THE FIRST of the bye rounds are behind us, but the journey is far from over.
With three trades in your pocket, it is now important to be targeting the right players over the next four weeks. The aim is simple; trade out a player who has a bye coming up for a player who has had theirs. This ensures you are maximising your points by essentially getting one more game out of the player you are targeting.
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Fresh off their bye this week are Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Gold Coast and North Melbourne. These players will play out the rest of season without a break, making them prime targets for your three trades this week.
With all that said, the biggest question is ... what will you be doing with the injured Sam Flanders (DEF/MID/FWD, $897,000)?
Fantasy reminder: This week is the second week of the mid-season bye rounds with Richmond and Greater Western Sydney sitting this one out. During this time, Fantasy coaches will have three trades a week, with their best 18 on field scores counting towards their overall total.
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Trap or treat?
Here are some of the traps to avoid and some treats worth considering for the round ahead.
Jordan Dawson (MID, $1,082,000) – TREAT
Grabbing a player off their bye is Fantasy 101. Dawson has been scoring with ease and now finds himself averaging 122 in his past four games. It's a trade you'll need to make tonight, and there is a risk he could be tagged by Mullin. However, don't let that deter you.
Christian Petracca (MID/FWD, $947,000) - TREAT
Need a forward replacement for Flanders? Look no further. For those who already have Sheezel, Petracca is one to not overthink. Not only has he averaged 100 this season, at the Suns he's in a tight midfielder rotation that won't be changing anytime soon.
Luke Davies Uniacke (MID, $892,000) – TREAT
The Kangaroos have a dream run coming up after the Dockers this week. LDU certainly has the ability to hit some great scores like the 126 in round 11 but dropping the odd 70 or less is also a possibility. However, his draw is too good to ignore.
Jason Horne-Francis (MID/FWD, $863,000) – TRAP
Even though the price is right, you need to be aware that Horne-Francis will deliver a rollercoaster of scores. In his last six games, he has had 124, 66, 65, 66, 120 and 126. You could read those stats and see him as a treat, but don't avoid those 60s.
Peter Ladhams (RUCK/FWD, $547,000) - TRAP
More than 1000 coaches have traded in Ladhams this week, a move not recommended. Ladhams was great against the Tigers with a score of 100, but Grundy will return this week. Even if he holds his position in the team, his role will be shared.
Most traded in
- Hugo Hall-Kahan (DEF/MID, $230,000)
- Jordan Dawson (MID, $1,082,000)
- Christian Petracca (MID/FWD, $947,000)
- Tom Anastasopoulos (FWD, $292,000)
- Noah Anderson (MID, $956,000)
BANG! Just days after being picked up in the mid-season draft, Adelaide has named 22-year-old Hugo Hall-Kahan (DEF/MID, $230,000) to debut tonight. After averaging 94 in the VFL, Hall-Kahan is a ready-made player and is a must-have this week.
If you require another rookie with one of your three trades, then consider Port Adelaide's Tom Anastasopoulos (FWD, $292,000). Tricky name to say, but Tom A has scored 53 and 54 in his first two games and hopefully can provided you a score that doesn't get dropped off this week.
Most traded out
- Sam Flanders (DEF/MID/FWS, $897,000)
- Tanner Bruhn (MID, $809,000)
- Patrick Retschko (MID, $579,000)
- Sam Grlj (DEF/MID, $560,000)
- Justin McInerney (MID/FWD, $802,000)
A season ending Achilles injury to Sam Flanders (DEF/MID/FWD, $897,000) was devastating last week for one of our Fantasy favourites. The weight of TPP was too much for Flanders, who has been a rock in our 'fraud lines' this season, averaging 97 prior to his injury. All the best for a speedy recovery!
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.
Jacob Weitering (DEF) v Essendon – Weitering scored 86 from 11 marks last week, something that could be replicated again against the Bombers, who give up plenty of points to defenders. There's a very good chance he'll be sitting as a free agent in your league.
Tom McCartin (DEF) v St Kilda – Hang on! What? McCartin has now averaged 95 in his past five games and is coming off 113? He sits in just 25 per cent of leagues and has a great match-up this week against the Saints. Seriously, we've slept on this one.
Ben Ainsworth (FWD) v Essendon – He's got the match-up and the form to suit. Ainsworth scored 92 last week, which happened to be his third 90-plus score in his past five games. He sits in 12 per cent of leagues and should hit 90 again.
Live Teams Show
The Traders will be live from 6.15pm AEST 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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