Zac Williams is anchoring a lot of fantasy backlines going into round 1 of the 2024 AFL season, with some good reasoning as he showed last week against the Lions that he hasn't lost his ability to accumulate across half back following his long injury layoff. The problem, as it is with a lot players in this disjointed season, is the timing of his bye. He will play one game in your side then take a week off, leaving the possibility of the fantasy gods playing a trick on you and forcing you into an unwanted trade. Or maybe we're all just getting a bit too cute, and should pick the best players.
Zac Williams is anchoring a lot of fantasy backlines going into round 1 of the 2024 AFL season, with some good reasoning as he showed last week against the Lions that he hasn't lost his ability to accumulate across half back following his long injury layoff. The problem, as it is with a lot players in this disjointed season, is the timing of his bye. He will play one game in your side then take a week off, leaving the possibility of the fantasy gods playing a trick on you and forcing you into an unwanted trade. Or maybe we're all just getting a bit too cute, and should pick the best players.
Zac Williams is obviously a quality player with ball in hand, his delivery inside 50 a class above many of his teammates and with a neat turn of speed when he has space to run into. He has successfully transitioned from defence to midfield to use these talents, and plenty of fantasy coaches got on board this year hoping to capture his upside. However, questions still remain as to how suited his game is for fantasy purposes, as he can tend to be a handball receive merchant which limits a player's ceiling with a lack of +3s from marks. Hold if you've got him.
Zac Williams had to wait until round two to debut for his new club Carlton, but when he did his output was a big departure from his time at GWS when he was mostly running from half back. Ten clearances against Collingwood was a personal best, though his overall fantasy output was not particularly great seeing as he could only spread for two marks on the outside and gave away five free kicks. He was tipped to be a fantasy point of difference in preseason, and while he showed good fundamentals in his first appearance in navy blue he's still got something to prove.
Zac to tack back
Aside from a midseason hamstring tweak, gun rebounder Zac Williams ticked all the boxes. The Achilles rupture of 2018 seemed to be out of mind for the dashing Giant, who averaged 473 metres gained and produced a career-best fantasy campaign, surpassing his previous best by nearly 10 points. A 3:1 kick-to-handball ratio was fantasy gold, as was the injection into the midfield late in the season. With Callan Ward and Stephen Coniglio returning full time, Williams should slide back into the defensive group, even though he didn't look out of place in the midfield when needed late in the season. We all know what fewer midfield minutes generally equates to for statistical output. Take the marauding sprinter in middle rounds as he has significant downside.
ZW has XY factor
A preseason ACL rupture put Zac Williams out of action last season until the finals series, collecting 23 touches and using the ball with 78% efficiency during the elimination final victory against the Swans. The half back is renowned for his line breaking pace, generating a touch under five score involvements per outing in his last full season. Across the 2016-2017 seasons, Williams played 40 of a possible 44 home and away matches. Enjoying an uninterrupted preseason, the Giants number 29 is prepared to recommence his adventurous half back play. Following the Tom Scully departure, it appears that Lachie Whitfield will return to the wing, leaving Williams to resume in his preferred role. Unlike lower leg injuries, knee injuries are less commonly repeated... touch wood! The marauding Giant should be attainable in the middle third of the draft.
