IT DIDN'T take long for most of the Fantasy cash cows to look like cheap cuts of chuck steak.
Just four players priced under $200,000 managed to score over 50 points in round one, as Fantasy coaches were left cursing their thrifty ways, particularly if any of the newbies started on the field.
The 67,000 coaches who bought the Fantasy hype around Brett Eddy (FWD, $150,000) got a return of just 17 points, and would have got more value picking retired Eagle Brett Heady.
The 27-year-old scored so poorly that his bargain-basement price didn't shift a dollar this week.
Having played in a winning side, Eddy is at least a chance to hold his spot. The same can't be said of poor Joel Smith (DEF, $150,000), the Demon defender dislocating his shoulder on debut. He'll miss no less than four months of football.
So, amongst the gloom, who can you trade in this week for the smallest outlay? Smith's Melbourne teammate Mitch Hannan (FWD, $190,000) was the best performer of the sub-$200,000 crew, scoring 88 against the Saints.
Zippy Richmond forward Dan Butler (FWD, $173,000) was the other cash cow to shine, slotting three goals and notching 72 points in an impressive debut against Carlton.
While we're on the topic of Fantasy cheapies, it was heartening to see Zac Dawson's (DEF, $193,000) name shining proudly in this list.
Apart from Andy Otten (DEF, $155,000) who has missed two years of footy, ol' Zero Zac was the only cheap scorer on the weekend who has played more than five games.
The doughty Docker will clock up match 166 this weekend against Port, and he shows no sign of nudging his Fantasy price anywhere near $200,000. Never change, Zac.
Round one scores for players under $200,000
- Mitch Hannan, Melbourne (FWD, $190,000): 88
- Dan Butler, Richmond (FWD, $173,000): 72
- Dan Houston, Port Adelaide (FWD, $167): 61
- Jake Barrett, Brisbane Lions (MID, $165,000): 56
- Braydon Preuss, North Melbourne (RUC, $162,000): 50
- Sam Weideman, Melbourne (FWD, $159,000): 45
- Declan Mountford, North Melbourne (MID, $159,000): 44
- Tom Stewart, Geelong (DEF, $178,000): 42
- Andy Otten, Adelaide (DEF, $155,000): 37
- Harrison Macreadie, Carlton (DEF, $162,000): 35
- Jarred Pickett, Carlton (MID/FWD, $152,000): 30
- Mitchell Hibberd, North Melbourne (MID/FWD, $150,000): 24
- Zac Dawson, Fremantle (DEF, $193,000): 23
- Joel Smith, Melbourne (DEF, $150,000): 18
- Brett Eddy, Port Melbourne (FWD, $150,000): 17
Top five price rises
- Alex Neal-Bullen, Melbourne (MID, $288,000): +$33,000
- Mitch Hannan, Melbourne (FWD, $190,000): +$30,000
- Dyson Heppell, Essendon (MID, $578,000): +$30,000
- Marc Murphy, Carlton (MID, $510,000): +$28,000
- Will Hoskin-Elliott, Collingwood (FWD, $258,000): +$28,000
Top five price falls
- Robbie Gray, Port Adelaide (MID, $549,000): -$41,000
- Dan Hannebery, Sydney (MID, $623,000): -$32,000
- Seb Ross, St Kilda (MID, $563,000): -$31,000
- Taylor Hunt, Richmond (DEF, $399,000): -$29,000
- Daniel Talia, Adelaide (DEF, $372,000): -$26,000
Get 'em in
Rory Atkins, Adelaide (MID, $460,000): Filled the Jarryd Lyons-sized hole with aplomb for the Crows and already looks one of the smartest sub-$500,000 picks.
Jarrod Witts, Gold Coast (RUC, $352,000): Settled the argument with Tom Nicholls by scoring 104, leaving him with a round two breakeven of just 23.
Caleb Marchbank, Carlton (DEF, $226,000): Delivered exactly what his JLT form promised. Grab him now before he moves to mid-priced status.
Bye for now
Daniel Robinson, Sydney (MID/FWD, $309,000): Looked a bargain as a dual-position player but a broken collarbone means we won't see him for up to two months.
Tom Bell, Brisbane Lions (FWD, $398,000): We've been here before. The ex-Blue is clearly a Fantasy bust, so jettison him now for Zak Jones.
Nathan Hrovat, North Melbourne (MID/FWD, $370,000): New club didn't mean new numbers for Hrovat who couldn't get into the game against West Coast. Look elsewhere.
