NEXT up in our 2026 Fantasy preview series is Hawthorn.
What happened last season?
Average points ranking: Fourth
Top three averaging players: Lloyd Meek (93.3), Karl Amon (88.6), Jai Newcombe (86.4)
Biggest price increase: Jack Gunston (+$158,000)
Biggest price drop: Tom Barrass (-$231,000)
>> See the full list of players, positions and prices
List changes
IN: Jack Dalton (No.34 draft pick), Ollie Greeves (Rookie Draft), Matthew LeRay (No.56 draft pick), Cameron Nairn (No.20 draft pick), Aidan Schubert (No.23 draft pick)
OUT: Luke Breust (retired), Sam Frost (delisted), Changkuoth Jiath (trade, Melbourne), Seamus Mitchell (delisted), Jasper Scaife (delisted), Jai Serong (trade, Sydney), James Worpel (free agent, Geelong)
Fixture watch
It will take something special for a Hawk to earn a starting spot in our teams given they have a round three bye. By something special, it is a reasonable argument that a round one match-up with the Bombers is the perfect way to get your season off to a flying start and reassess after that!
So, who should coaches be considering in 2026?
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Lock them in
The Hawks big man Lloyd Meek (RUC, $978,000) backed up a breakout in 2024 where he averaged an impressive 90.6, to improve once again and set a career high 93.8 last year. When he is on, he's on, pumping out six 110-plus scores which included ceiling scores of 131, 136 and 138 to show the 27-year-old can score with the best of them. It is hard to know how the new rules will play out for the rucks and Meek may be negatively affected by a reduction in stoppages given he is traditionally good for 30-plus hitouts per game.
Track their pre-season
Cut and paste from the 2025 pre-season, Will Day (MID, $802,000) is a bargain. The injury prone star started last season in a blaze of glory, reminding everyone how good he is with a dominant performance where he scored 129. Unfortunately, that remained his season highlight, after the 24-year-old once again had his season cruelled by injury, limiting him to six games at an average of 86.8. Given he missed so many games, he is priced at an average of just 76.5 which makes him cheap enough to consider, even with an early bye.
Bargain basement
From a Fantasy perspective, it is hard not to be excited by the prospects of Jack Dalton (MID, $230,000). The kid had serious piglet tendencies in the Coates Talent League, averaging over 28 disposals, five marks and five tackles per game for an average of 111. He works hard on both the inside and outside which ensures he is always a threat and he has the endurance to do it all day. He may not be in the team early on, but monitor him throughout the season as a potential downgrade option.
>> See the full list of players, positions and prices
Draft sleeper
Hard-working half-forward Dylan Moore (FWD, $858,000) was down on his best last season, averaging just 81.8, which drops him down to the 15th-ranked forward moving into 2026. He had some uncharacteristic shockers in the first half of the season which included scores of 42, 45 and 48 which obviously had a huge impact on his 10-point drop in average from the previous season. He was much better in the second half of the year, with all of his five triple-figure scores coming in that time including ceiling scores of 122, 123 and 143. So in summary, he is better than a number of the forwards named ahead of him based on average.
Custom stat star
If your league shows a bit of love for the tacklers, Jai Newcombe (MID, $907,000) deserves to be moved up your rankings. He is as consistent as they come in the cuddle department which is reassuring as an owner because if he is having a quiet day accumulating, he avoids disaster by racking up points defensively. While averaging five tackles per game, he also had a few days out last year, registering eight, nine and 11 which resulted in impressive scores of 118, 123 and 142.
Buyer beware
Skipper James Sicily (DEF, $830,000) fell well short of the lofty heights we saw him accomplish in 2023 when he averaged an impressive 104.5, managing just 79.1, his lowest since 2017. In his defence, his role can fluctuate, not just by going forward but being required to lock down rather than intercepting and distributing. When he is at his scoring best, Sicily can be seen floating around without an opponent switching the ball and launching attack from half-back. If he can regain his best form and the Hawks' gameplan facilitates the right role, the 30-year-old is better than his 2025 average suggests.
Catch up on every club preview
BRISBANE Young guns shape as options, eyes on defender again
GEELONG Consider impressive forward, beware of star veteran
COLLINGWOOD The Daicos to watch, star has plenty of upside
With an all-new platform, AFL Fantasy Classic will launch in late January. Fantasy Draft is already available on web, but the app will also launch in the new year.
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