A Dozen Deals
After holding it down for the past few years, Steve Fizz has allowed me to step up to his Dozen Deals article, some big shoes to fill. I’m going to try and keep it as close to the original format and see if a different perspective is of any use to everyone. We’ll continue to use BUY, SELL, HOLD, ADD or DROP. Continuing with a view based on a 10 team 22 player roster, buy sell and hold will apply to players that will generally be owned, while add and drop go for those you may find on the waiver wire.I’ve followed the advice this year, and there have been some great deals to be had, a tradition I’m hoping will continue.
Draft is different from salary formats in that players don’t have the same value (price) for all coaches, which leaves us to decide each players value. Finding undervalued and overvalued players and using that to make deals is what makes draft so unique. Deals that can be made in one league would never be made in another, and knowing your opponents is one of your best tools when it comes to orchestrating trades. A good trade at the right time can win you your league. We’ll try and keep an eye on everyone, so you can focus on winning your league between the weekends.
HOLD – Tom Jonas (D)
A tough call. If you’re battling, there’s some defenders that can give some great value, but if you’ve got a second chance spot in the finals, I’d say hold and hope he comes back on the shorter end of 3-5.
DROP – Jack Viney (M)
News that he will miss at least a month. At least being the operative term. Unless you’re one of the top teams with room to spare, you’ll be better off trying to find a hot hand on the waiver wire, as he may miss the rest of the home and away season.
ADD – Jarrod Berry (M)
At 65% ownership on UF, it may be time to jump on the bandwagon. While Brissy won’t face easy competition, their percentage shows they’ve been a competitive team and are ready to start shaping the 8. Berry is worth a look in the midfield off the back of a 24-touch game against Hawthorn, adding a goal as well.
ADD – A Sun in the NEAFL
Hanley returned from injury, and his ownership is slowly ticking up. After 31 touches, it’s sure to keep rising. Fiorini nabbed 36 touches to go with 11 tackles and 2 goals and could be a Viney replacement. Kade Kolojashnij still hasn’t been given a shot yet but is surely due. Then there’s Barlow with 44 touches. Surely, Dew! Given their history however, I wouldn’t bet on it, but who doesn’t love a redemption story?
ADD – LeCras (F)
The flying Frenchman made his return with Kennedy and Darling and went back to looking lively. With the doggies up this week, he could be a good 1 weeker to help a finals push.
BUY – Nat Fyfe (M) / Harris Andrews (D)
If the Fyfe/Andrews owners are struggling, consider an offer that will help them in the short term, and you in the long term.
BUY – Jayden Short
Short has been a really reliable player for the Tigers. At 178cm, his surname doesn’t seem ironic. Then he kicks the ball. His goal from about 55m on Saturday showcases one of his biggest strengths; his huge boot. ‘Short goes long’ has been used in videos of goals in round 9 and 15 already this season, so the Tigers simply gave up on the latest effort as it becomes the norm. A 95+ average in both formats since Ellis’ return to the Tigers line-up may also suggest he has been freed up to roam a little more, so he’s worth a punt as his play currently is above what his average would suggest.
BUY – Touk Miller
Another consistent performer, Touk has been one of the only reliable players for the Suns this year. We typically tend to devalue players that go from forwards or defenders to pure mids, so if you need a reliable mid that won’t cost the world, Touk is worth a look in.
SELL – Ed Curnow
Started the year on fire and has cooled somewhat. A good bit of bait to dangle if you’re aiming at a package to land a big fish.
BUY – Daniel Rich
Injured in the first game, Rich was sluggish upon his return. But lately he’s finding a bit of the ball and getting comfortable with the role Fagan has him playing. Average is low enough to make him gettable.
ADD – Aliir Aliir (D)
Having only played a few games so far, Allir has taken the latest opportunity given and looked very handy for the Swans. At 20% owned, he’s going to be getting snapped up across deeper leagues, worth a crack as a replacement to Jonas if you’re still battling for finals.
ADD – Jack Watts
I’ll admit freely, I’ve always had a soft spot for Wattsy. He is clearly a supremely talented player, that just doesn’t have the focus or motivation to apply himself constantly. Luckily, we don’t need a whole season out of him, just a few weeks. Port don’t have the easiest run home, but as long as Charlie Dixon is taking up defensive attention, Watts should have enough room to kick a few and hopefully get on a hot streak at the right time.
Great read but my conundrum is having both Jonas and Suckling injured at on my bench with 2 rounds before finals. I’m lucky enough to be sitting top, a game clear, but the pack are chasing. Is it wise to eject one of Suckling or Jonas and pick up Alir Alir or Henderson (Cats). Appreciate your feedback.
Damn, that’s super unlucky. I’d be holding Suckling as he’s at 3-4, but wouldn’t be shocked to see the bulldogs shut him down since they’re not chasing finals.
Port are in the finals run, but Jonas is 4-5, so unless your grand final is r23 you may only get 1 game to play him assuming he comes straight back. A definite tough call, I wouldn’t rush any decisions if you’ve still got another week before finals. There may be some equally good waivers in the coming weeks, unless you’re particularly hot on Hendo or Aliir.
Cheers. I’ll take on the advice and stay in the moment. Thanks again.
Who would you take over Henderson and Howe? Both have a good match up this week, average form recently but could do well.
Ricky Henderson? I’d go Howe, liked his form better as of late, though he may be a higher risk of a dud game.
Love taking a risk in draft, recently getting in Fyfe and Zaka for the run home. This gives me 8 100 avg mids.
With my forward line being my weakness, would it be worth trading one of those mids for a forward and then having someone like Dom Tyson on my bench? With Viney out he could really benefit and go back to a more scoring role.
Tyson did seem better early in the year before Viney came in, but I’d be thinking you could get similar production by picking up a good match up each week and streaming a mid.
As for the forwards, as long as the forward you get back is going to be a bigger improvement on your F5 compared to the hit you take in the mids, then it’s worth thinking about.
I know you guys aren’t doing a ‘skippers’ segment this week but thoughts on Laird as a captain? Is there a chance Robinson or Robertson will tag him?
I don’t mind Laird as captain. Im sure Brisbane will be looking to score, as they have the past few weeks so Adelaide may see a bit of it in defense!
Good point. Thinking the same. Wouldn’t think they’d tag now that the season is lost. I would assume those lower teams would just play natural rather than defensive. How about if you had to choose between Pendles and Laird?
Thoughts on Mitch McGovern this week v Lions with Tex out?
Adelaide seem to think he’s ready to go after 10 weeks on the sidelines. He hasn’t played SANFL so it’s a real lucky dip. Could be worth a crack though!