Christian Petracca in action during Gold Coast's clash against Fremantle in round 16, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

ANOTHER week and another forced trade in AFL Fantasy. But do we hold or fold?

We all know the song, and the words of the great Kenny Rogers will ring in our ears as we ponder what to do with Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $933,000) who will miss this week due to concussion.

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“You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run...”

So... are we holding? Or folding?

Most coaches will have bench cover and if it’s the likes of Hugo Hall-Kahan (DEF/MID, $532,000) this week, then holding the GWS defender for one week before he plays Essendon is a smart and sensible thing to do. Hall-Kahan is averaging 79 in his last four games and is capable of reaching 100 this week.

05:21

15,000 coaches are folding. These coaches are playing an aggressive hand, moving Whitfield to another premium to maximise points.

Either way you play is... we’re all on a ‘Train bound for nowhere...’ with seven rounds to go!

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Trac or treat?

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

Will Ashcroft (MID, $1,014,000) TREAT
Over the last two weeks, Essendon have given up four scores over 150, and now it’s Ashcroft’s turn. He hits them in top form averaging 136 in his last three games and meets the Eagles the following week.

Callum Wilkie (DEF, $887,000) TREAT
Coming off 101 and 123, Wilkie is one of the biggest bargains of the week. His price has started to rise again, so now is the time to jump on board the St Kilda defender who averaged 115 in his first seven games.

Bradley Hill (DEF/MID/FWD, $879,000) – TRAP
Ok... I get it! Sinclair went down, Hill got moved back and since then has scored 159 and 115. The flag is... those two match-ups were perfect for defenders and his run coming up isn’t great. Small flag!

Brad Hill handballs during St Kilda's clash against Essendon in round 17, 2026. Picture: Getty Images

Christian Petracca (MID/FWD, $781,000) - TRAP
After averaging over 100 for the first part of the year, the wheels have fallen off. Trac has quickly become a trap, and his patient coaches have seen enough. He’s the eight-most traded out player this week.

Rowan Marshall (RUC/FWD, $775,000) – TREAT
When will De Koning return? That’s the big question... but in the meantime we enjoy Marshall and the match-ups he has coming up. He had 118 last week and when he meets Geelong in round 19, a big 150 will be within reach.

Most traded in

  • Oliver Francou (MID, $278,000)
  • Rowan Marshall (RUCK/FWD, $775,000)
  • Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (DEF/MID, $1,100,000)
  • Noah Mraz (DEF, $279,000)
  • Will Ashcroft (MID, $1,014,000)

Fantasy coaches are on the money this week when it comes to downgrading to rookies, targeting Oliver Francou (MID, $278,000) and Noah Mraz (DEF, $279,000) as suitable options.

Francou was sensational on debut scoring 86 from nine tackles and will be hungry for more against the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon. Hawthorn’s Mraz was equally as impressive and pulled down 12 marks for his 87. Two great options, across two different positions... but if you had to split them, Francou is the one you want. He should play out the remainder of the season at the Eagles.

Oliver Francou kicks the ball during the match between West Coast and Adelaide at Optus Stadium in round 17, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

Most traded out

  • Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $933,000)
  • Sam Cumming (MID, $557,000)
  • Jack Ison (MID, $413,000)
  • Darcy Cameron (RUCK, $773,000)
  • Sam Banks (DEF, $599,000)

If you picked Darcy Cameron (RUC, $773,000)... put that down as a failed pick.

If you picked Sam Banks (DEF, $599,000)... you can put that down as another failed pick. However, if you are like Roy, Warnie and myself... then you are what they call an ‘out-of-form coach’.

Both have been very disappointing in recent weeks and there is no better way to ‘right your wrongs’ than by swinging the axe this week.

Sam Banks in action during Richmond's clash against Brisbane in round 14, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

Most popular trade

Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $933,000) to Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (DEF/MID, $1,100,000)

If you missed Wanganeen-Milera last week, it’s now time to join the gang. Yes... you’ve missed the 160 he scored against the Bombers, but you’re still getting the best Fantasy defender in the game, and he could be huge again this week against the Power.

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.

Zeke Uwland (DEF/MID) v Adelaide Coming off a massive 146, you’re not grabbing Uwland for this week’s match-up but as a future investment. He has the Bulldogs and Melbourne coming up. Both great match-ups for DEFs.

Logan Morris (FWD) v Essendon – Someone is going to kick a bag-of-goals against the Bombers this week and Morris could be the man. He kicked seven goals against the Suns four weeks ago for a huge score of 128.

Logan Morris celebrates a goal during round 17, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

Cooper Harvey (FWD) v Collingwood – Hopefully you listened last week because Harvey popped out another nice score floating in defence for the Kangaroos and this week’s match-up is even better. He’s only in 15 per cent of leagues.

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.

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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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