Lachie Whitfield during the round 17 match between Greater Western Sydney and Fremantle at Corroboree Group Oval Manuka, on July 4, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

IT’S THE time of the year we look for Fantasy players who will be finishing the year strong.

Calvin runs the numbers for his Scale of Hardness based on what teams give up to their opponents. Geelong has a nice run home based on its upcoming fixtures and that makes Bailey Smith a must-have in the eyes of The Traders.

With a Lachie Whitfield trade on the cards due to his concussion, Max Holmes is also a player of interest from the Cats. He could be the option that appears in Roy's Rollin' 22 defenders while Calvin also likes the upcoming games for North Melbourne.

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Luke Parker is an easy option to grab or maybe Caleb Daniel. The Kangaroos have plenty of ‘green’ match-ups for defenders and the veteran duo are racking up together behind the ball.

Plenty of other trade options are discussed with Rowan Marshall and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera popular ins for the last seven rounds of the season.

The Traders answer your questions in a bumper episode of the Official AFL Fantasy Podcast.

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

Episode guide

0:40 - The Traders’ round 17 scores.
9:00 - Crypto.com Trades of the Week
10:30 - Votes for the Cash Cow of the Year.
13:00 - News of the week.
17:00 - Position updates.
18:50 - Scale of Hardness.
22:15 - What to do with Lachie Whitfield.
24:30 - Rollin' 22 defenders.
28:15 - Round 18 trade targets.
38:45 - Most popular trades and The Traders’ early moves.
40:35 - Questions from social media - follow @AFLFantasy on X, @aflfantasy on Instagram and like the Official AFL Fantasy facebook page.

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