IT IS the first week of finals for AFL Fantasy coaches competing in leagues with a final eight.

Following the same structure as the real thing, the top four Fantasy teams will take part in the qualifying finals with the winners earning a place in the preliminary finals and a ‘week’ off (that’s round 16 for Fantasy coaches). The losers will play in the semi-finals against the winners from the elimination finals that are played between teams ranked fifth-to-eighth on the ladder.

If you’re playing in a league with a final six, that will commence in round 16 with the top two teams straight through to the round 17 preliminary finals while third will play sixth and fourth takes on seventh in the semi-finals.

Hawthorn plays Adelaide to start round 15. Players from the two teams will be locked when the ball bounces at 5.40pm AEST along with the six teams on the bye.

Geelong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs players will be locked in at the start of the round. If you wish to trade someone in/out, move them on field or bench, make them emergency or even captain, then you must do that prior to the first lockout.

ALL THE TEAMS Check 'em out

Round 15 match times, and therefore lockouts, as below. Be sure to plan your trades ahead and only make the moves that you need. Teams will be announced at 6.20pm AEST on the day prior to matches.

If possible, only trade out or in a player in the last hour before their lockout as final teams with late changes are announced one hour before the bounce. Stay across social media for the important late mail.

FANTASY TIPS How to dominate the run home

Tuesday, September 1
Hawthorn v Adelaide, Adelaide Oval, 5.40pm AEST, 5.10pm ACST
West Coast v Essendon, The Gabba, 8.10pm AEST 

Wednesday, September 2
Richmond v Fremantle, Metricon Stadium, 7.10pm AEST 

Thursday, September 3
Sydney v Melbourne, Cazalys Stadium, 4.40pm AEST
Greater Western Sydney v Carlton,Metricon Stadium, 7.10pm AEST 

Friday, September 4 
Brisbane v Collingwood, The Gabba (SEVEN) 7.50pm AEST

Byes: Geelong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs 

NOTE: Players with a bye will be awarded their average as their round 15 score if they played in round 14. They will be locked at the start of the round (5:40pm AEST).

BUY  

Zach Merrett (MID, $836,000) – The star Bomber did it again, pumping out another huge score of 122 to confirm he has turned his season around. He doesn’t have the most favourable run him but his form is sensational and ownership is low … not to mention the ceiling. 

Jack Crisp (DEF, $627,000) – Looking for an under-priced defender with a massive ceiling? Look away if you are one of the 1000+ coaches who traded our the Pie following back to back 50s, Crisp looks to have finally found his feet for the year taking 12 marks and registering his season high by 34 points with 116. 

James Worpel (MID, $741,000) – The hard-working Hawk is enjoying a hot patch of form and it looks like continuing this week with a dream match-up against the Crows who are basically giving up +15 to opposition midfielders. He backed up his run of three games in the 90s with a season-high 107.

Also consider: Jeremy Cameron, Jordan Dawson, Jake Riccardi.

HOLD

Jed Anderson (MID, $778,000) - The Roo has been in hot form although that was not the case against the Suns, dropping off a little for a score of 72. Although his average of 83 isn’t reflective of his recent ceiling, it is still solid enough to take for the week. 

Stephen Coniglio (MID, $698,000) – Coaches of Coniglio have been searching hard for reasons to hold the Giant skipper, this week the added responsibility of playing without star teammate Josh Kelly should be enough to pump out a respectable score. 

Todd Goldstein (RUC, $657,000) – After an outstanding start to the year, Goldy has dropped right off, and that sub-par form continued with a score of 63 this week. Fortunately, he is set for his best return for a while with by taking his average of 82 this week.

Also consider: Tim Taranto, Jy Simpkin, Nat Fyfe.

SELL 

Jack Viney (MID, $674,000) - The Demon hard nut has been a great selection, increasing in price significantly since the start of the season. Unfortunately, he packed his own bags on the weekend with 46. 

Josh Kelly (MID, $779,000) – The star midfielder has been in outstanding form for the Giants, leading the way for them while demonstrating ceiling and consistency. He copped a stray knee from Mummy and there is no coming back from that with a tight turnaround. 

Luke Ryan (DEF, $664,000) – Coming into the round the rebounding Docker was in outstanding form with a five-game average of 85. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get a sniff against the Giants before being injured during a third-quarter contest. Not long after he pulled the pin on a miserable 33.

Also consider: Luke Parker, Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw.

Calvin's Captains

In AFL Fantasy your captain scores you double points for that week. Here are Calvin’s top five picks for you to consider.

No. 1 – Lachie Neale v Collingwood (Friday night)
Fresh off his bye, Neale meets the Magpies who have been giving up plenty of points to opposition midfielders. Curnow (119), Setterfield (91) and Walsh (88) scored with ease last week and before that McDonald (121), Anderson (113) and Higgins (100) all hit triple figures. Neale plays the final game of the round and should deliver once again.

No. 2 – Lachie Whitfield v Carlton (Thursday night)
With scores of 190, 118 and 125 in his last three games against the Blues, Whitfield is shaping up as a very tempting prospect this week. Jack Crisp (116) had his best game for the season against the Blues last week and with form on his side, Whitfield will be huge as well.

No. 3 – Tom Mitchell v Adelaide (Tuesday evening)
Kicking off the round we have Tom Mitchell against the easiest team to score Fantasy points against. Over their last five games, Adelaide have allowed the top three opposition midfielders to average 106. Mitchell has scored 96, 108 and 104 in his last three games and looks set to hit 100+ again.

No. 4 – James Worpel v Adelaide (Tuesday evening)
Talk about form! Worpel has scored 90+ in his last four games and is coming off a huge 107 last week. He will enjoy the points that will be on offer in this game and could even beat his best score for the season.

No. 5 – Jake Lloyd v Melbourne (Thursday evening)
Lloyd’s 120 last week was his fourth ton on the trot. Melbourne are one of the easiest teams to score against, a team he had 81 and 122 against last year.

Best of the byes

Over this period when a player is on their bye, you can lock in their average as a captain’s score before the round starts, but only if they have played the week before. If you would like to secure a captain score and not gamble on the big names above, the best five options are listed below.

Lachie Hunter 95
Jack Steele 90
Mitch Duncan 87
Jack Macrae 86
Tom Rockliff 85

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