THE BULK of our scoring and cash generation comes from the midfield so we need to get it right from the start.

There are 19 midfielders coming in with a price tag reflecting their triple-figure average, led by Rory Laird (MID, $1,066,000) who finished the year eight points clear of his competition with an average of 120. Although it's a huge price tag, the fact Laird is untaggable, a tackler and a walk-up captain option means he is still well and truly an option despite Classic being a 'value' game. If you finished the year with your captain selection averaging 120, you would be very happy.

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The three young stars sitting below the gun Crow are also justifiable options. Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $995,000) has improved his average every year of his five years in the system, last year making an eight-point leap to 112 and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Dees ball magnet Clayton Oliver (MID, $994,000) feels as safe as they come. He has only missed six games in the last six seasons, one in the last two years while averaging 109 and 112 respectively, while Callum Mills (MID, $983,000) is every bit as exciting as his fellow young stars but his flexibility puts him at risk of filling some less-than-friendly Fantasy roles at times for the Swans which can cause headaches.   

Under-priced premiums

Tom Mitchell (MID, $853,000)
Although the Pies' game style is no longer conducive to enormous Fantasy scoring, the fact the Pig has been freed from the Hawks' forward line enclosure and will be re-released into his natural habitat in the midfield is all he needs to get back among the points and 110-plus territory. We are talking about a guy who has career-high averages of 127 and 129 who is priced at an average of 96.

Jack Macrae (MID, $916,000)
It sounds silly to talk about a player priced over $900,000 being under priced, but such is the regard the Dog ball-magnet is held in. Prior to last year, Macrae averaged over 115 for four seasons on the trot, highlighted by 123 and he is priced at his second lowest average in the last nine years at 103. The fact Josh Dunkley has left the Dogs' stacked midfield and taken his 51 per cent of CBA with him, Macrae will hopefully see a spike in his own CBA with less time starting on a flank or wing.

Josh Kelly (MID, $899,000)
The Giants lost a couple of key midfielders during the off-season and are set to play a more attacking game style under their new coaching regime. Both of these factors could play into the hands of the running machine who has proven in the past he can score with the best players in the game when given an appropriate role. He has twice topped the 'elite premium' figure of 110, highlighted by 116 in 2019. If he is back among the CBAs, the 27-year-old could return to those elite days.

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Others to consider:
Although they both come at a cost, superstars Jack Steele (MID $978,000) and Touk Miller (MID, $972,000) both could be considered under-priced given the level of play we saw from them in 2021 where they averaged a massive 122. Both have justifiable incentive for selection with Steele's 2022 season hampered by injury and Miller's topless pre-season photos demanding attention… and Fantasy consideration. There are some young guns capable of taking their game to the next level and pushing triple figures given their trajectory and opportunities that have opened up at their respective clubs. Tom Green (MID, $752,000), Caleb Serong (MID, $777,000) and Adam Cerra (MID, $780,000) all deserve serious consideration and are great starting options.

Mid-priced options

Dom Sheed (MID, $591,000)
All we need to see from the star Eagle is a pre-season and from all reports he has been fantastic on the track following a season limited to one game due to injury. The premiership hero is priced at just 67 following his discount which is well short of the 90-plus averages we have become accustomed to.

James Worpel (MID, $463,000)
This is the year for the 24-year-old to get his career back on track. After dominating in his second year, averaging 97 from 22 games, the Worpedo has spiralled out of Fantasy relevancy, bottoming out at an average of 52 from 11 games last year. Given he is over the injury concerns that hampered him last season and the exodus of star Hawks midfielders, he is potentially a huge bargain.

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Matt Rowell (MID, $664,000)
After starting his career in a blaze of glory with a string of triple-figure scores, the Suns bull hasn't reached the same heights following the injury that cut his debut season short. Last year he played various roles through the midfield, none of which resulted in his best footy, or footy conducive to scoring. If he is unleashed, he is way better than an average of 75 suggests.

Others to consider:
If you love a name, forgotten Crow Rory Sloane (MID, $622,000) is priced well below what we have grown to expect from the 14-year veteran, with three triple-figure averages next to his name after injury restricted him to just four games last year. Will Setterfield (MID, $610,000) is chasing more opportunity at the Bombers following some huge games at VFL level which demonstrated he is capable of much more than his 67-point price tag suggests. One of my favourite lowly-owned mid-pricers however, is Eagle tackling machine Jai Culley (MID, $490,000) who has been absolutely killing it on the track.

Cash cows

Will Ashcroft (MID, $298,000)
The young Lion is the closest we will get to rookie sensation Nick Daicos, so make sure you pay up. As a junior, he proved to be an elite ball winner and scorer, averaging 113 across the games Champion Data covered him. What impresses me most is what he did with his VFL opportunities, averaging 29 disposals, seven tackles and a goal for an average of 113.

Cam Mackenzie (MID, $288,000)
The Hawks' pick No.7 is every chance to get an opportunity in the depleted midfield. He averaged 24 possessions and four tackles in the NAB League for a respectable average of 86. The rebuild is all about the youth and it looks like Sam Mitchell wants to get games into the youngsters. He has also been a standout on the track.

Will Phillips (MID, $270,000)
The third-year Roo looks to have put injury and illness behind him and is having a great pre-season as a result. He is in the mix to be one of the most profitable cash cows of the season after averaging 94 in the VFL last year and having a point to prove.

Others to consider:
Matthew Johnson (MID, $200,000), Darcy Jones (MID, $260,000), Billy Dowling (MID, $216,000) and Jhye Clark (MID, $286,000) are all youngsters worth keeping an eye on to receive games at their respective clubs and are capable of earning some cash.

Roy’s current Classic midfielders

My current midfield looks a bit thin compared to what I am used to, especially as it currently holds a premium DPP in Tim Taranto, such is the squeeze caused by the value in the forward line. I am tipping a return to uber-premium status from Jack Macrae and Tom Mitchell, while Dom Sheed is just too cheap to ignore. Although I would like to have one more established player on-field, projected rookie availability has left me with four on-field in the mids which obviously strengthens my other lines considerably. Having said that, I will look to shuffle players on other lines in order to move Taranto forward and bring Jack Steele into the midfield as rookie availability becomes more transparent.

Fantasy Draft Value

We know what to expect from most of the big-dog midfielders, so draft accordingly remembering it is vital to lock in a player capable of producing elite captaincy numbers.

There are a few sleepers who will sit quite low when sorting by average that will be worth making note of and bumping up your Draft order. Star Cat Patrick Dangerfield sits well down at an average of just 76 despite showing he still has what it takes in the Finals with an average of 101. Jacob Hopper will be keen to impress at the Tigers after making the move from the Giants. Although the Tigers aren't known to be a high-scoring Fantasy team, his average of 66 doesn’t reflect his career high of 94.

Andrew Gaff and Taylor Adams are prime examples of fallen starts who have shown on a number of occasions their best is much more than their averages of 81 and 82 suggest and are the type of players you need to bump up your order prior to Draft day.

The Traders’ top 40 midfielder rankings

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