It is a growing trend in the modern AFL for players to have their best statistical season post their 30th birthday, and so it was with Bachar Houli who roared back from an injury-riddled 2018 to lift his fantasy rate by 30 points and better his previous personal best by ten. His numbers put him in the top five defenders for metres gained, all of whom are in the top seven for the league. A calf strain slowed down his 2020 preparation before Christmas. Age is the only knock on Houli, and it is certainly a big red flag that it was the old man’s stereotypical injury of a calf strain that bobbed up to interrupt his preseason. It was a groin complaint that nobbled him in ‘18 as well, and fantasy coaches think two of anything is a trend so you can add soft tissue weakness to the list of concerns. Nevertheless, ton-averaging backs don’t grow on trees, so he may drift through early rounds but still get picked up before a lot of more famous midfielders.
Bachar bashes pressure
It is a growing trend in the modern AFL for players to have their best statistical season post their 30th birthday, and so it was with Bachar Houli who roared back from an injury-riddled 2018 to lift his fantasy rate by 30 points and better his previous personal best by ten. His numbers put him in the top five defenders for metres gained, all of whom are in the top seven for the league. A calf strain slowed down his 2020 preparation before Christmas. Age is the only knock on Houli, and it is certainly a big red flag that it was the old man’s stereotypical injury of a calf strain that bobbed up to interrupt his preseason. It was a groin complaint that nobbled him in ‘18 as well, and fantasy coaches think two of anything is a trend so you can add soft tissue weakness to the list of concerns. Nevertheless, ton-averaging backs don’t grow on trees, so he may drift through early rounds but still get picked up before a lot of more famous midfielders.
Bachar Houli has proven a lot of draft watchers wrong by becoming one of the big success stories of the 2018 superdraft, despite not actually being picked in the national draft. He has fast become a favourite in fantasy circles for his powers of accumulation, especially in exotic scoring formats as the quality of his touches is also impressive for a first-year player. The question in salary cap formats is whether he can play the season out at the same level, or whether he will drop off, particularly as he didn't get a full preseason in the AFL system.
Bachar Houli has been given more and more responsibility for rebounding the ball from defence as teammates have fallen beside him, starting with Jayden Short and continuing this week with Brandon Ellis, not to mention the absence of multiple premiership-winning talls due to injury and form. So far he has weathered all this to great effect for his fantasy owners, aimed well and truly at top six backs by the end of the season. As the troops dwindle by his side, can he keep up the production? The Cats will be a stern test.
Bachar Houli farewelled his premiership teammate Shaun Grigg during the week but his personal form is as good as it has ever been, thriving with extra rebound responsibility in the absence of Jayden Short. He used to attract some tagging attention and may start doing so again if his current vein of form holds up. Richmond is a team whose midfield doesn't score well in fantasy so he has a lot of rebounding work to do, making him an interesting point of difference pick leading into the byes.
Houli's hangover
Muslims don't drink as a rule, so Bachar Houli's premiership hangover wasn't due to over-imbibing. It was a persistent groin complaint that ruined his flag defence, causing him to miss nine games and dropping his fantasy output by 15 points with three less disposals and tackles. In the three years prior, he had established an average putting him well into draft league startable ranges. Houli is a prime candidate for a bounce back season, so you can chuck away the 75s he was going at in 2018 and look more towards the 90s he was scoring before that. His preseason has (so far) passed without incident, so he should be drafted in middle rounds despite his advanced age as he is due a bounce back to be a solid starter in your back line.
Truly, Houli is roolly cool
Since hitting his straps in 2009, Bachar Houli has always been reliable for disposal counts in the low 20s, with his fantasy score fluctuating depending on how often he can run to mark on the outside. In 2017 the mix shifted a little bit, as even though he dropped two marks per game he posted his personal best in tackles as he bought into the Hardwick pressure-first game plan. The best thing about Houli's game from a fantasy coach's perspective is that he doesn't seem to get much in the way of tagging attention these days, perhaps because Brandon Ellis has increased his hurt factor from the other HBF enough that his efficiency is actually higher than Houli's. This all makes for a very valuable fantasy player, worthy of an early-round pick.
