NEXT up in our 2026 Fantasy preview series is Gold Coast.

What happened last season?

Average points ranking: 14th
Top three averaging players: Matt Rowell (101.2), Noah Anderson (99.5), Jarrod Witts (92.4)
Biggest price increase: Jy Farrar (+$244,000)
Biggest price drop: Sam Flanders (-$469,000)

>> See the full list of players, positions and prices

List changes

IN: Beau Addinsall (No.18 draft pick, Academy), Koby Coulson (No.46 draft pick, Academy), Dylan Patterson (No.5 draft pick, Academy), Christian Petracca (trade, Melbourne), Jai Murray (No.17 draft pick, Academy), Avery Thomas (No.28 draft pick), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (trade, Western Bulldogs), Zeke Uwland (No.2 draft pick, Academy)

OUT: Ben Ainsworth (trade, Carlton), Tom Berry (delisted), Connor Budarick (trade, Western Bulldogs), Brayden Fiorini (trade, Essendon), Sam Flanders (trade, St Kilda), Lloyd Johnston (delisted), Sean Lemmens (retired), Malcolm Rosas jnr (trade, Sydney), Alex Sexton (delisted), David Swallow (retired)

Fixture watch

Opening Round will see the Suns take on Geelong and therefore they'll have an early bye. While this could be a red flag, their bye is at round three – shared with Hawthorn, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs – and may not necessarily be a total roadblock. This is mostly due to their early draw. Gold Coast plays the bottom two teams from last year, West Coast and Richmond, in rounds one and two which should see Fantasy points flow. Following the bye it has Melbourne, which was a 'green' (ie. easy) team on the Scale of Hardness last season. Midfielders should add a few more points per game early on.

So, who should coaches be considering in 2026?

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Lock them in

A safe pick in Fantasy is Noah Anderson (MID, $1,044,000). He fell just short of his third successive season averaging 100-plus. His owners will remember this was looking good heading into his round 24 match-up against Port Adelaide when he dropped a disappointing 48 points in the Fantasy Grand Final. Anderson attended the highest percentage of centre bounces for all midfielders last season and you know he'll be around the ball. Do not hesitate if you can lock away Anderson in the second round on Fantasy Draft day. At the very least, the 24-year-old will be someone in the mix for the top midfielders throughout the season and an upgrade target in Fantasy Classic.

Track their pre-season

One of the biggest moves during the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period was Christian Petracca (MID/FWD, $948,000) making his way to the Suns. Over the years he's been a shining light in Fantasy with his personal best season being 2021, Melbourne's premiership-winning year, where he averaged 110.9. He's averaged more than 90 in his last six seasons with half of those being 100-plus. The 30-year-old will be one to watch on his role at the Suns. If Petracca can get a nice balance between playing midfield and forward, then there could be an uptick in his scoring as the Suns aim to make their second finals appearance.

Bargain basement

An Academy selection in last year's draft, Zeke Uwland (DEF/MID, $346,000) will be a popular cash cow in Fantasy Classic. There were multiple changes to the Suns' squad from last year and he should have every opportunity to stake his claim as a member of the best 23. Uwland dominated as a bottom-ager in 2024 for the Gold Coast Academy in the Coates Talent League, averaging 25 disposals, two goals and 103 points. He finds the ball in space and averages close to six marks across the 31 games that Champion Data has covered.

>> See the full list of players, positions and prices

Draft sleeper

Touk Miller (MID, $955,000) ranks as the 29th midfielder when sorting players who have MID-only status based on 2025 data. While you are unlikely to shift him too much in your rankings off the back of his 91 average last season that saw just six Fantasy tons, his value could be when dual-position players are added ahead of rounds six, 12 and 18. Miller missed out on DPP to start this season as his 29.6 per cent time forward was below the 35 per cent required, but the 29-year-old will be on the watchlist as we await updates during the season. Forwards Ben Ainsworth, Sam Flanders and Connor Budarick left the club and while they have added Petracca, Miller's future could see him played more as a forward and if he becomes a MID/FWD, he could be one of the top players to own in Fantasy Draft.

Custom stat star

The stat many Fantasy coaches cheer for is the tackle. It gains you four points, but it has the capacity to be more than that if they win a free kick and get the subsequent disposal. Matt Rowell (MID, $1,062,000) ranked third in the League for average tackles last season. With 8.6 per game, more than a third of his score came from laying tackles. Rowell was Gold Coast's top averaging player in the standard scoring system and will be a very good selection if you activate 'Prestige' scoring in Draft where the Brownlow medallist averaged 126.7, fifth for the League.

Buyer beware

A year out of the game sees a 30 per cent discount applied to the 2026 price of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (FWD, $458,000). This prices him at 43.7. In his previous two seasons he's averaged 60-plus, so there is some value for him. How Gold Coast manages 'JUH' will be something to consider if you're looking at a potential value selection in Classic and Draft.

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
HAWTHORN All eyes on star mid again, can captain recapture best?
ADELAIDE Still value in breakout gun, will youngster get his chance?

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.

Get expert advice from The Traders during the pre-season in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on X and Instagram and 'like' the Facebook page to join in the conversation.