In a season where all our favourite GameDay Squad players have now moved into the midfield, it’s going to mean a lot more decision making for us coaches in the other positions. In previous years a set and forget strategy has worked for us, but I’m not so sure that will be the case in 2024. I’ve run through some of the remaining players I think can sit on your field for as long as they are fit without too much though.
Jack Sinclair
Team: St Kilda Saints Position: Defender 2023 Average: 123 GDS Fantasy Points Per Game
Jack Sinclair has been a fantasy staple for a number of years, and I don’t think 2024 will be any different. The ball playing defender had a very strong 2023 including a top score of 172 GameDay Squad points in round 10 against GWS. With the development of players around him such as Wanganeen-Milera, Sinclair has managed to find some midfield minutes which has helped with his consistency. Some people see the new competition as a problem for Sinclair but I actually see it as a benefit. Unfortunately, he’ll be missing from St Kilda’s pre season games and possibly even round 1 due to a calf injury but once he’s back and firing, I can’t foresee any reason why he won’t continue as a top 7 defender (if not better). St Kilda have been a very fantasy friendly team under Ross Lyon and Sinclair has been a big part of his structure.
Nick Daicos
Team: Collingwood Magpies Position: Defender 2023 Average: 128 GDS Fantasy Points Per Game
Yes, there is a lot of hype around this guy but let’s be honest, its 100% deserved. He had a dominant 2023 and enters 2024 as the highest averaging defender. Many were predicting a fantasy position switch to the midfield for this gun, but we were blessed with him staying in our back lines. Daicos averaged a health 128 points through the whole year which included score of 45 due to injury. Excluding the injury, he only went below 100 once in 2023 (which was a score of 92) so we can be very confident in selecting him against any opposition. The thing that excites me most about Daicos is we probably still haven’t seen his full potential. He’s about to enter his third AFL season which is traditionally a breakout year. I don’t expect a huge jump in scoring given the level he’s accomplished at such a young age but I expect him to jump up to the ~135-140 average which will be a must have in your back line.
Tim English
Team: Western Bulldogs
Position: Ruck
2023 Average 134 GDS Fantasy Points Per Game
Whether you’re “Team English” or “Team Marshall”, there’s no denying the numbers from last season. The leading ruck for the 2023 season showed no signs of slowing down throughout the year. He had a dominant full season as a solo ruck and with many exceptional GameDay Squad scores that helped his fortunate owners get ahead. He only scored below 100 GDS points once all season and scored above 145 in 9 of his 23 games. The only difference I can foresee with the 2024 season is there may be more competition for the top fantasy ruck spot. I don’t think English will decrease his scoring output, but with the breakup of the AFLs ruck power couple I can see Grundy and Gawn bouncing back to higher outputs. Regardless of what others do, English will still remain one of the safest picks you can make each week, and with 2 rucks scoring for you in 2024, I can’t see him coming off my field if he’s fit.
Sam Flanders
Team: Gold Coast Suns
Position: Forward
2023 Average: 104 GDS Fantasy Points Per Game
What an end to 2023 this guy had. Averaging 132 in his last 7 games after Stewart Dew was booted, Flanders asserted himself as a must have player in the competition. As 2024 rolls around, it looks like that form has continued through the pre season which excites me a lot. As the Gold Coast Suns finally begin to assert themselves, Flanders will only gain more opportunities to go large and in a year where we lost almost all of our best fantasy forward options, he stands out as a contender for the top forward of 2024. Based on everything we’ve seen, Flanders looks to have more of a midfield role under Hardwick so picking him should be a no brainer.
Jackson Macrae
Team: Western Bulldogs
Position: Forward
2023 Average: 105 GDS Fantasy Points Per Game
Macrae was once a fantasy great but has since fallen from grace thanks to Bevo’s structure. Understandably, based on this you might be confused as to why I’ve put him on a must have list. The answer is simple, FORWARD STATUS. Up until now Macrae has always been considered a midfielder, but similarly to Bailey Smith, he spent a lot of time forward in 2023. Now with Smith missing a good chunk of the season with an ACL injury, it’s possible that Macrae wont be rotated as much and hopefully see his CBAs increase. Regardless, Macrae averaged 105 last year in a “disappointing season” which still puts him in 3rd for current forwards and he has so much potential to increase. The Bulldog has proven this in the past including a stand out year in 2018 where he averaged 142 GameDay Squad points including a season-high of 220 points! Yes, that was a while ago, but the guy is only 29 so it’s not like he’s past his prime so a simple role change could revert him back in a second. I get that there a lot of what ifs with Macrae, but he’s listed as a forward so his floor is still easily good enough to be a top 7 player so what’s the risk?
