In the lead-up to Richmond’s first pre-season match this Friday night, we’re looking at the Tigers’ best AFL Fantasy options. Today, it’s the midfielders.
BRETT DELEDIO - $514,900
2013 AVERAGE – 95
Deledio seemed to cop the opposition’s attention more than anyone else in 2013, and as a result his personal numbers suffered a little bit, after an absolute stellar 2012 season.
Given the emergence of young midfielders Reece Conca, Brandon Ellis and Dustin Martin, along with established stars like Trent Cotchin, Deledio could slip under the guard of the opposition and, as such, could be great value for AFL Fantasy this season.
Deledio’s greatest asset is his versatility. He can play anywhere on the field, and the talk of the pre-season is that he might even get to spend a bit more time up forward. With such a brilliant overhead mark and breakaway speed, Deledio can be a major threat up the ground, and he has proven that throughout his career.
With such an array of tricks, it’ll be difficult to keep Deledio out of the game. At his price, you can’t go wrong. When he’s at his best, he’s one of the most prolific scorers in the game.
TRENT COTCHIN - $511,300
2013 AVERAGE – 94.33
Similarly to Brett Deledio, Cotchin lost 17 AFL Fantasy points per game from his 2012 average in 2013. He started the season averaging 110 in the first four weeks, dropped slightly through the middle of the season, but was back to his best by Round 15. From there, he went on to average 106 for the rest of the season.
The only real stat Cotchin took a hit in was goals. There was only a slight drop in disposals, marks and tackles, but with a full pre-season under his belt, he looks set to improve further.
Despite slight drops statistically, Cotchin still compiled a fine season. At his price, there shouldn’t be a question about whether or not you should select him, just lock him in and throw away the key.
BRANDON ELLIS - $429,300
2013 AVERAGE – 79.2
In only his second season, Brandon Ellis established himself as a player to watch for the next decade.
He started the season slowly, donning the green vest in the first four rounds, but then grabbed his chance with both hands in Round 5 against Fremantle. Ellis went on to average 96.2 AFL Fantasy points from his non-sub-affected games.
When Ellis went big, he went big. He had five scores over 112, but more importantly only had three scores below 70 in non-sub-affected games. Two of those were against Carlton, where he copped a heavy tag from Dennis Armfield.
Ellis is the perfect player for AFL Fantasy because he has a high kick-to-handball ratio and he takes lots of marks for a midfielder, as well as being able to push forward and kick goals. He will start to garner more attention from the opposition, but with Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin in the team, it makes it a little difficult for them to do that.
The best thing about Ellis is his enormous engine. He’s able to run opponents into the ground, and if he is being tagged, he should be able to pick up the slack late in quarters and games.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR…..
BRAD HELBIG - $135,500
2013 AVERAGE – 20
Helbig’s entering his fourth season, where he’s played 16 senior games and had an unlucky run with injuries along the way. He has looked comfortable at the highest level on every occasion, even when he was given the green vest. After a solid pre-season, he is ready to make an impact.
NATHAN GORDON - $135,500
2013 AVERAGE – N/A
Gordon comes to the Tigers after spending two years at the Sydney Swans, and at North Adelaide last season. He played two games and was an emergency nine times in Sydney’s premiership season in 2012. He is a very crafty half-forward, who’s had a good pre-season, and he impressed at the intra-club match last week.
