ONLY three Demons averaged more than 90 Fantasy points last season, with Max Gawn (111), Clayton Oliver (106) and James Harmes (94) leading the way.

Oliver is proving to be one of the premier Fantasy midfielders in the competition. Playing every game in the last three seasons, the 22-year-old is a safe first-round pick in Fantasy Draft for his durability.

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Fantasy Classic coaches will have Oliver in their sights as a slightly underpriced option considering his capacity to improve on his 2018 average of 109.1.

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Lock them in

Max Gawn (RUC, $826,000) is a must-have ruckman. This time last year Fantasy coaches were worried about what the addition of Braydon Preuss would have on his output. It was negligible. For the last two seasons Gawn has averaged 111 and has clearly been the second-best Fantasy ruckman behind Brodie Grundy. The question is whether to spend up and start both Grundy and Gawn in Fantasy Classic, or look to upgrade to one (or both) of them later in the season. In Fantasy Draft, Gawn is likely to be a first-round selection.

Track their pre-season

Angus Brayshaw (MID, $653,000) was a popular starting selection in 2019 after averaging 105 last season, and more impressively, 116 after the byes. He looked set to improve on his breakout season but Melbourne's drop in form and a role change that pushed him play further out on the wing saw his numbers significantly decrease. The addition of Ed Langdon and Adam Tomlinson, who are slated for wing roles, may push Brayshaw back into the centre square and, in turn, push his numbers up.

Dual-position tempter

Entering his 15th season, Nathan Jones (DEF/MID, $546,000) has dual-position status for the first time. Although his Fantasy game is in decline, this year posting his lowest average (74) since 2010, the 31-year-old holds relevance in Fantasy Draft. Consider as a late-round option for a durable bench player who has missed just five games in the past 10 seasons.

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Draft sleeper

Ex-Docker Ed Langdon (MID, $683,000) is a reliable bench option in Fantasy Draft. He will continue to play on the wing with Melbourne as he did in the west, averaging 89 and 92 in the last two seasons. Langdon’s scores of 112, 105, 118 and 110 would have helped many coaches claim victory if they were playing him on the field in Draft.

Bargain basement

Kysaiah Pickett (FWD, $248,000) was taken at pick 12 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft. The nephew of former North Melbourne and Port Adelaide player Byron Pickett has already debuted at senior level in the SANFL. Although he is unlikely to be a high-scoring player, if Kozzy breaks into the Dees’ 22, he’ll make some coin.

Forgotten warrior

Harley Bennell (TBA) isn’t officially listed as a Demon at time of writing; however, if he is picked up during the Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period he will offer amazing value for Fantasy coaches. He’ll most likely be priced under $250k which would see him as Melbourne’s best cash cow if he could reach the heights of 2012-2015 where he posted averages of 84.9, 85.4, 85.4 and 92.

Buyer beware

Christian Salem (DEF, $665,000) enjoyed an outstanding start to 2019. Averaging 95 up until the bye with 70 per cent of his scores 97 or more, Salem was among the top defenders available. He is the 10th ranked defender on average heading into 2020. While he should still be in calculations for Fantasy Draft, he averaged fewer than 80 points in the last eight games of the season so coaches may need to temper their expectations as his career average is 74. 

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