Brisbane Lions defender Matt Maguire and West Coast's Beau Waters are two such examples, having battled foot and elbow injuries, respectively, for the best part of two years.
Both have now returned to full fitness and it's no surprise to see the pair among the top five DT improvers after round five.
At $232,900, Maguire still represents great value as a high-scoring defender and Waters is handy too, albeit a fraction more expensive.
Speaking of expensive, it's not often the market watch analysts slap a 'buy' recommendation on players rated at $400,000-plus but that's the case with Demon Colin Sylvia and Carlton skipper Chris Judd.
Both have played just two games in 2010 and both will set you back almost $420,000. But when Sylvia is averaging more than 118 points, and Judd a cool 114, they're good buying even at that hefty price.
If that's too steep for you, consider Essendon forward Scott Gumbleton, who may have just had his breakout performance with 96 points against Collingwood. Still only $176,900, Gumby could be worth a shot if the Bombers midfield can feed him enough of the footy.
Others worth considering include Collingwood's Dayne Beams ($332,700 with a 95-point average) and Carlton's Jeff Garlett ($238,300, 85-point average), with the latter set for plenty of opportunities in Brett Ratten's re-jigged small forward line.
Finally, the value buy of the week is elevated Hawk rookie Jarrod Kayler-Thomson, with an average of 83 points at the bargain basement price of $77,800. His value is set to soar when he plays his third game, but when that happens is anyone's guess, given he has played just two of the Hawks' five games to date.
At the other end of the DT market, there are some blue-chip bargains to be had.
However, like any speculative transaction, there is inherent risk as you've got to be confident the high-priced stars will return to their very best.
Cat Joel Selwood has dropped more than $70,000 to $383,300 and he's averaging just 86 points a game. He may yet have further to fall, but keep an eye on his performances as he's too good a player not to rise at some stage.
Lenny Hayes ($416,800) is another A-grader to suffer a form drop, although he's still racking up a handy 93 points per game. His stats pale in comparison to the similarly rated Judd and Sylvia, but the Saints are likely to win a few more games than either the Dees or the Blues.
This may also be your last chance to pick up West Coast ruckman Dean Cox while he's relatively cheap. At $377,700, he's great value when you consider he has averaged more than 100 points in the past two weeks.
Finally, we have a new leader in the form drop stakes with Richmond midfielder Richard Tambling usurping injured Bulldog Ryan Hargrave on the top of the table. Tambling's form has mirrored that of the struggling Tigers and his value has plummeted by almost $120,000.
While there are plenty of good buys lurking in around top 20 biggest losers, the market watch analysts can't recommend Tambling, even at that price.
Top 10 improvers
1. Michael Barlow (Freo) $253,200 (+$147,400)
2. Matt Maguire (BL) $232,900 (+$131,200)
3. Ryan Bastinac (NM) $220,200 (+$130,700)
4. Alex Silvagni (Freo) $195,800 (+$118,000)
5. Beau Waters (WCE) $268,600 (+$115,800)
6. Ben Nason (Rich) $204,400 (+$114,,900)
7. Todd Banfield (BL) $200,800 (+$106,300)
8. Carl Peterson (Haw) $200,200 (+$105,700)
9. Mitch Duncan (Geel) $188,800 (+$99,300)
10. Jack Trengove (Melb) $252,500 (+$99,000)
Top 10 losers
1. Richard Tambling (Rich) $270,700 (-$119,500)
2. Ryan Hargrave (WB) $308,200 (-$101,300)
3. Chad Cornes (PA) $284,400 (-$98,900)
4. Dean Cox (WCE) $377,700 (-$93,800)
5. Leon Davis (Coll) $346,100 (-$89,300)
6. Josh Fraser (Coll) $297,700 (-$88,100)
7. Kurt Tippett (Adel) $238,000 (-$81,400)
8. Andrew Welsh (Ess) $296,900 (-$77,500)
9. Steve Johnson (Geel) $365,200 (-$71,700)
10. Jason Winderlich (Ess) $342,700 (-$70,800)
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
