IT'S THE final week of the early byes and using your two trades this week is more important than ever.

Hiding behind the best-18 scorers over the last couple weeks has been nice, but next week everything returns to normal and there will be nowhere to hide.

Teams who have been reckless will be exposed, so take the time using your trades this week and glance ahead to see how your team is looking when things return to normal in round five.

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In the game that keeps on giving ... Many coaches traded in Tristan Xerri (RUCK, $1,080,000) last week after his 152 only to be completely burned by his suspension. With limited options in the ruck, the best play is to find the money you need and go straight across to Max Gawn (RUCK, $1,194,000) or Tim English (RUCK, $1,129,000).

Gawn has been his vintage-self this season averaging 126, but are you willing to pay up for the second most expensive player in the game at age 34? You certainly can.

Which ever path you take, our are fingers crossed it's a prosperous one, setting you up for success for next week's Gather round.

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Trap or treat?

Here are some of the traps to avoid and some treats worth considering for the round ahead.

Marcus Bontempelli (MID, $1,145,000) - TREAT
The most wanted premium for round four is Bontempelli and he should provide his owners an instant reward against the Bombers. He scored 146 against them last year and should be huge again.

Shai Bolton (MID/FWD, $793,000) - TRAP
The role is there, the scoring is there, but I feel we have seen this all before. Bolton has had a good draw and is coming off scores of 112 and 110 – this good draw is coming to an end.

Colby McKercher (DEF, $753,000) – TREAT
With increased time on ground and a role off half-back and through the midfield, McKercher looked back to his very best last week with 35 possessions and 116 points. A future pig who will only get better.

Josh Rachele (FWD, $751,000) - TREAT
Sometimes in this game you need to swallow your pride and just do the right thing. Rachelle has forced the hand of many after averaging 94 and is still at a bargain price in a position hard to fill.

Lachlan McAndrew (RUCK, $483,000) – TRAP
Buying into McAndrew this week isn't recommended. Nearly 1500 coaches have signed up the big man, but with Reilly O'Brien a decent chance to play alongside him – this could be a Fantasy disaster.

Most traded in

• Oscar Steene (RUCK/FWD, $250,000)
• Marcus Bontempelli (MID, $1,145,000)
• Jack Watkins (MID, $408,000)
• Josh Rachele (FWD, $751,000)
• Colby McKercher (DEF, $753,000)

After a super-impressive debut, Collingwood's Oscar Steene (RUCK/FWD, $250,000) sits at the top of the most traded in players for round four. Steene made an instant impact in the ruck last week and scored 52 supporting Darcy Cameron. For how long Collingwood persist with the dual set-up is something to monitor moving forward, for Steene owners but more importantly Cameron owners.

Even though Jack Watkins (MID, $408,000) has gone up $178,000, you haven't missed the boat as his breakeven is still -22. However, if you want to climb on board you'll need to do it this week.

Most traded out

• Darcy Parish (MID, $739,000)
• Christian Petracca (FWD/MID, $988,000)
• Jack Carroll (MID, $479,000)
• Tristan Xerri (RUCK, $1,080,000)
• Marcus Windhager (MID, $895,000)

Coming off scores of 73 and 68, Darcy Parish (MID, $739,000) needs to be traded. It's hard enough returning to a faster game after missing the majority of 2025, but to be in a team that is scoring the least amount of Fantasy points per game is just too much.

Christian Petracca (FWD/MID, $988,000) is an interesting one.

The Suns have listed him as 1-3 weeks with his hamstring injury, and apparently he has his eyes fixed on Gather Round next week. Will he be available, and if so, what will his role be? Don't risk it ... join the 12,000-plus coaches who didn't trade him last week and move him on.

Draft: One-week wonders

A strategy in draft is to find one-week streaming options. This means, finding a player who has low ownership (most likely in the free agents) and an option for a one-week play. You may require a player like this to fill any holes in your team while you wait for an injured player to return or for one of your players to gain dual-position status.

Here are some players with low ownership that might be worth a punt on for this week.

Lachie Jaques (DEF) v Essendon – Jaques has already proved he can hit 100 and this is a match-up we target. Sitting in 38 per cent of leagues, he could be worth a punt if he's available in yours.

Callum Coleman-Jones (RUCK) v Carlton – With Xerri on the sidelines, you might be scraping the 'ruck barrel' to find a replacement. Callum Coleman-Jones appears to be the man to fill the void.

Mitch Georgiades (FWD) v Richmond – Key forwards tend to have a day out against Richmond defenders and Georgiades is coming off a nice 95. Six goals and 120 points is not out of the question.

Live Teams Show

The Traders will be live from 6.15pm AEDT on Thursday to cover all the important ins and outs as teams are announced. They break down the popular trades, discuss captains and answer all your burning questions. Watch the Live Teams Show every Thursday night via AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App and ask your questions in the comments.

Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Calvin's best captains

Your captain scores you double points and as always, we need all the points we can get. Make sure you tune in tonight when the Traders go live at 6.15pm on AFL.com.au or via the AFL Live Official App to see who Calvin has in his top-5 and who the Traders are locking in as their captain options for the round ahead.

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