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.
North’s big game win over Essendon on Friday night was one to put a smile on the face of Kangaroos' fans and fantasy coaches alike.
Jack Ziebell was the headliner playing one of the biggest games of his career. The bullish mid collected 11 clearances, two more than any other player on ground, and had 26 kicks, five more than any other player on ground.
However the highlight of his night was a thumping goal kicked on the run from the centre square that sealed the win late in the fourth quarter. It was Ziebell’s second goal for the night.
All in all he finished with a massive 118 fantasy points, made all the more impressive by the fact that he spent on 71 per cent of the game on the field – the least of any player not wearing a vest.
Ziebell’s fantasy average is currently a solid 87 points per game, but keep in mind this is dragged down by his injury game in Round 3 in which he scored just seven points.
If you ignored that game then Ziebell is averaging just over 100 points per game in the six full matches he has played for the season – a form-line he could very well keep up for the rest of 2015.
At $458,000 in AFL Fantasy Classic he’s still cheaper than he was at the start of the season and could be set to increase in price significantly over the next few weeks if he keeps up this good form. Now would be a great time to bring him in to your squad.
Another great fantasy performer for the Roos on Friday night was veteran Drew Petrie. He kicked two of the team's first three goals and provided a sure hand in defence when swung back for the final quarter.
He finished with 12 marks and 114 fantasy points for the night, his second triple-figure fantasy score in as many weeks.
Petrie still probably isn’t the guy to target for your AFL Fantasy Classic forward line, but he’s proving great value for those who have a hold of him in the draft-based game AFL Fantasy Elite.
Only one man on field took more grabs than Petrie and that was Lachie Hansen, who had a dominant 14-mark performance in his second game back from injury.
Hansen finished with a score of 109 for the night and in a similar manner to Petrie, is a great pick-up for AFL Fantasy Elite.
Ben Cunnington and Sam Gibson both also crackedd the century in a return to form after quiet gameslast week, while Andrew Swallow laid 11 tackles on his way to 97 fantasy points.
Jarrad Waite kicked two goals and took seven marks for 91 points, though he was reported for striking in the third term. He is free to play next week against Fremantle however after receiving a fine only.
Ben Brown was subbed out in the third term with a knee injury but thankfully was cleared of any structural damage.
Around the grounds
It was something of a nightmare round for AFL Fantasy coaches with a lot of popular options being injured in game or withdrawn before the siren even blew.
Premium options Mitch Duncan and Matthew Jaensch both suffered long term injuries – Duncan a broken foot, Jaensch a ruptured ACL.
Brodie Smith and Nick Riewoldt were both out of the game early after a heavy collision in Adelaide, while rookie options Patrick Cripps, Jesse Hogan and Christian Salem were all either withdrawn or injured.
Leigh Montagna and Isaac Smith also missed as late withdrawals.
However there was some good news to counteract the bad. Luke Parker was at his scintillating best against Geelong, nailing five goals to finish with 166 points, and was the highest scorer of the round.
A lot of Eagles got off the chain against Gold Coast with the best being Matt Priddis (155) and Elliot Yeo (150).
Yeo in particular is a great option to bring in to your backline at $390,000.