DE-FENCE! De-fence! De-fence! Everything starts with defence and in AFL Fantasy, nothing is different.

Although we may only have three players who averaged over 100 last year, defenders certainly have a lot to offer in both AFL Fantasy Classic and Draft.

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Sam Docherty (DEF, $977,000) is the most expensive defender available after averaging 110. This is not unfamiliar territory for Docherty who has averaged 117 in the past and found himself playing as a full-time midfielder in Carlton's final two games with scores of 123 and 137.

Docherty is joined by Jack Sinclair (DEF, $911,000) and Jordan Dawson (DEF, $893,000), who had breakout seasons, averaging triple figures for the first time. Can they back this up? Or will they join the likes of Jack Ziebell, Aaron Hall and Jack Crisp who averaged 100 in 2021, but dropped their averages significantly the following year?

Under-priced premiums

Jake Lloyd (DEF, $807,000)

Lloyd has only missed three games in the past seven seasons and, after averaging 91 last year, many believe that Sydney's style of play has hampered Lloyd who has averaged 98, 114, 107 and 102 leading into 2022. He proved this theory wrong though, averaging 100 in his last nine games of the year.

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Hayden Young (DEF, $776,000)

After improving his average by 19 points to 88 last season, some believe that this is the year Hayden Young becomes a Fantasy premium. He scored 122 and 88 during Fremantle's finals campaign and is set to take his game to a whole new level this year, and 11 per cent of coaches are currently on board!

Nick Daicos (DEF, $769,000)

Daicos is currently the most selected on-field defender with 42 per cent of Fantasy coaches thinking that he can elevate his game even further this year. He averaged 94 in his first 12 games and finished the year with seven scores over 100, highlighted by a huge 147 in round 18. Some coaches are concerned about second-year blues … but those coaches obviously haven't seen this guy play.

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Others to consider

Although they might not be deemed as 'under-priced', we still need to seriously consider starting Docherty (DEF, $977,000) and Angus Brayshaw (DEF, $878,000) who are both training with the respective midfield groups where they dominated last year. Brayshaw played as a midfielder in rounds 21, 22 and 23 last year and averaged 106. Finally… Aaron Hall (DEF, $797,000) for the seriously brave coaches out there. Hall dropped his average from 109 to 90 last year and is the definition of high-risk, high-reward.

Mid-priced options

Christian Salem (DEF, $653,000)

Leading into 2022, Salem had averaged 90-plus for three years straight. A knee injury in round one hampered his year as he went on to only average 74. There is plenty of upside for a guy who used to be a top-10 defender.

Elliot Yeo (DEF, $625,000)

Yeo only managed five games last year at an average 58. After an injury interrupted year, he is back into full training and out of West Coast's recent match sims, we're hearing phrases like "he's flying" and that his "power/burst is back playing midfield/half-back". Yeo is discounted and priced at an average of 71, which is clear value if he can continue his successful start to 2023.

Jack Bowes (DEF, $607,000)

We love hearing the term "more midfield time" during the pre-season and although it may only be true half of the time, we need to monitor Bowes just in case it is. Priced at an average of 69 and ranked outside the top 110 defenders based on last year's average, Bowes is a name we need to keep a close eye on at his new club.

Others to consider

Monitor the progress of Nick Coffield (DEF, $379,000), who is back after an ACL injury. After not playing in 2022, he received a huge discount which now prices him at an average of 43. Also keep track of Hawthorn's Will Day (DEF, $537,000) who is currently training as a midfielder along with Brad Hill (DEF/FWD, $663,000), who is set to take back his beloved wing position.

Cash cows

Reuben Ginbey (DEF/MID, $284,000)

The No.9 pick in the NAB AFL Draft is a huge chance to play round one after a standout pre-season. In recent match sims, he has been impressive rotating between the midfield and half-back. He averaged 74 during the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships and is likened to Collingwood's Jack Crisp.

Campbell Chesser (DEF/MID, $200,000)

Chesser was drafted in 2021 with pick No.14, but a pre-season injury derailed his campaign. Even though he might not be named to play in round one after Adam Simpson said recently that he "won't be rushing" his younger players. Chesser is a name to closely monitor and currently sits in 52 per cent of teams and on the bench for 26 per cent of his coaches. The perfect spot with this uncertainty.

Darcy Wilmot (DEF, $200,000)

It's an unusual story, but Wilmot debuted for Brisbane last year in the finals series. He averaged 55 from their three games and became a pivotal part of their line-up before the Lions got knocked out by Geelong in the preliminary final. He is the third most-selected defender this year and rightfully so.

Others to consider

As far as bargain basement rookies go, there isn't a whole lot to speak of. Will Gould (DEF, $200,000) is a name we speak about every pre-season who is coming off 20 games in the VFL with an average of 79. Collingwood's Charlie Dean (DEF, $200,000) and Will Kelly (DEF, $200,000) have featured in a few teams hoping they can get games, but they will need lots of things to go their way for this to happen by round one, and Lachie Cowan (DEF, $242,000) is in the same position. He averaged 99 in the NAB League and will be fighting hard to feature in early games for the Blues. Corey Wagner (DEF/MID, $285,000) is another name to monitor and write down in your Fantasy Black Book. As a 25-year-old, the former Kangaroo and Demon could be used by the Dockers early on... watch this space.

Calvin's current Classic defenders

Guns, mid-priced gems and on-field rookies… I have them all. Across many teams that have already been created, this structure is quite common. Unlike the forward line, we have a few rookies who are likely to play round one. We also have some mid-priced players who have not only been impressive this pre-season but have averaged 90-plus before. Although they can be high-risk, high-reward, all they need to do in my eyes is to continue their successful pre-seasons.

Fantasy Draft value

When we look at defenders compared to forwards, the situation isn't as bad. On Draft Day, you can hold off a little longer on defenders because the scoring depth is there. This is because, based on last year's averages, in defence you can find 15 players who averaged over 90, but only four up forward.

The drop off with the forwards is a serious issue which means you can wait for defenders knowing that you can still get good players at the back end of the draft.

With that said, there are still some players (based on their last year's average) that need to be bumped up your rankings and considered as a late last-minute pick. These are the names that your mates might miss.

After averaging 82 and 94, Brayden Maynard (DEF, $641,000) dropped his average to 72 last season. If he can get back to his best, then he is a name worth promoting up your draft order. Hunter Clark (DEF, $604,000) is one of those who is capable of averaging 75-80, but after just eight games last season, he only averaged 54.

Zac Williams (DEF, $614,000) is yet to find his feet after two seasons with Carlton after averaging 93 at Greater Western Sydney. His average of 70 doesn't reflect what he is truly capable of and if he gets firing, he could be a steal on Draft Day.

The Traders' top 30 Defender rankings

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