In Dozen Deals we use BUY, SELL, HOLD, ADD, or DROP. This is based on a 10 team 22 player roster. BUY, SELL, HOLD, and DROP will apply to players that are generally owned, while ADD will cover players you may find on the waiver wire or as a free agent.

Two weeks down and some players have now hit the field three times. That means a few trends are starting to emerge.  Alex Sexton isn’t a permanent defender, Serong and Green are the next generation of midfield stars, and Isaak Heeney is relevant! Like last week, it’s still not time to jump at shadows, and players who’ve had a slow start are looking like great buy low candidates. The biggest priority right now is not fixing our misfiring premos, but raiding the waiver and free agency list while it’s at its best and making sure we don’t get too attached to our pre-season lottery picks. Did you get sucked into the ‘more midfield’ and salary cap hype and take Lazzaro with a late pick? Time to throw him back and place a new bet. Ditto to others like Jye Clarke and poor old Nick Coffield. Draft formats still rely on trading to get over the line, whether it’s jumping on bargains in a team to team trade or churning those at the bottom of our list for great streaming or lottery pick options.

Buy: Hayden Young

Pre-season, Hayden Young was predicted to be somewhere near the top of our defender rankings due to his emergence as a key part of Freo’s midfield. Unfortunately, a piglet by the name of Caleb Serong has stolen almost all the loose ball and left the rest to fight over the scraps. Despite an underwhelming average of 85, Young should still be fine and will have plenty of chances to score. If a coach wants to jump off him after two rounds, take advantage.

Buy: Jai Newcombe

There are plenty of buy low candidates this week, but Jai Newcombe probably heads the list. Despite being in ripping nick, he’s only managed two scores in the 60s. He’s the key to the Hawks engine room, so it should be only a matter of time before those average scores turn around. Keep in mind, plenty of people jumped on him early, so to pry him away, you’ll have to offer something half-decent. Could offering a defender like McGrath and some Willem Drew shaped steak knives get the deal over the line? Worth a try.

Buy: Riley Bonner

A mediocre score last round means this late draft flyer might be gettable. The Saints have suffered a slew of inside and outside injuries, which means for the short term, Bonner should score well. Even in last week’s 60 odd, he racked up 33 points in one quarter. He can put points on the board and will be dirt cheap in a trade.

Hold: Jordan De Goey

His score was putrid, but at some point, he’ll go on a decent run and win you a few games. If you drafted DeGoey, you probably expected this type of scoring at some point. The problem is that no one will buy him now. Wait till he pumps out a few tons if you feel like trading him in for a player with less variance.

Hold: Jack Viney

A terrible game from someone who I was pretty hot on this year. Viney should be fine, we’ll just have to cop this one on the chin. There’ll be plenty of juicy ceiling games to look forward to. Unless he gets moved out of the midfield which looks unlikely, I’d be holding tight to him.

Hold: Jayden Short

Every year we wait for Jayden Short to be an uber premium, and at times he’s got close without quite delivering on his potential for top end scoring. Unfortunately, we might have to concede that he’s just a very good defender, not one of the top few in the league. While that might be hard to hear for owners, take comfort in the fact that he won’t burn you often.

Sell: Max King

With an average in the 90s, cash in if you can. King has had a ripping start to 2024, and while he should be a handy forward, like most key position players, a down week is certainly coming.

Sell: Andy McGrath

By the end of the year, he’ll probably have an average in the low to mid 80s, which is ok. It currently sits at 95, so take advantage of people who might be predicting an 8th season breakout from the Bombers half-back. You might get some great value by selling high.

Sell: Alex Sexton

The SexGoat looked so good in the pre-season that many coaches reached super early for him. Unfortunately, it may all have been a mirage. Despite an article about how being a half-back has rejuvenated his career, he played mostly as a forward this week, a role where he’s never averaged over 63. You could cash him in now while there’s still some hype around him. Otherwise, hold him for a few more weeks, but if the forward role sticks, he’ll be worthless by then.

Add: Ryan Byrnes

With all the injuries to St Kilda wingers and midfielders, there are on bulk points on offer. He’s already had a great start to the year, so if he’s available in your league, pick up Byrnes immediately.

Add: Seb Ross

Another pickup from the Saints, I almost fell off my chair when I realised Ross is only sitting at 30% ownership. He’s been able to score in the past, is more than capable of smashing out a ton, and will have ample opportunity over the next few weeks. If you need midfield depth, don’t hesitate.

Drop: Charlie Lazzaro

He looked like a great lottery pick, but unfortunately, Charlie just hasn’t converted his midfield opportunities into fieldable scores. It was well worth a shot, but time to look elsewhere.

Drop: Jhye Clark

Another lottery pick it’s time to move on from. Clark has had the opportunity but hasn’t been able to seize it. Seasons are won on the waiver wire, so get to work finding a better diamond in the rough.