North Melbourne will kick off their 2016 NAB Challenge campaign up in Wangaratta at Norm Minns Oval this Saturday against St Kilda.

The Kangaroos take plenty of fresh faces into the opener, with the club set to unveil prize recruit Jed Anderson (FWD/MID, $224,000) in the famous number three jumper.

Anderson was recruited from the Hawks in an exchange that included pick number 15, and comes with high hopes of providing some speed and youth to North’s midfield ranks. He has caught the eye of AFL Fantasy coaches, and a strong NAB Challenge campaign will emphasise his worth in fantasy circles.

Farren Ray (MID, $359,000), Corey Wagner (MID, $136,000), Declan Mountford (MID, $125,000) and Ryan Clarke (MID, $164,000) have also been named in the squad and could make their first appearances for the club.

Wagner, Mountford and Clarke have all impressed throughout the pre-season, and strong showings in the NAB Challenge could catapult them into the Kangaroos’ Round 1 side – and subsequently AFL Fantasy squads.

There will be plenty of familiar faces out there for Roos' fans as well with Drew Petrie (FWD, $433,000), Jack Ziebell (MID, $500,000), Andrew Swallow (MID, $487,000), and Brent Harvey (FWD, $451,000) among others all named in what is an experienced North squad.

The key name missing from the squad is Daniel Wells (FWD, $293,000) who dominated an intra club match last week, booting four goals.

During the week, coach Brad Scott flagged Wells as a possible starter against the Saints, but he'll be saved for North's final two NAB Challenge match.

His low price makes him a tantalising AFL Fantasy prospect, and fantasy coaches will have to wait a week to see the silky forward in action.

The match will get underway at 2:05pm AEST at Norm Minns Oval in Wangaratta and will be televised on Fox Footy.

NAB Challenge watchlist

Daniel Wells – MID/FWD, $295,000
Wells has endured injury troubles over the past two seasons, limited to just 12 games.

However, it looks like his luck may have finally turned – the veteran took to the field in both of North’s intra-club matches, getting through the games without issue.

While he hasn’t been named for North’s first NAB Challenge match against St Kilda on Saturday, he’ll get a run in the two to follow against Collingwood and Hawthorn.

If he can get back to his best, Wells could hit an average of 85-95, which would make fantasy coaches a significant profit given his low starting price.

If he looks to be in good form during the NAB Challenge, he has to be considered.

Jed Anderson – MID/FWD, $224,000
North’s sole recruit during the trade and free agency period, Anderson has really impressed during his first pre-season at the club, particularly in the intra-club matches.

His willingness to tackle and his versatility to play multiple roles in the team are qualities that will hold him in good stead during his North Melbourne career.

Named to take part in North’s first NAB Challenge match against the Saints, he has a golden opportunity over the next four weeks to prove he deserves a Round 1 club debut.

The key aspect to follow with him will be his ability to build a good fantasy score – keep an eye on the kind of numbers he produces over the NAB Challenge, and go from there.

Ryan Clarke – MID, $164,000
Despite slipping to pick 31 in last year’s national draft, earlier this week Clarke became the first member of North’s class of 2015 draftees to sign a contract extension.

That really underlines how much he has impressed during his first AFL pre-season as a quality performer in both intra-club matches.

It’s going to be hard even for the most impressive young players to break into a midfield that has reached consecutive preliminary finals, but Clarke looks like he really wants to give it a go, and plays a great style of game that will be well suited to fantasy scoring.

Track him closely in the NAB Challenge – if he can impress there, he may well earn a run at AFL level, where he could make fantasy coaches a lot of profit.

Taylor Garner – FWD, $232,000
Garner is one of the most exciting players on the North list and a budding fan favourite, impressing many with his quality performances in last year’s finals series.

A relatively inexperienced player, injuries have kept Garner to just 13 career games in three years, all but two of them in 2015.

However despite his lack of experience he has shown no lack of hardness or class, and it’s these qualities that earnt him a regular spot in the line-up last year.

To improve his fantasy scoring the key thing will be his ability to play up the ground, near the contest, and start getting more of the ball.

That’s why he’s on the NAB Challenge watchlist – if he looks like he can starting spending at least some of his time in the middle of the ground, he’ll become a handy fantasy player.

Aaron Black – FWD, $156,000
Although his opportunities were limited last year and circumstances haven’t changed a great deal heading into 2016, at such a low price, Black cannot be ignored.

He struggled to break into last year’s forward line which boasted the likes of Drew Petrie, Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown. But anything can happen and North fans will no doubt remember his quality form in the 2013 season.

If Black can get a solid run at senior level, then he is sure to make some cash for fantasy coaches.

His performances in the NAB Challenge will give us a good indication of whether or not he is likely to get that chance in 2016.