WE'VE seen a rise from the defenders and rucks in Fantasy over the years but make no mistake about it... the midfield is where it's at.
Of the 37 players worth over a million dollars, 26 of those can be found with 'MID' written next to their name.
FANTASY LATEST Tips, strategy, draft, podcasts, more
But you know the drill... We can't just pick all the best players though, so managing your $18.3 million dollar salary cap in AFL Classic means you'll need an even spread of some premiums, value players and some rookies on your field.
But which ones do you choose?
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Premium options
Jordan Dawson (MID, $1,156,000)
From the top-five averaging midfielders in 2025, Dawson is the only one without an early bye. He's fairly priced and will most likely average around 110 mark once again. Dawson plays Collingwood in round one, and in the last three games against them at the MCG he has scored 138, 117 and 172.
Zak Butters (MID, $1,047,000)
The most popular premium midfielder selected this year is Butters as he finds himself in 41 per cent of teams. Port Adelaide's early run is elite and the points should be flowing freely. Taggers were a concern for Butters last season, so hopefully we don't see any of those too early in the season.
Noah Anderson (MID, $1,044,000)
Despite the early bye in round three, it's hard to look past Anderson's first two match-ups against West Coast and Richmond. Anderson loves feasting against the 'easier' teams and averaged 117 against these two teams in 2025. Six per cent of coaches are seeing this and are willing to take the gamble.
Also consider:
If you're after a premium jet and not worrying about players with an early bye then Marcus Bontempelli (MID, $1,167,000) and Errol Gulden (MID, $1,073,000) could be the players to target. Both are destined to be top eight players in their position and someone like Gulden can be seen as value. His average of 102 from last season was down from the 109 and 113 he has previously had, and he shares an early bye with the Suns, Hawks and Bulldogs.
Mid-priced options
Darcy Parish (MID, $759,000)
Parish's price of $759,000 reflects that of a player who has averaged 72. This means... he's so cheap in 2026 and at this stage of the pre-season he needs to be in your team. Capable of averaging 95-100, a fit and healthy Parish will slot straight back into the Bombers' midfield after playing just three games last year.
Harley Reid (MID, $700,000)
West Coast's No.1 midfielder from 2026 had some serious responsibility last year for a second-year player. Reid finished the season averaging 67 but showed his Fantasy prowess at the end of the year, averaging 92 in his last five games before getting injured in round 20. A breakout season coming!
Harvey Langford (MID, $658,000)
Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca attended a combined 876 centre bounces for the Demons last year... so who will they use to fill the void? Jack Steele will consume the majority of those but who else? If the No.6 draftee from 2024 gets tapped on the shoulder, he could be in for a huge season.
Also consider:
Before we go too far here and get carried away... let's make it crystal clear – the players we spoke about as 'mid-priced options' last year in this very article, turned out to be 'mid-priced failures.' Maybe this is a reflection on the person writing the article, but mid-priced players rarely pay off.
Shopping in these areas can be dangerous. But if you're trying to save some cash then some other names to consider are Geelong's Tanner Bruhn (MID, $517,000) and one of our pre-season favourites, Elliot Yeo (MID, $667,000).
Both players failed to hit the park last year and because of that, a 30 per cent discount has been taken off their starting price.
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Cash cows
Dyson Sharp (MID, $302,000)
Sharp dominated the Marsh AFL National Under-18 Boys Championships where he averaged 107 with 27 disposals. He was then named the Larke medallist as the competition's best player. He's a seriously talented junior who should have an instant impact at the Bombers and currently sits in 50 per cent of Fantasy teams.
Jagga Smith (MID, $230,000)
Before an ACL injury ended his season before it even started, Smith was locked into our teams this time last year and starting on field for most. He has hit the ground running this pre-season and is ready to put last year behind him. So, mark my words... he will be the most selected player heading into round one.
Patrick Retschko (MID, $230,000)
The word on the street is... Retschko is the man to replace Kamdyn McIntosh in the vacant wing position at the Tigers. Retschko averaged 78 in the VFL last season and although he won't be a huge scorer, an average of 60 isn't out of the question. At $230,000... we don't usually get handed a gift like this. Get on!
Also consider:
Richmond will provide us with plenty of rookies this season and at the moment, the Tigers are loving the work of their pick No.7, Samuel Cumming (MID, $326,000). The other cub to keep an eye on is Josh Smillie (MID, $230,000) who is trying to shake off his injury setbacks from 2025. After surgery late last year, the highly touted junior is expected to back into full training in a matter of weeks.
Calvin's current Classic midfielders
This is how Team Calvinator's midfield currently looks. Obviously, there is still plenty of things that need to play out before this is carved in stone... but for now, this is my crew.
The obvious difference with this midfield is the inclusion of Connor Rozee who has crept into mix. With the amount of value down back, this could be a play worth considering. This allows the likes of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera to slide in at D1.
The rest of the midfielders are pretty stock standard. The value of Caleb Serong can't be denied and Jack Steele at his new club should walk into a juicy midfield role with Max Gawn tapping it down his throat more often than not.
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.