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The Traders have previewed every club as coaches work on their Fantasy teams ahead of the 2026 season.

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Who should you pick, who should you avoid and who should be considered in draft?

Read about every club as previewed by The Traders, or tune into the podcast.

It's easy to go straight to the top, and I will, but Jordan Dawson (MID, $1,156,000) is a must-have player. Whether you start him or target him throughout the year, no Fantasy team is complete without having his name in your side. Dawson averaged 110 last season and ranks as the third best midfielder in the game. Read Calvin's full Crows preview here.

Another pre-season is upon us, and once again we need to talk about Keidean Coleman (DEF, $559,000) who is having a horrid run with injuries. Coleman played one game last year and now receives a discount to be priced at an average of 53. Coleman is capable of averaging 75 and will be a serious option for our teams (once again) if he is back fit and firing. Read Calvin's full Lions preview here.

Jagga Smith (MID, $230,000) is the easiest starting pick of the season: elite scoring potential, job security, and he is basement price after missing his debut season with injury. He's a ball magnet who averaged 113.1 from 34 disposals in the Coates Talent League and he showed his ball winning ability in one of those games when he racked up 50 possessions. That year, he proved he is ready to play with the bigger bodies when he scored 104 on debut for the Richmond reserves where he went on to average 27 disposals across his three games. Lock and load. Read Roy's full Blues preview here.

There's no doubt Nick Daicos (MID, $1,134,000) is a Fantasy stud. He averaged an impressive 86.8 in his debut season and has been a triple-figure man since. Whether his role be off half-back or through the midfield, he scores tons for fun including 10 scores of 120 or more last season. You can lock Daicos away in your Fantasy Draft team with a first-round selection as he ranks as the fourth-best midfielder based on 2025 numbers. Look at him as an upgrade target in Classic. Read Warnie's full Magpies preview here.

There's plenty of value in Darcy Parish (MID, $759,000) if he's fit. He was limited to just three matches last season due to a persistent calf problem. If we rewind to 2022, Parish averaged 105.5 and played every game. This was the last season he has been on the park for the full season but when he was, he put up elite numbers. 100.3, 106.9 and 91.6 averages followed. Fast forward to 2026, we're getting Parish at a discounted price, equivalent to an average of 72.4. Is there 20-plus points upside? You'd think so! If he's ready to go, then he's a safe pick in your midfield. Read Warnie's full Bombers preview here.

It's always a hard read, especially while sharing the ruck load, but Sean Darcy (RUCK, $674,000) needs to be mentioned given his average has dropped significantly the last two years from 95 in 2023 to just 64 last season. Until we know how the new rules will impact the big men, we don't want to over-spend in that department, and at least Darcy won't have a bye. Keep an eye on the role of Luke Jackson (RUCK, $995,000) as a unique ruck option because he is one of the few rucks likely to maintain their output given he is capable of scoring in multiple roles around the ground. Read Roy's full Dockers preview here.

Star veteran Tom Stewart (DEF, $844,000) never looked 100 per cent in 2025 and his horror run of unfortunate injuries reflected that. He eventually managed 18 games at an average of just 80.5, which is well below the lofty standards we have come to expect from the intercepting defender. Without his injury-impacted games, the 32-year-old would have averaged a respectable 89.5 and he was finishing the year strongly with scores of 110, 105 and 101 prior to his concussion in the preliminary final to remind us he's still got it. Read Roy's full Cats preview here.

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. Read Warnie's full Suns preview here.

Defenders in AFL Fantasy need to do it all. We want to see them taking kick-ins and getting involved in as many marks and kicks in the defensive half and there's not many better around than Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $1,104,000). Even though Whitfield can do it all ... what he doesn't do well is play forward. This is a role the Giants experimented with during the year and Whitfield's score plummeted. After getting concussed on 23 points in round 15, Whitfield returned down back and did it in style, averaging 111 in his final seven games. For a player who can average 110-plus this season, he's cheap and certainly an option to start with. Read Calvin's full Giants preview here.

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. Read Roy's full Hawks preview here.

