[RELATED: Fantasy - North's prices | Fantasy: Defenders preview | Fantasy: Rucks preview]
AFL Fantasy is back for another season, and the team at Footy Prophet will again be supplying NMFC.com.au with premium fantasy analysis and tips for the 2015 season.
In 2015, there will be two types of AFL Fantasy teams: those who start the year with Tom Rockliff, and those who don’t.
At over $760,000, the Lions’ fantasy scoring machine is the highest-priced player in the competition, $88,000 more expensive than the no. 2, Gary Ablett ($675,000).
Is Rockliff worth the price tag? You’ll find many willing to argue for both sides. On one hand, there’s a good chance he will be available later in the year at a cheaper price. On the other hand, every week you don’t have him in your side is a week you’re missing out on his prodigious point-scoring ability.
Whichever path you choose to go down on the ‘Rocky Dilemma’, there’s a large number of other premium midfielders to put either alongside him or in his place. Along with Ablett, the likes of Michael Barlow ($627,000), Scott Pendlebury ($614,000) and Joel Selwood ($603,000) have all provided consistent value over the years.
One name strongly worth considering will be Toby Greene ($583,000). Although he doesn’t come cheap, the Greater Western Sydney youngster has caught our eye with his point-scoring abilities good enough to perhaps rival the likes of Rockliff, Ablett and Swan in years to come.
Greene averaged 131 points per game in his last 5 games of 2014 – consider him closely.
Every good fantasy side has a few unique picks and there are plenty of good ones to choose from this year. Consider West Coast’s Luke Shuey ($526,000) and Sydney’s Dan Hannebery ($547,000) as younger players on the cusp of breaking into the top-class of fantasy midfielders.
North’s skipper Andrew Swallow ($508,000) offers a great value option this year too. His scoring was a little lower than usual in 2014 as he recovered mid-season from his achilles injury, but with a full pre-season he should bounce back to his old ways and hopefully make fantasy coaches a tidy profit.
Another good value pickup for 2015 could be Geelong’s Josh Caddy ($392,000). Despite suffering a fractured foot midway through the year, the former Sun finished the season in good fantasy form and could take big strides forward this season.
When it comes to your rookie picks it’s hard to ignore high-profile draftees Angus Brayshaw ($294,000) and Isaac Heeney ($246,000), both of whom should play senior footy this year.
While he’s more expensive, we’d tip Brayshaw over Heeney – he’ll have plenty of opportunity in the Melbourne midfield, while Heeney is tasked with breaking into a star-studded Swans outfit.
Carlton’s Blaine Boekhost ($243,000) could be a good investment, as the mature-aged draftee averaged 21 disposals per game in the WAFL last year. Also keep an eye on newly-drafted Eagle Damien Cavka ($142,000) who should provide good fantasy value if he can get some games.
2013 draftees Dominic Sheed ($237,000), Nathan Freeman ($174,000) and Patrick Cripps ($163,000) all struggled to get regular game time in their debut years, but are worth considering as cash-cow options as they come into their second years. The same goes for North’s own Trent Dumont ($120,000)!
Footy Prophet’s top midfield picks for AFL Fantasy
1. Tom Rockliff (Brisbane) - $763,000
2. Gary Ablett (Gold Coast) - $675,000
3. Toby Greene (GWS) - $583,000
4. Andrew Swallow (North Melbourne) - $508,000
5. Josh Caddy (Geelong) - $392,000
Join the official North Melbourne AFL Fantasy league to compete against like-minded fans.
Click here to register (league code: YL9C72HH)
