It’s been a while since we’ve dabbled in AFL fantasy over here at BYB. We leave that stuff to the experts over at Daily Fantasy Rankings these days. However, with their guidance we thought it would be criminal not to put forward some daily fantasy tips for the AFL Grand Final this weekend, especially with so much cash up for grabs at Aussie DFS sites!
Here’s what’s on the table in the major tournaments around Australia this weekend..
- Moneyball $10,000 tournament $15 entry fee
- Draftstars $100,000 tournament $20 entry fee
- PlayON $5,000 tournament $22 entry fee
Before You Bet 2018 AFL Grand Final Daily Fantasy Team
For the purpose of the article and since it’s because the biggest prize pool of the weekend and one of the biggest in Australian DFS history, we’ll be using the Draftstars pricing system and building our team using their site.
Defenders
Jeremy McGovern
McGovern didn’t have a lot to do in the Eagles prelim final win over the Demons, racking up only four marks and 17 touches in the comfortable win. We think he will be much more involved this weekend, however, as Collingwood love to kick the ball long to contests and lock the ball in their forward line. McGovern took 9 marks when the two sides met in the qualifying final a few weeks ago and 12 marks when they played in Round 17. Averages 98 against the Pies this season, higher than any other opponent.
Jeremy Howe
McGovern’s counterpart, Jeremy Howe, will look to play a similar role to McGovern by racking up intercept marks across half back. Howe will likely be called into action to defend at times on the multiple big forwards the Eagles have but for the majority of the game we expect him to be playing the third man up role. Scored just 68 points in the qualifying game but that was his first match in nearly two months. Was much better in Round 17, racking up 11 marks and compiling 96 fantasy points.
Midfielders
Steele Sidebottom
Hard not to back in Sidebottom after the year he has had both in general and fantasy terms. Racked up 41 touches in the prelim against the Tigers on the weekend and was the highest scoring player on the game with 141 points. Is probably the main benefactor when Collingwood choose to change up their play style and chip the ball around for spurts if they are leading. Should have his hands on the ball plenty this weekend. Averaged 104 points per game this season and was second only to Tom Mitchell in the season disposal count.
Luke Shuey
Luke Shuey hasn’t been fantastic in the 2018 finals series, but he has been solid. Scores of 74 against the Pies and 72 against the Demons prove some consistency and while we will be looking for more this weekend, he is an extremely safe bet. The midfielder dipped under 70 points on just two occasions this year and racked up 12 scores of over 90 points. Also scored a monster 116 when the Eagles faced the Pies back in Round 17, his highest score of the year.
Tom Phillips
Probably the unheralded hero of the star-studded Pies midfield, Phillips has been outstanding in 2018, averaging 95.6 fantasy points and racking up a highest score of 143 points which included 10 marks in June against the Dockers. Has scored 100, 107 and 83 in the Pies three finals games so far and is an extremely consistent scorer, having only dipped under 70 points on three occasions this season.
Dom Sheed
Dom Sheed has been the main benefactor of Andrew Gaff’s suspension. There was a time where he was on the fringe of even making the Eagles senior die but in the past four games he has scored 120, 84, 97 and 92 and racked up at least 27 touches in all four games. Averages just 76 in 2018 but has a three-game average of 91. Is a fantastic cheaper option in the midfield this Saturday.
Forwards
Will Hoskin-Elliot
Going a little bit cheaper in the forward line to accommodate for the high priced mids but we are still pretty happy with Will Hoskin-Elliot here. the young forward scored just 39 points in the prelim which considerably dropped his price for this week but was coming off a monster performance of 105 points in the win over the Giants the week before. Is a bit of a hit or miss type of player but seems to play well in the big games, scored 71 against Richmond earlier in the year and 84 in the Queens Birthday clash against Melbourne.
Liam Ryan
Flyin’ Ryan was fantastic in the prelim final against the Demons, scoring 78 points on 18 touches and a goal. Much like Hoskin-Elliot in the terms of hit or miss player but has been pretty serviceable over his last three games, averaging 71 points which is up on his season average of just 58.
Ruck
Scott Lycett
Opting against Brodie Grundy might come back to bite us, but we wanted to have a more rounded team with higher priced players in the midfield this Saturday. Grundy also had his worst outing of the year with just 68 points against the Eagles in Round 17 so this is more a pick against Grundy than it is for Lycett. Hopefully it pays off.
