Brandon Ellis is the sort of player who was always going to excel at the newly-reinvigorated wing position, which has become increasingly important in the 6-6-6 rule era as a reversion to the classic role of running from goalsquare to goalsquare. He used to play half back at times at Richmond but his move to a wing was necessitated by his lack of close-checking defensive skills, but that's not really what the modern wing does. Wingmen in 2022 are mostly not fantasy premiums though as their workload contains too much off-ball running, and Ellis is no different on that metric.
Brandon Ellis is the sort of player who was always going to excel at the newly-reinvigorated wing position, which has become increasingly important in the 6-6-6 rule era as a reversion to the classic role of running from goalsquare to goalsquare. He used to play half back at times at Richmond but his move to a wing was necessitated by his lack of close-checking defensive skills, but that's not really what the modern wing does. Wingmen in 2022 are mostly not fantasy premiums though as their workload contains too much off-ball running, and Ellis is no different on that metric.
Brandon Ellis started 2021 scoring like a champ, regularly going above 30+ possessions in both wins and losses for his new Gold Coast team. His last three have been far quieter, however, disappointing fantasy coaches who jumped on hoping for a cheap premium option. Is this a shift in role, a personal form drop, or simply reversion to the mean? The Suns were belted in clearances and lost all three of those games, which is one clue. As a franchise they have a history of starting okay then falling off a cliff, which might be Ellis' fate making him a bust candidate.
Brandon Ellis has landed on his feet at Gold Coast, the two premiership medals around his neck from his time at Richmond being the only two on the Suns list. Supply from the Sun midfield is arguably better, and he has more than maintained his fantasy production adjusted for shorter game times in plague season. While he is unlikely to earn back designation as his role is strictly starting on the wing, he is very much a strong starter in draft leagues and should be included in your stacks for daily fantasy as his ceiling is respectable on his day.
Brandon Ellis posted his lowest score of the season last week against the Giants and is 15 points down in average on last campaign, a disappointment for those who were hoping for a scoring explosion from a move to midfield. It's hard to tell whether he's a prime mover or a weathervane at times, but it is certainly true that his excellent early scores dried up at the precise moment that Matthew Rowell left the side and the Suns stopped dominating clearances. He is the sort of cream player who plays his best in a good side, and the Suns are not quite there at the moment.
Ellis... other people.
Two-time premiership player Brandon Ellis enjoyed a consistent last season for Richmond before transferring north, driving play from the half back and wing positions. Struggling with form throughout the previous campaign, the hard runner improved his disposal, mark, goal and tackle output in 2019. He tends to encounter problems when used in a role which requires him to apply defensive pressure, which is not a strong part of his game. Entering a new environment with high expectations, Ellis is likely to lead with run from the wing at a lowly club where they need a lot of metres to be gained on rebounds. Gathering over 30 disposals in 30% of his appearances between 2014-15, the ex-Tiger has demonstrated his propensity for accumulation when fielded in an attacking manner. Selection in the latter mid rounds should prove value, as the club needs all hands on deck.
Brandon Ellis fell out of favour last season as, while his powers of accumulation remain strong, he has never been a two-way runner and Richmond is now a team that requires all 22 players to buy in to the all-ground defensive coverage when not with ball in hand. Injuries in defensive positions have forced the selection committee's hand, however, and he posted a very good score last week in a BOG performance. Is his spot safe for as long as Jayden Short remains out? His fantasy value is in flux, making him a crucial decision for coaches.
Ellis gazes at Manhattan
The gradual fall of Brandon Ellis from an elite 2015 form line that saw him average a fantasy ton was completed last season when he was dropped for a month in May, then again for September as Jayden Short beat him out for a HBF spot. From the same average of 20 disposals per game, Short led the league in metres gained with 527 per game while Ellis could manage only 280. He hit Media Street in January with a plan to move up to the wing, where he spent time earlier in his career. Ellis' best game is about volume of possession, not quality of delivery, and when he hasn't even got the raw stats then he's not offering much. He is way too young to be left on the AFL scrapheap, and the Tigers committed to rehabilitating him to the extent of moving him in with Trent Cotchin in mid-year. More than on-field, it will be news of development in his head that will tell if he can bounce back. If that reversion to a wing sticks, he has 25 points of bounce back upside.
Ellis escapes island
Quality was a problem for Brandon Ellis historically, as he earned a reputation for ordinary disposal and made up for it by getting lots of footy. Though he dropped in marks and tackles from the previous year, Ellis maintained his disposal rate and metres gained stats in 2017, and most impressively he increased his efficiency by nearly five points to reach the norm for HBFs of just on 80%. He lifted his fantasy scoring by 15 points after the bye. Ellis now looks more like an AFL-standard half back, though he is still outside the league top 50 for rebounds. The trick for him is how he can push his disposal count back above 25 as he did for a couple of years when patrolling the wings, while still fulfilling all the KPIs in defence that the coach wants. That late surge is very promising that he has found a way to satisfy both sets of coaches, and he has upside to justify an early-round pick.
