we can cover them during this time as only your best-18 players will count during the early bye rounds two, three, five and six.

DEFENDERS

Harry Sheezel (DEF, $878,000)

A casual 32 possessions for a score of 107 in his practice game is what we can expect from Sheezel this season. Lock him in to be a top-six defender this year and an average of 100-plus is all but certain.

Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $855,000)

Whitfield bolted out of the gates last weekend with the highest score for the round with 137. This has forced our hand as Whitfield now has a very low break even and only plays the Kangaroos and West Coast in the next two weeks.

Hayden Young (DEF, $805,000)

40 per cent of Fantasy coaches are on board and have been since Fantasy opened in December. Young topped scored for the Dockers with 114 in his practice match making him an easy selection down back.

Elliot Yeo (DEF, $633,000)

He’s fit and firing… and only priced at an average of 70. Yeo hasn’t put a foot wrong this pre-season. He scored 81 in his practice match with an inside midfield role that should see him average 90-plus this season.

Zac Williams (DEF, $442,000)

Williams played his first game since 2022 in the Opening Round and certainly passed the eye test. He scored 69 with a 51-point first half and will be much better than the average of 49 he is priced at.

Nick Coffield (DEF, $358,000)

To avoid playing a rookie on field, we have opted for the services of Coffield. He scored 59 in his practice game with 14 disposals and six marks. When Nic Martin gets DEF status after round six, he will be the first one we move on.

Bench: Zach Reid (DEF, $253,000) and Blake Howes (DEF, $200,000)

MIDFIELDERS

Marcus Bontempelli (MID, $1,056,000)

You get what you pay for and Bontempelli looked the million dollars he is priced at in his practice game with 127. He’s a walk-up captain any day of the week and one of our pillars of strength in the midfield.

Tom Green (MID, $998,000)

Pillar number two. Coming off a solid 116 on the weekend, Green now walks into two of the easiest match-ups over the next two rounds where he plays the Kangaroos and West Coast. He has a bye in round three and we have our fingers crossed someone can step up to cover him.

Jack Steele (MID, $884,000)

Picking someone who has averaged 121 and 110 in the past… and is now priced at an average of 98, makes plenty of sense right? Don’t over complicate things… Steele is cheap and will be back to his best.

Nic Martin (MID, $769,000)

The half-back role is real and Martin thrived in that position in his most recent practice game scoring 120. With no early bye, Martin has a great early draw and after round six, we’ll move him and his new DEF/MID status into our backline.

Matt Crouch (MID, $734,000)

After Crouch made his way back into the Crow’s midfield towards the end of the year, he averaged 98 in his last six games. This is what we can expect from Crouch who is cheaper than ever before.

Ollie Wines (MID, $701,000)

Wines was pushed out of the midfield last season and he struggled finishing the year with an average of 78. He’s back where he belongs in 2024 and even scored 95 from 27 disposals in his most recent practice match.

Colby McKercher (MID, $297,000)

Colby got off to a slow start in his practice game scoring three in the first quarter. However, after shaking off the nerves, the ball-magnet went on to score 63. He can average 80-plus and comfortably sits on our field.

Ryley Sanders (MID, $285,000)

Sanders came out firing in his practice match scoring 92 from 30 possessions. We can’t expect this from Sanders every week, but everyone needs him on their field… just in case he does.

Bench: Matt Roberts (MID, $245,000) and Jhye Clark (MID, $237,000)

RUCKS

Max Gawn (RUC, $831,000)

Gawn’s practice game score of 130 made him one of the most popular rucks selected. Even though he only managed 87 in the Opening Round, Gawn will come out firing against English on Sunday afternoon.

Brodie Grundy (RUC, $677,000)

After a disappointing practice game, Grundy came out to prove a point against Max Gawn and his score of 118 has now made the decision easy. He was very popular when Fantasy first opened and now has a very low break even.

Bench: Harry Barnett (RUC, $200,000)

FORWARDS

Isaac Heeney (FWD, $722,000)

Even though we are divided on the Heeney selection, you can’t ignore the fact he attended 14 centre bounces and scored a huge 121. With the current injuries at the Swans, nothing will be changing here anytime soon.

Zac Fisher (FWD, $623,000)

29 per cent of coaches are joining us and it’s not hard to see why. Fisher scored a game-high 114 in his practice game with 36 possessions and six marks. An easy selection in a line that’s tricky to fill.

James Jordon (MID/FWD, $454,000)

Despite what some people are saying, Jordon’s 76 from Opening Round was enough. Priced at an average of 50, Jordon has now settled in at his new club and looks at home on the wing.

Alex Sexton (FWD, $382,000)

Floating across half-back, Sexton scored 80 on the weekend with eight marks. This new role will provide many avenues to points for Sexton who is a ‘must have’ on your field at a very cheap price.

Harley Reid (MID/FWD, $300,000)

Even though the Eagles got beaten by 67 in their practice match, Reid still managed to be in the Eagles’ top-five scorers with 73. He will have some low scores this year, but his job security is strong.

Darcy Wilson (MID/FWD, $249,000)

It would be nice not to have two rookies on our field in our forward line, but Wilson is one of the best going around. He scored 97 in his practice match from 24 disposals and 10 marks.

Bench: Charlie Lazzaro (MID/FWD, $288,000) and Aaron Cadman (FWD, $221,000)

Utility: Seth Campbell (FWD, $200,000)

Salary Cap Remaining: $23,000