Big name recruit Jack Steele (MID, $1,006,000) will be ready to come out and prove a point. The Dees have said he is there to play as a midfielder, not a half forward as we saw at times last year which saw the former Saints skipper drop his average from 106.6 to 95.9. Despite the role change last year, Steele was still one of the best points per minute players in the game, so his return to a full time midfield role will likely bump the 30 year old's average straight back into triple figures, an area he is very familiar with given his career high averages of 110.7 and 121.9. Read Roy's full Demons preview here.

Role is everything in AFL Fantasy and that was the case for Colby McKercher (DEF, $823,000) last year. Leading into his bye, Colby was averaging 61 after playing a variety of different roles. After his bye, a move to half-back saw Colby show pig-like tendencies and average 95 over his last 12 games. Priced at an average of 79, Colby enters his third year where players traditionally tend to 'break-out' to bigger and better things. A push into the midfield has also been flagged this pre-season so make sure you watch his role and get ready to jump on board! Read Calvin's full Kangaroos preview here.

Is Connor Rozee (DEF/MID, $1,092,000) a better Fantasy scorer as a midfielder or defender? It was in round five when Rozee made the change to defence in a move that provided Fantasy coaches with an instant reward. He flourished in his new role, and it will be very interesting to see where the Power line him up in 2026. But to answer the initial question ... Rozee averaged 100 when he attended 50 per cent or more of the centre-bounces last year, and 107 when he attended 50 per cent or less. Read Calvin's full Power preview here.

Samuel Cumming (MID, $326,000) and Samuel Grlj (DEF/MID, $322,000) are the dynamic duo that the Tigers selected with pick seven and eight that should help set them up for years to come. Given the status of the Tigers, both are in the mix for games and have the ability to serve as effective cash cows given their averages of 86.8 and 80.4 respectively in the SANFL Under 18’s and Talent League. Cumming’s midfield craft and physicality will ensure his hat is in the ring for early games while Grlj’s line breaking style and ability to play off half back as well as the midfield would make it hard to leave him on the sidelines. Read Roy's full Tigers preview here.

The most Fantasy relevant trade of the off-season was Sam Flanders (FWD, $716,000). Heading to the Saints from the Suns, Flanders is looking for a midfield role after being thrown around in a number of positions – he would have been a triple-position player if the new feature was in last year. In 2024 he was used primarily as a defender with some stints in the midfield. This saw Flanders average a career-high 107.8. Last year, he was forward of the ball and delivered a return of 67.2. If the midfield role looks set, this could be the easiest pick of the season … and he's available as a forward! Winner. Read Warnie's full Saints preview here.

Usually, we save this section for a rookie but with little options in that area, today we will cover the value of Errol Gulden (MID, $1,073,000). Heading into 2025, Gulden was coming off season averages of 109 and 113. He was one of the best midfielders in the competition and a captain option each and every week. A devastating ankle injury in the pre-season derailed Gulden's year and a long road to recovery began. Gulden played his first game in round 15 for a score of 71 before hitting back-to-back 120s. He finished the year with an average 102 and is one of the value picks for premium midfielders this year. Read Calvin's full Swans preview here.

A 30 per cent discount on the price of Elliot Yeo (MID, $667,000) makes him someone to monitor in the lead up to round one. The dual All-Australian suffered ankle syndesmosis and knee injuries during a pre-season training session and required a second round of surgery on his ankle in May, thus missing the 2025 season. This was off the back of a return to form the previous year, averaging 90.9, his best since he went at 106.1 and 101.9 in 2018 and 2019. There's plenty of value priced at 63.6. Can he make some quick cash? Read Warnie's full Eagles preview here.

Adam Treloar (MID/FWD, $946,000) played just four games in 2025 for an average of 69.8. His 18 per cent discount in Classic is applied to his 2024 average of 110, making him priced at 90.2. Is this enough value for a player turning 33 at the start of the season? Coaches might be cautious considering his injury history and his role that has seen him spend more time forward rather than attending the centre bounces as he has done at the peak of his Fantasy career. In saying this, he has every opportunity to produce numbers as one of the top forwards in 2026 provided he’s on the park. Treloar will have that sub-70 average sitting next to his name when coaches are compiling their draft rankings. This places him 33rd of all FWD-eligible players. Surely a top 10 forward on draft day? As Treloar was returning from injury late in the season in the VFL, he racked up 40 disposals and 10 tackles to score 155 Fantasy points. Let's hope he has a cracking pre-season. Read Warnie's full Bulldogs preview here.

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