Every new DPP player revealed

Experienced coaches often go into hiberation mode for the first round of the byes, trying to limit trades before launching an assault the following week.

But this year is very different.

Bye rules that will only count every team’s best 18 scorers over the following four rounds will help, but we suddenly have suspensions, injuries and selection issues to worry about on top of losing every St Kilda, Sydney, Fremantle and Brisbane player for round 12.

If that wasn’t enough, the latest round of dual-position changes has also been activated.

Do you need cash, a last-minute replacement or just want to add a proven KFC SuperCoach scoring machine to your team? Here are the best targets this week.

DUAL-POSITION CHANGES

Jack Macrae is hot property again in KFC SuperCoach, and not just because he has scored 145 two weeks in a row.

The fantasy champ is the big winner of the latest round of dual-position changes, earning MID-FWD status after playing 38 per cent of game time forward in the first 11 rounds. As the past two rounds have proved, that doesn’t necessarily impact his ability to score.

Making him even more appealing as a forward option is the fact his price has dropped $60,000 since round 1.

It wasn’t all good news, though. Max Gawn and Sam Walsh fell just short of earning DPP status, with the decision on Gawn going right to the wire.

After the Demons’ loss to Fremantle on Saturday, Gawn’s percentage of forward time for the season sits at Gawn 34.9 – 0.1 per cent short of becoming DPP. Walsh, meanwhile, sits at 32.9 per cent.

See the full list of dual-position changes below.

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TRADE TARGETS

Jack Macrae $574,800 MID-FWD

Bye: Round 15

You can’t keep a KFC SuperCoach champ down. Macrae has been putting up his lowest scores in six seasons, largely as a result of being played in a new role by Luke Beveridge that involves a lot fewer centre bounces. But he has shown in the past two rounds he can still put numbers on the board, scoring 145 two weeks in a row including a 33-disposal effort against the Suns in Darwin. His current average places him in the top-four forwards and the price is $60k under his round 1 value, the only negatives are uncertainty around his role and an awkward bye in round 15. With a Break Even of 41 against the undermanned Geelong midfield this week, can we afford to wait another month to bring him in?

Jordan De Goey $543,500 MID

Bye: Round 14

You could hear The Phantom cheering all the way from South Australia as De Goey closed in on 100 points before halftime against North Melbourne. A score of 156 on Sunday was De Goey’s sixth ton in 11 rounds and has caused his price to jump considerably after entering the round with a Break Even of 69. He was a value punt a couple of weeks ago but now we’ll be paying premium dollars, but Collingwood has West Coast this week and with JDG’S ceiling, he could score anything against the battling Eagles. De Goey was a class above against North with 35 disposals, a goal, 15 contested poseessions and six marks. No wonder the Phantom was so happy after trading Luke Davies-Uniacke to De Goey last round.

Eddie Ford $123,900 FWD

Bye: Round 15

Here are Ford’s KFC SuperCoach scores in his 10 career games to date: 0, 37, 36, 80, 37, 33, 16, 0, 102 and 83. Maybe he was just foxing to keep himself cheap for us this year? Ford was on track for another 100-plus score against Collingwood when he was 56 at halftime but those who jumped on early would have been thrilled with a return of 83. He went at 88 per cent efficiency from 16 disposals after recording 21 at 86 per cent in round 10. With a Break Even of -114 he’s going to make lots of cash, doesn’t have a bye until round 15 and has played himself into the team for at least the next month – surely. If you’re tossing up between Wardlaw and Ford, save the $70k and go for Ford. Before you do though, check your bye structure for round 15 and make sure another Roo won’t leave you too short.

George Wardlaw $193,800 MID

Bye: Round 15

After an oustanding 85-point debut against Sydney the No.4 draft pick found the going tougher against Collingwood, finishing with 12 disposals, one tackle, three contested possessions and 43 KFC SuperCoach points. The talent isn’t in doubt, but it could be a concern that he played just 65 per cent of game time as he is eased into senior level. Wardlaw battled hamstring injuries throughout his draft year, so the Roos won’t take any chances with him. He should keep playing and make some money (BE -16), but Ford is the better bet if you only want to pick one of the round 15 bubble boys.

Ollie Wines $462,800 MID

Bye: Round15

Is Wines back? It’s not a categorical yes but there are definitely signs of life after an unusually sluggish start to the season. After just one score above 85 in the first seven rounds he has hit that mark in every game since, including 93, 110 and 95 in his past three. Last year overall winner JP brought in Wines for the run home and he proved a key to his run to the $50,000 cheque. He’s not putting up those kind of numbers in 2023 but you could do a lot worse at his price as an M8 or a stop-gap until round 15.

Kieren Briggs $254,$400 RUC

Bye: Round 15

After spending much of the first half of the season as Matthew Flynn’s back-up, Briggs has taken his opportunity with successive tons in the past two rounds. He is averaging 16.5 disposals, 28 hitouts, four tackles and 105.5 KFC SuperCoach points and looms as a genuine option for coaches who need to trade an injured Sean Darcy this round. He’s destined to make huge money in the next three weeks (BE -64), is scoring comparably to most of the top ruckmen and plays through rounds 12-14 before having his bye. If you were trading Darcy to Briggs this week, you could then look to trade Briggs to Tim English in round 15. That plan requires a few spare trades, though, which many coaches don’t have.

