AFL SuperCoach: Should you trade Fremantle captain Nathan Fyfe after he was ruled out of the western derby?

The worst fears of more than 60,000 SuperCoaches were realised on Wednesday when Fremantle captain Nathan Fyfe was officially ruled out of Saturday’s western derby with concussion. But does that mean you need to trade him?

Nathan Fyfe will miss Saturday’s western derby due to concussion. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

The worst fears of more than 60,000 SuperCoaches were realised on Wednesday when Fremantle captain Nathan Fyfe was ruled out of Saturday’s western derby with concussion.

Even Fyfe understood the enormity of the challenge of replacing him, posting on Instagram: ‘Pls don’t trade me out of your SuperCoach teams’.

A message to all #SuperCoaches from @freodockers star Nat Fyfe.
Hope you're feeling good as new soon, Nat!#foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/mwITmACxZT

— SuperCoach AFL (@Supercoach) April 10, 2019

Of course, Fyfe’s physical health is more important than the health of our SuperCoach sides.

But coaches have a huge decision to make this round about whether they bench a player who is likely to finish as one of the top midfielders or burn a valuable trade.

Fyfe was the topscoring player after two rounds before he was concussed nine minutes into the third quarter of Sunday’s clash with St Kilda in a head clash with Josh Battle.

As of Thursday, 2804 coaches had traded him for the player who took his mantle as the No. 1 on-baller in Round 3 — Brisbane’s Lachie Neale.

Tom Liberatore (610 trades), Marcus Bontempelli (349), Patrick Cripps (338) and Jack Macrae (237) have been other popular trade options.

Each of those inclusions is logical.

Neale, Bontempelli, Cripps and Macrae should replace Fyfe’s premium scoring, while Liberatore has been in red-hot form and has a break even of -55.

The Western Bulldogs midfielder ($379,600) won’t be this cheap again and has already climbed by $79,200.

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Nathan Fyfe will miss Saturday’s western derby due to concussion. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

The question to ask before trading Fyfe is whether you will likely want him again later in the season.

Fremantle has a friendly bye in Round 12, avoiding some of the most-popular selections in SuperCoach such as Patrick Dangerfield, Cripps and Sam Walsh.

Fyfe has not averaged less than 105 since 2012, pumping out scores of 120 or better in seven of his 15 games in 2018.

While a sideways trade to immediately replace a triple-figure score is tempting, you have to consider what you are parting with.

Fyfe posted 147 and 124 in the opening two rounds, an average of 135.5.

That average would have eclipsed Brodie Grundy (130.5) and Tom Mitchell (129.1) last year.

Should Fyfe replicate those type of scores upon his return, he is unlikely to fall further than his current price of $604,900.

Parting ways with one of the best players in the AFL is an aggressive ploy which could backfire quickly.

It is likely to at least cost you two trades when you inevitably plot to bring the Dockers skipper back into your team.

The likelihood several popular rookies could face the axe in Round 4 only complicates matters.

Should Bailey Scott, Michael Gibbons or Willem Drew be dropped, it could force the hand of Fyfe owners.

If you had a contingency plan — remember Fyfe hasn’t played more than 21 games in any season — then use your rookies to plug the hole left in midfield.

If you have no choice but to trade Fyfe, factor in the likelihood you will want him back in your team within weeks of his return.