Get out: popular players to avoid

Just a reminder: there are some players in heaps of fantasy teams who you should have removed already.

The excellent DT Talk boys, writing as The Traders over on AFL.com.au, have just finished a series of 30 players in 30 days which they had started compiling in January. The only problem with the finished team is that up to a third of them won’t play in round 1 for various reasons! I’m not having a go at them – these things are unavoidable – but it did lead me to think that an article listing those players who are popular but shouldn’t be in your side at this stage might be helpful.

Daniel Currie (31.36% owned in AFL Fantasy) – I am not sure why he is in the top 10 most popular players in AFLF. There is no question that Todd Goldstein is the #1 ruck at North Melbourne, and the Roos seem to do okay with a piecemeal solution from a bunch of talls to back him up. Currie is a serial offender at disappointing fantasy coaches, with low JS and poor scoring potential.

Nathan Bock (24.6%) – He isn’t playing until round 3 at the earliest, according to coach Guy McKenna on the Fox Footy coverage of the Suns’ first NAB match.

Jeremy Laidler (23.13%) – I don’t see how he gets into the Swans 22 with Heath Grundy, Ted Richards and Dane Rampe all fit, not to mention he’s probably behind Alex Johnson and Dean Towers who have been used as third tall back at times. With Lewis Roberts-Thomson returning from LTI this week in the NAB, as well as Samuel Reid possibly swinging back at times to cover, there just isn’t room for Laidler.

Matthew Fuller (20.34%) – The Dogs hierarchy is keeping mum but he hasn’t been sighted in the NAB across two games, so I think it’s safe to put a red line through his name for round 1.

Mitchell Clark (13.66%) – A hamstring injury two weeks ago derailed his preseason. This is not the sort of thing you want from a player with a history of injury, especially as coach Paul Roos is only tipping him for 16-18 games this year.

Shane Kersten (12.53%) – Kersten is still several weeks away from returning after a knee injury sustained in last year’s VFL grand final. Given the injury worries over their big men, including the recent ACL tear for Nathan Vardy, the Cats hierarchy will no doubt be very careful with him so a round 1 appearance looks to be unlikely.

Mitch Honeychurch (12.2%) – He showed some signs last night in the NAB, but he could probably do with some time in the VFL before he is thrown into the rough and tumble of the seniors.

Majak Daw (11.68%) – Much the same comments as for Currie, with the three tall forwards of Drew Petrie, Robbie Tarrant and Aaron Black all pretty much locked in when fit. Tarrant is not fit at the moment, of course, with a groin injury hampering him over summer. I don’t understand the clamour to pick his replacement for fantasy, though. There aren’t that many points to be earned as third fiddle to Petrie and Black. Give me a small forward/midfielder any day.

Have you still got any of these players in your salary cap sides, and are you prepared to mount a defence of their positions and state for the record that they have the full confidence of the board? Let me know in the comments.

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