A monster score of 2218 this week was a season-high for our fantasy team, as we belted Port Adelaide’s fan team by more than 300 points.
We had the highest score of any of the fan teams by a mile, and have jumped into top spot on the ladder.
We had winners in every position this week. There were 14 fantasy centuries, including eight from our 12 starting forwards and defenders. Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel and Dayne Beams have been regular contributors, while Jared Polec, Shaun Higgins and newly-acquired Rhyce Shaw also raised the bat.
Due to Lance Franklin missing last week, we made an executive decision and sideways traded him, instead of Nick Dal Santo. We brought in Jarryd Roughead, just in time for his score of 112 against the Saints.
It does mean that picking up Dal Santo remains an option this week, with a bye this week and our team looking for some plug and play stars.
Our midfield has been decimated by the break this week. However the positive is that we’ll have a really strong team for Rounds 9 and 10. Dane Swan, Dayne Beams, Scott Pendlebury, Gary Ablett and that man Dal Santo will all be missing in action.
Our opponent
This week we take on Adelaide. The good news? They have Sam Mitchell (who will miss 2 months through injury), Matthew Jaensch (also out) plus a further 13 of their starting 18 from last week on a bye. We should be favourites for this one, but that doesn’t mean we should trade conservatively when we have an opportunity to improve our team.
The Crows’ fan team sits in third place, with four wins and 1 loss (behind us on percentage only). They are the only team we haven’t played yet in this league.
This week’s polls
It’s time to replace Tom Hickey. He’s been solid for us and has increased $66,000 in value, but he’s set to spend up to 2 months on the sidelines due to injury.
With few bargain-priced options to replace him, it may be smart to turn to his real-life replacement, Billy Longer. While only averaging 55 points per game, Longer will only set us back $206,846, netting us some cash and getting in someone who’s guaranteed to play this week.
After getting the votes to sideways trade star midfielder Nick Dal Santo last week, we’ll look to do so again. He has been superb to this point, but the cash earned from trading in Hickey will allow us to get a top-shelf fantasy option.
Finally, we need you to pick our captain. With Ablett, Pendlebury and Beams all out, we’re a little short on top-end talent this week.
