Stoners around the world celebrated 4/20 this week, and with some of the omissions this week, fantasy coaches could probably use a bit of the devil’s lettuce to take the edge off… but this is a time where clear heads prevail. Tim English injured himself at training. Jack Viney, Hayden Young and some other irrelevants are in protocols. Karl Amon got the CHOP. Stato’s boy, Matt Kennedy, is out hurt and the beloved Rory Sloane will miss the year with an ACL.
So, this article aims to assist in filling any holes your weekly lineups may have – whether it be a sneaky loophole option for your benches or a genuine plug and play. These are one week streamers (perhaps longer in some cases, AKA RIVER plays) for mostly redraft leagues; patch and play suggestions for those loose ends that need some tying off, especially if your priority waiver claims were missed.
I will list a team of players with low ownership that may (or may not) be available in your leagues. I will fill a team in the 4-5-1-4 structure catering to AF/DT/UF scoring, as well as Supercoach, in certain cases. But first, let’s see how my round 5 tips performed:
HITS
Sam Taylor (70 AF/94 SC) – he’s more of an SC guy given the role he plays, so stream him in when GWS have a defender-friendly matchup.
Joel Selwood (111 AF/149 SC) – was the only Geelong mid to really take advantage of the Hawks matchup.
James Rowbottom (88 AF/105 SC) – did what he should have against the Eagles.
Matt Flynn (80 AF/113 SC) – actually did better than I thought against the might of the Melbourne rucks. Perhaps hold him until teams are announced.
Jack Hayes (70 AF/105 SC) – RIVER* option with Ryder missing this week as well (he plays GWS Friday night and makes for a good bench loophole).
Patrick Naish (82 AF/76 SC) – who’d have thought this guy would be an on-field keeper after round 5?
Errol Gulden (99 AF/84 SC) – I hope you fielded him, or at least looped him in.
MISSES
Mark O’Connor (50 AF/53 SC) – “He’s the safest 80 you’ll get at D5 this week.” – me, pre-round 5, 2022. Omg lol soz.
Xavier Duursma (DNP) – still keep an eye out for when he is named.
Lochie O’brien (DNP) – I don’t know why he was dropped, nor do I care to find out. Sorry.
Willem Drew (44 AF/67 SC) – wtf? Maybe it was because Rozee and Butters saw more midfield time? I expected more sans Wines.
More hits than misses is always pleasing. Anyway, here’s your round 6 stream team:
DEFENDERS
Jacob Weitering vs. Freo – man, has he fallen away, especially in SC… which is exactly where I’d be targeting him this week as key defenders love getting it done on Freo. Backlines run deep this year but if you’re doubtful of your D4/5, Weitering scored a 116 on the Dockers last year and could be your deus ex machina this round.
Marcus Adams vs. Gold Coast – defenders of all classes and categories are enjoying the Suns so far, and Adams is the kind of meat and potatoes stream that should sure up any unstable defences this week.
Sam Taylor vs. St. Kilda (LOOPHOLE) – like the Suns, defenders feed well on the Saints. Taylor is more than likely owned in SC leagues, so be sure to activate him there, or at least run a loophole as he plays Friday night. He’s a fine D5 in your AF scoring formats as well.
Jordan Clark vs. Carlton – welcome back, my squibly friend! Yes, young Jordy has been a bit of a staple for me in the past and with Chapman and Young entering into protocols, Jordy could be entering into a scoring spree (in spite of the fact that defenders have been loathe to score on the Blues so far).
MIDFIELDERS
Luke Dunstan vs. Richmond – every time Dunstan gets a game, I post a screenshot of the ‘Dunstan Checks In’ cinema poster to the league group chat and the laugh emojis ensue. I laugh at myself every fu$#in’ time too. Goddamn. Anyway, he has a great matchup and Viney is out. We won’t know if he’s playing until Friday evening but pick him up just in case.
Jackson Hately vs. Western Bulldogs (LOOPHOLE) – remember when the fantasy community cared about this dude? Anyway, he has the early Saturday game conducive to a loophole play and although mids don’t thrive against the Dogs, Sloane is done for the year and Hately has been carving shit up in the twos. If he gets a chance this week and takes it, he has some RIVER* potential.
Oli Florent vs. Hawthorn – basing this one purely on the ‘mids vs. Hawthorn’ matchup and Florent being one of those guys on the fringes of ownership in a lot of leagues. Chad Warner is in the same class here, if he’s the one floating on your wire instead.
Jeremy Sharp vs Brisbane – yes, “I am ready to get hurt again”, Michael Scott, The Office. Sharpy cleaned up in the twos and outside mids score well on the Lions. If he’s named, take the punt and send me your hate-tweets accordingly.
Trent Cotchin vs. Melbourne – this feels lazy by me, but inside mids have performed well against Melbourne thus far and Cotchin might be the poster-boy for the players who get added and dropped almost weekly (Mitch Robinson is a close second). Actually, this is very lazy by me, as I just went and checked that I wrote about Cotch in ‘Get Wired’ but I’ve almost finished this paragraph now and I want to go play disc golf.
RUCK
Max Lynch vs Sydney – with McEvoy doing his best Christopher Reeves impression for weeks to come and Ned Reeves now also physically incapacited (funnily enough), the door has swung wide open for Lynch as the number one ruckmen at the Hawks. His matchup against Ladhams isn’t all bad either.
FORWARDS
Shaun Higgins vs. North Melb – he’s only played 2 games this year and could be floating around your waiver wire. Forwards enjoy the Kangas clash and a 70+ as an F5 is more than plausible here.
Sam Switkowski vs. Carlton – his basement is high and the data tells us that forwards of his ilk are scoring on the Blues. He’s risk free IMO.
Brody Mihocek vs. Essendon – key forwards are loving the Bombers as opponents this season and Mihocek can pop when he’s on his game. He’s just come back into the side and should be available everywhere.
Todd Marshall vs. West Coast – we saw him beat up on the Crows at Adelaide Oval and the Eagles are a plus matchup for key forwards. Port are due a win and I think Marshall can be a decent part of that this week.
Let me know if you are streaming this week in the comments or get me on Twitter: @lionelhutz4prez. I didn’t mention him (all the other defenders I mentioned were taken) but I’m streaming Lachie Ash in one of my leagues to cover Young and Chapman.
And as always, may your streams flow golden and strong!