The final Sunday slate of the home and away season brings us three very different contests, beginning with Essendon and Port Adelaide in a dead rubber at Marvel Stadium. Attention then turns to the SCG, where Sydney face North Melbourne in their first game without five key players following last week's controversy, before West Coast host Hawthorn at Optus Stadium with the Hawks looking to secure their place in the top four.
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AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 24 Sunday Slate
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Sunday: Where to Attack?
Essendon have been one of our favourite teams to target all season and there is no reason to change course in the final round. The Bombers leak fantasy points across the board, but the biggest opportunities come through key and general forwards, while they give up more points to inside midfielders than any other team in the competition. That puts plenty of Port Adelaide players firmly in play. The Power don't really concede massive numbers to any one position, so Essendon exposure looks far less appealing on this slate.
North Melbourne's record might suggest otherwise, but they have actually been relatively stingy when it comes to opposition fantasy scoring this season. The obvious exception has been designated kickers, with only the Bulldogs giving up more points to that position. Sydney have been one of the more restrictive fantasy matchups themselves, but their five key omissions make this a difficult game to assess based purely on season-long numbers. The increased opportunity for some of the Swans' cheaper inclusions could be where the real value lies.
The final game provides another obvious team to attack, with Hawthorn getting a dream matchup against West Coast. The Eagles give up more fantasy points than any other team to both key forwards and rucks, while they also concede above-average numbers to wingmen and running defenders. With the Hawks needing a win to lock away their top-four position, there should be no shortage of motivation to put West Coast away.
Game Script: I'll be targeting Port Adelaide inside midfielders and forwards against Essendon, looking to Sydney's cheaper midfield options and designated kickers for value, before loading up on Hawthorn rucks, key forwards, wingmen and running defenders against West Coast.
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Sunday – Our Value Fantasy Picks
Caiden Cleary ($6,830)
Picking which of Sydney's inclusions benefits most from the massive turnover is tricky, but I like Cleary at close to basement price. He has played nine games this season predominantly as a forward but pushes higher up the ground and had a stretch through the middle of the year where he consistently scored between 60 and 75. With so much production suddenly available, there is a clear path for him to push beyond those numbers.
Hamish Davis ($7,550)
There aren't a heap of appealing low-priced options on this slate, which brings Davis firmly into calculations. His tackling numbers have consistently improved across the last three weeks and, while that hasn't translated into huge fantasy scores yet, the underlying numbers are encouraging. If he can combine that defensive work with a little more possession, there's plenty of value at this price.
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Sunday – Our Mid Priced Fantasy Picks
James Rowbottom ($10,600)
Rowbottom returns for his first game since August 1 and couldn't have picked a better week to come back into the side. He produced a monster 120-point performance against the Giants before his injury, including 11 tackles, and there should be plenty of midfield responsibility available following Sydney's raft of changes. At just over $10,000, the ceiling is hard to ignore.
Mitch Georgiades ($11,160)
Georgiades will be looking to finish his season on a high after booting nine goals across his last three matches. Key forwards have consistently been able to get hold of Essendon this season and Georgiades comes into the matchup with fantasy scores of 76, 88 and 82 from his last three. The form and matchup both point towards another strong performance.
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Sunday – Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Jarman Impey ($14,710)
There aren't many genuine uber-premium options on this slate, but Impey has the ceiling to produce a slate-breaking score. He put together a ridiculous run of 137, 147 and 115 a few weeks ago before adding another 97 against Collingwood last week. West Coast's struggles against running defenders make this an ideal matchup for Impey to accumulate possessions and marks across half-back, and he shapes as my preferred premium play of the day.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Fantasy Round 24 Sunday
Weather Report for Sunday 23 August
Melbourne (Marvel) - Roof
Sydney (SCG) - 18 degrees and clear
Perth (Optus Stadium) - 19 degrees and clear
AFL Betting Markets Round 24 Sunday
Essendon ($2.05) vs Port Adelaide ($1.80)
Points: 185.5
Line: 2.5
Sydney ($1.86) vs North Melbourne ($1.98)
Points: 190.5
Line: 1.5
West Coast ($11) vs Hawthorn ($1.04)
Points: 184.5
Line: 52.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Sunday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
