AFL SuperCoach Round 7 trade ratings: Western Bulldogs bubble boy Will Hayes in demand, Zak Butters on chopping block

Western Bulldogs mature-age rookie Will Hayes is a player in demand ahead of his price rise this week, while premium hunters have Tim Kelly and Nat Fyfe in their sights. WE RATE YOUR TRADES.

Zak Butters, Will Hayes, Tom Liberatore and Nat Fyfe are names which feature prominently in this week’s top-10 trades.

It is the stage of the season where coaches are looking at punting underperforming rookies for fallen premiums and Fyfe tops the list of options this week after dropping below $600,000.

Western Bulldogs mature-age recruit Will Hayes is the best of the bubble boys, but which rookie should you be sacrificing to bring him in?

AL PATON AND TIM MICHELL RATE THE TOP 10 TRADES OF ROUND 7

Zak Butters to Will Hayes (2031 trades)

Al: Hayes is the clear standout of this week’s bubble boys and while Butters should make his break even of 27 this week, he’s close to his peak price. Tick.

Tim: Butters still has more money to make with a break even of 27, but you shouldn’t lose out on much value by punting him. He’s scored 23 and 46 in the past three weeks and isn’t the on-field option we planned for. Bench him if you can until he reaches top dollar, although Hayes is a decent replacement.

Tom Atkins to Will Hayes (1980 trades)

Al: Similar equation to above with Atkins projected to increase in value by $12,000 this week then hit the wall in terms of value.

Tim: After two scores above 60 and some solid cash generation, Atkins dropped back to 47 against West Coast. His break even is only 25 so you can hold him for another week, but much like Butters you won’t miss out on much money by moving him on. You’d be happy to trade him before the byes as he misses in Round 13.

Western Bulldog Will Hayes is the most popular trade target this week. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Bailey Scott to Will Hayes (982 trades)

Al: If Scott isn’t recalled this week it makes sense to have a rookie in that spot who is scoring points and gaining value instead. But you won’t make much money on the deal ($55k).

Tim: Wait and see on this week’s teams. I’m of the opinion we should hold Bailey Scott if he isn’t named, as playing Sunday presents the perfect chance to use him as a midfield loophole. You could make a Port Adelaide rookie emergency on Friday, then put Scott on field if they score more than 60. If he’s named, I’m not certain he holds the same value and trading him to Hayes makes sense.

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Sam Collins to Tim Kelly (796 trades)

Al: This looks like a quirk of the SuperCoach site and the trade is Collins to a rookie and a forward rookie to Kelly. Regardless it’s the trade of the week for me. At $476k he’s a huge bargain.

Tim: Another trade which makes complete sense. Kelly has shown all the trademarks of a top-four forward, bar his one blemish when he carried an ankle injury and was tagged by Matt De Boer. His inclusion takes one of the inconsistent forward rookies off field which is another bonus.

Sam Collins to Tim Kelly or Nat Fyfe will be the best trade of Round 7. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Sam Collins to Nat Fyfe (770 trades)

Al: Sam Collins has crossed the threshold where his break even is higher than his average, so it’s time to go. If he can get you to Fyfe, go for it.

Tim: A thousand times yes. Collins has reached his maximum price and Fyfe has fallen to his base price. This trade has huge upside.

Jordan Clark to Noah Answerth (763 trades)

Al: Red flag! Answerth looked good on debut but trading in a rookie after one game is fraught with danger. Doesn’t make much money anyway.

Tim: The expectation is Clark will return for the Cats this week and I’m inclined to hold. Answerth was impressive on debut, but I’d prefer to bring him into midfield to have the ability to swing Xavier Duursma via their Def-Mid eligibility. Unless it means missing out on a fallen premium such as Nat Fyfe, hold off a week on Answerth. One quiet game and you could have a rookie sitting on your bench at his starting price who plays NEAFL for the rest of the year.

Zak Butters to Noah Answerth (674 trades)

Al: See my reservations about Answerth above. Get Bulldog Lachie Young ($120k) instead.

Tim: As above, I don’t mind trading Answerth in as a midfielder. Butters has just about run his race and bringing in Answerth could enable you to field Xavier Duursma as a midfielder. Make sure you check your bye structure though, as Brisbane Lions have the week off at the same time as the popular premiums from Collingwood, Melbourne, Sydney and Geelong.

Thousands of coaches are happy to take the punt on Noah Answerth after one game. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Waugh.

Jack Scrimshaw to Noah Answerth (641 trades)

Al: Why no love for Young? His scores haven’t been amazing (42, 52) but if he’s your last bench defender the only thing that really matters is he’s getting a game. Should rise $32k next week.

Tim: Scrimshaw has a tendency to run hot and cold, as we saw against Carlton when he had 50 points at halftime and finished with 62. He’s averaging 70 and should meet his break even of 58, but if he’s the difference between a top premium and a risky prospect, cash him in now. The only issue is Answerth (one game) and possibly West Coast’s Josh Rotham (pending selection) will be the only defensive downgrades in Round 7.

Tom Liberatore to Will Hayes (571 trades)

Al: Reverse! This would be a one-down, one-up trade where getting Hayes gives you enough cash to go from Libba to a top-liner like Nat Fyfe. But despite Libba’s low score last week the points gain just isn’t worth it. If you don’t think Libba is a keeper trade him around the byes when he’ll be valued at well over $500k.

Tim: Don’t trade Libba yet. He might have scored below 100 in the past two weeks, but he’s still doing enough to justify being in your midfield. Most coaches get spooked when a player starts to lose value, but it will only take one game where he replicates his efforts from Round 2 (128) or Round 3 (150) to send his price north of $500,000. You should plan to at least hold him until the byes.

Dockers captain Nat Fyfe is the top premium target of Round 7 after falling to under $600,000. Picture: Mark Stewart.

Tom Liberatore to Nat Fyfe (569 trades)

Al: See answer above. If it’s the only way to get Fyfe look at Laird or Tim Kelly instead where you’re trading out your lowest scoring players not a borderline premium.

Tim: I don’t mind this. If you have to trade Tom Liberatore, it should be as an upgrade, and Fyfe is the pick of the options this week due to his break even of 90. The preferable option should be holding onto Libba though.