AFL Fantasy is back for another year, and the team at Footy Prophet will again be supplying NMFC.com.au with premium fantasy analysis and tips for the 2016 season.
North Melbourne kept its unbeaten record intact with a convincing 67-point win over Carlton on Saturday night.
It was a contest dominated by the usual suspects, with Nick Dal Santo shrugging off some quiet fantasy form with his second ton of the season.
Jack Ziebell continued his career-best year with his fourth fantasy ton of 2016.
But it was in the backline where North Melbourne dominated the AFL Fantasy game, with no less than four defenders all posting respectable scores, including Robbie Tarrant’s 95, which was built around nine marks and 22 disposals.
With a breakeven of 39, you could do worse than selecting Tarrant as a sideways trade.
Meanwhile, evergreen veteran Brent Harvey continued his consistent year with 84. The little fella has dipped below 80 just twice this season, and at his price he could be a valuable point of difference.
Let’s have a look at how Footy Prophet’s Fantasy Five from last week performed against the Blues.
Todd Goldstein (RUCK, $544,000) exposed Carlton’s Daniel Gorringe all around the ground and at the stoppages to rack up 19 disposals and 45 hit outs, as well as three classy goals for 138 points.
Goldstein is clearly the number one fantasy ruckman in the competition, and was an astute selection at number one.
Andrew Swallow (MID, $444,000) had a slight dip in form, posting 60. A lot of his points are derived from tackles - averaging 8.3 a game – but to be considered a legitimate AFL Fantasy star we’d like to see more kicks from the skipper.
With two kicks and one mark for his troubles on Saturday night, it’s always a risk to pick players who rely too heavily on one statistic.
Jarrad Waite (FWD, $465,000) was solid, but unspectacular against his old side, with a respectable 70. But given the rate of output from him this season, it still remains a solid score, and he could go big against Sydney on Friday night.
In his first game for the Kangaroos, Farren Ray (MID $356,000) was a useful contributor on the field, but less so in fantasy. He posted 68, including 18 touches and a goal. He’s never been a prolific fantasy player, and at his awkward price it might be best to look elsewhere.
As a forward option, Trent Dumont ($249,000 MID/FWD) showed plenty of fantasy potential on Saturday night, and his 76 was highlighted by nine tackles. A hard-nosed midfielder by trade, he will be a handy cash cow if we can get 75-80 from him every week.