Jordan Ridley $428,700 DEF

Bye: Round 14

The score of 18 when he was concussed against Port Adelaide drops out of Ridley’s price cycle this week. Well done if you jumped on last week at a season-low $414k. Ridley rewarded those who did with a season-high 130 against West Coast, recording 28 disposals, eight marks and an incredible disposal efficiency of 96.4 per cent. That’s the Jordan Ridley KFC SuperCoaches came to love when he looked destined to be a top premium a few years ago. This was one of the first rounds for the year that Ridley and Mason Redman have both gone big, and the presence of two genuine distributors can be an issue which caps Ridley’s KFC SuperCoach scoring. But if you’re struggling to find the cash for a top premium, it’s hard to go past a player with scores of 122 and 130 in his past two for about $420k.

Bailey Dale $482,600 DEF

Bye: Round 15

Another discount option down back who is $55k more expensive than he was two weeks ago after back-to-back tons. Dale showed why he can be such a KFC SuperCoach weapon with 27 disposals at 82 per cent in difficult conditions in Darwin. He is clearly benefiting from opportunity created by an injury to defensive playmaker Jason Johannisen, who is still 8-10 weeks away. His scoring this season has been frustrating but there is undeniable value in a player who averaged 101.9 last year.

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TARGET SOON

Nat Fyfe $244,200 MID-FWD

Bye: Round 12

Who honestly thought we would be here again? Tens of thousands of coaches started with Fyfe, only to trade him out when he was injured. That seemingly put a line through the dual Brownlow medallist as a KFC SuperCoach option. Then he got to under $244k, returned to the midfield and got through a full game. No wonder we’re tempted. Fyfe had 13 of his 20 disposals in the opening half against Melbourne and his switch back to the middle was confirmed with 12 centre bounces. The main issue (among many) is that Fremantle has a bye this week. But come round 13, coaches could potentially sideways a player with the bye such as Sam Simpson to Fyfe. If you’re taking the punt, you have to be prepared for the possibility he will be managed, subbed during games or injured. But the potential upside for $244k is going to be hard to say no to.

George Hewett $414,000 MID

Bye: Round 15

Remember when Hewett was the bargain pick of 2022 at $399k? We’re almost back there. The Carlton midfielder’s average has dropped from a career-best 111.4 last year to 76, although that includes a concussion-affected 22 against Sydney on Friday night and a score of 39 when he was the sub in roudn 10. Hewett only has one ton in 10 matches, which is symptomatic of Carlton’s issues at the moment. In full games he has scored between 85-93 five times this year with a high of 124 in round 7 against West Coast. This low score will stay in his price cycle for a few weeks when he returns, presumably in round 13. That means you can watch his role and form and then reassess whether he could be a bargain M8 or M9 after Carlton’s bye.

Darcy Cameron RUC-FWD $471,200 RUC-FWD

Bye: Round 14

Cameron hasn’t reached the same heights he showed in the first three rounds since his return from injury, scoring 61 and 81 in the past two rounds. But there were pleasing signs in the second half against North Melbourne as he took control of the ruck contests and recorded 20 of his 35 hitouts after the main break. Cameron was well and truly back as the main man in the middle, attending 81 ruck contests to milestone man Mason Cox’s 11. Cameron has become a serious option for KFC SuperCoaches after Max Gawn missed out on RUC-FWD status by 0.1 per cent. It has left him as the best DPP ruck option for the run home to provide cover for the first choice rucks in your KFC SuperCoach team. But with a high Break Even again, you should get away with holding off until after Collingwood’s bye to bring him in.

Callum Mills $471,400 MID

Bye: Round 12

Through no fault of his own, Mills has gone from a premium KFC SuperCoach midfielder to a Mr Fix-It this year for the injury-hit Swans. Then he was injured early in round 9, scoring 4 points against Fremantle. That score caused his price to dip by more than $50k and with a break even of 177 Mills is projected to get as cheap as $420k within two weeks of his return. That’s crazy value for a player who averaged 116 and 112 in the past two years. He was listed as 3-5 weeks before round 11, so you might need to wait until round 16 or 17 if you want to get Mills at his cheapest to finish your midfield.

Luke Davies-Uniacke $497,900 MID

Bye: Round 15

LDU was listed as being 2-4 weeks away before round 11. That could mean he’s back by round 13 or isn’t sighted until after North Melbourne’s round 15 bye. The North rising star was the hottest player in KFC SuperCoach after three rounds, averaging 133.3 between rounds 1-3. His form dipped in the next month before a score of 122 in the game where he did his hamstring in the final minute against Port Adelaide. The fact he’s been injured three times this year (calf, heel and hamstring) will be a huge deterrent for coaches already running low on trades. But if you are feeling risky, LDU is the type of onballer with a huge ceiling who could win you a KFC SuperCoach league final.