After seemingly falling out of favour with the Eagles selection committee in the second half of 2017, Chris Masten played all but one senior game on the way to last year's premiership. His disposal average dropped to a flat 20 for the first time since 2011, but his worth to the team came from an increase in metres gained, with his ratio shifting from 10:13 to a more outside balance of 11:8. He averaged 14 touches in the finals. To look at those numbers it's a little hard to justify Masten staying in the best 22, as he's barely replacement-level. There isn't much on the Eagles list challenging for his spot though, with Jack Petruccelle more of an inside type and Josh Smith off the rookie list with better credentials as a defender. Back eligibility makes him fantasy-relevant nonetheless, and he should be picked up late even if he spends time on the bench.
Last gasp from Masten
After seemingly falling out of favour with the Eagles selection committee in the second half of 2017, Chris Masten played all but one senior game on the way to last year's premiership. His disposal average dropped to a flat 20 for the first time since 2011, but his worth to the team came from an increase in metres gained, with his ratio shifting from 10:13 to a more outside balance of 11:8. He averaged 14 touches in the finals. To look at those numbers it's a little hard to justify Masten staying in the best 22, as he's barely replacement-level. There isn't much on the Eagles list challenging for his spot though, with Jack Petruccelle more of an inside type and Josh Smith off the rookie list with better credentials as a defender. Back eligibility makes him fantasy-relevant nonetheless, and he should be picked up late even if he spends time on the bench.
Chris Masten has chosen a good time to have a career-best year, with fantasy averages five over his previous mark in 2015 in the last season that the Eagles made the grand final. They are headed there again at this rate, and Gaff is a major reason why. Like Mitch Duncan and Josh Kelly, he has added a contested game to what had previously been an extremely astronaut-adjacent accumulation of outside stats, though whether this is the contest coming to him rather than him seeking it is a point of conjecture. Either way, he's challenging for top eight fantasy mids.
Colours nailed to Masten
The Eagles' patience with Chris Masten finally ran out half way through 2017, thrice dropped after the bye with no senior games after round 20. With a ratio slipping from 11:11 to 10:13, his metres gained stat dropped precipitously even though 72% of his touches were uncontested. It's hard to escape the thought that after topping up with a bunch of older blokes last year who have now retired, Adam Simpson has to punt on youth which means Masten is entirely expendable. His hurt factor is fairly small at this point, meaning his job security is highly questionable.
