DESPITE a disappointing stretch by his standards, the writing was on the wall that Zach Merrett (MID, $938,000) would return to his best in a match-up with Gold Coast, which doesn't tag and give up the most points to opposition midfielders. The Essendon captain put his run of bad form behind him to score 145 from 40 disposals, six marks and five tackles to give him plenty of confidence going into a match-up with Richmond, which is the only other team he has reached triple figures against in the last eight weeks, which was a handy 149.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (DEF, $1,156,000) looked like the best player to ever take the field, absolutely running rings Hawthorn. He did as he pleased, collecting 43 disposals as he sliced holes through the opposition at will on his way to 145. He is finally starting to get some recognition outside of Fantasy circles this week, which traditionally results in a tag the following week so it will be interesting to see what the Swans try to do after clamping Jordan Clark (DEF, $988,000) off half-back, holding him to 46 after topping 120 three times in the last four weeks.
FANTASY LATEST Tips, strategy, draft, podcasts, more
As we saw with Clark and his 13 disposals, the tag is an issue again. For a fellow victim, look no further than teammate Caleb Serong (MID, $998,000) who only a few weeks ago was the toast of the Fantasy community coming off his bye at a bargain price and scoring 137 and 146. On the weekend, James Jordon held him to just 11 disposals and 46 points to beg the question whether we start trading certain players out to avoid the disasters.
With most teams free from playing rookies on the ground, other than those happy to continue rolling Tom McCarthy (DEF/MID, $489,000), the plan remains the same, remove the weakest link and upgrade. Thankfully, there are several under-priced premiums putting their hand up that are within reach of a traditional rookie downgrade/upgrade trades, or even some like-for-like (pricewise) moves for players moving in different directions.
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
MOST TRADED IN
- George Stevens (MID, $280,000)
- Errol Gulden (MID, $1,073,000)
- Zach Merrett (MID, $938,000)
- Colby McKercher (DEF/MID, $833,000)
- Jack Macrae (FWD/MID, $934,000)
MOST TRADED OUT
- Ned Long (MID, $870,000)
- Zak Johnson (MID, $488,000)
- Caleb Serong (MID, $998,000)
- Mani Liddy (MID, $357,000)
- Angus Sheldrick (MID, $682,000)
TOP FIVE PRICE RISES
- Tom McCarthy (DEF/MID, $489,000) +$95,000
- Jack Martin (FWD, $599,000) +$75,000
- Max Hall (MID/FWD, $594,000) +$71,000
- Colby McKercher (DEF/MID, $833,000) +$70,000
- Harry Rowston (MID, $391,000) +$64,000
TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS
- Alex Sexton (DEF, $539,000) -$109,000
- Matt Roberts (DEF, $773,000) -$65,000
- Luke Davies-Uniacke (MID, $783,000) -$61,000
- Jimmy Webster (DEF, $505,000) -$61,000
- James Sicily (DEF, $674,000) -$58,000
LOWEST BREAKEVENS
- Tom McCarthy (DEF/MID, $489,000) -17
- George Stevens (MID, $280,000) -15
- Archer May (FWD, $358,000) -9
- Jobe Shanahan (FWD, $310,000) -7
- Harry Rowston (MID, $391,000) -5
HIGHEST BREAKEVENS
- Max Gawn (RUCK, $1,134,000) 152
- Nic Martin (DEF/FWD, $1,046,000) 152
- Caleb Serong (MID, $998,000) 152
- Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $942,000) 149
- Matt Kennedy (MID/FWD, $1,050,000) 139
STOCKS UP
Errol Gulden (MID, $1,073,000)
The Swan has been back for three weeks and it didn’t take long for him to become a huge trade priority. After easing back in round 15, with 71 from 74 per cent TOG, he has turned it up a notch with 89 and 88 per cent for 124 and 127 respectively which leaves him with a BE of 106. He has a couple of nice games on the horizon with the Saints and Roos but there is an obvious flag this week if he does in fact cop some attention from Windy.
Zach Merrett (MID, $938,000)
Any time Merrett is priced under a million, you need to pay attention. Traditionally a safe hundred over the years, the Bomber skipper has reached triple figures just twice in eight weeks, but the signs were good on the weekend. He was back in the middle and given Jye Caldwell's injury, his responsibility will only grow leading into a match-up with the Tigers, who coincidently were the victim of his other ton in that time span. He should be in for a huge week and is a good price with a BE of 89.
Colby McKercher (DEF/MID, $833,000)
The speedy Roo continued to enjoy his time creating off half-back with another great performance where he collected 32 disposals, a goal and nine marks for 124. He has a low score of 85 since the bye and is carrying a BE of 41, well short of his three-round average of 109 leading into a nice match-up with the Dees. If the role remains the same, he remains a great pick for that price.
Jack Macrae (FWD/MID, $934,000)
The 30-year-old Saint had a great game against the Hawks, racking up 26 disposals but what was most impressive was his tackle intent, tallying an equal season high 10. It was his second triple-figure score in three weeks which leaves him with a BE of 80 leading into a tough match-up with the Swans before his draw opens right up.
Zak Butters (MID, $947,000)
The Power midfielder is an absolute star, and is a bargain play to bring in for the remainder of the year. He is coming off an impressive 31 disposals and 119 in a tough match-up with the Lions. He has a BE of 89 and is in for a big week with a soft match-up against the Eagles in Adelaide.
STOCKS DOWN
Ned Long (MID, $870,000)
Tops the trade outs for the second week in a row on the back of a score of 78 against the Blues. He remains a successful pick this year, increasing by $449k from his starting price, making him a great option to upgrade to a fallen premium.
Caleb Serong (MID, $998,000)
The hard-nosed Docker proved to be a great pick off his bye with scores of 146 and 137 before the tags started to come back into play. He was given attention by the Saints for 62 in round 16 before being clamped on the weekend against the Swans for a score of 46. It leaves him with a massive BE of 152 leading into a game against the Hawks who don't tag very often, but do have Conor Nash at their disposal when required.
Sam Docherty (MID/DEF, $918,000)
The Doc has proven to be a great mid-season pick up, averaging an impressive 98 in his last five while increasing $136k on his original asking price. He has a BE of 95 and a tough match-up this week against the Lions so as much as I love Doc, it feels like he has done his job and can be moved on to a discounted premium.
Bailey Dale (DEF, $961,000)
The 28-year-old is great when he is allowed to play freely off half-back but he has also has shown in recent weeks his vulnerability against the tag, none more so than last week. After failing to break the attention while playing down back, he moved to the wing and then forward in a hard watch display where he scored 59 which remarkably included two goals. He now has a BE of 137 with a couple of tough games on the horizon.
Adam Cerra (MID, $972,000)
The 25-year-old has had a great season, averaging 97 and increasing by $227k. Despite this, he hasn't been hitting the ceiling scores some of the fallen premiums are capable of and he is an example where a straight swap to the likes of Merrett, Butters or even Lachie Whitfield look better options moving forward.
Get expert advice from The Traders during the season in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on X and Instagram and 'like' the Facebook page to join in the conversation.
