KFC SuperCoach 2022: Round 18 trade guide and all the new DPP players
With Clayton Oliver under an injury cloud, having cover is crucial in KFC SuperCoach. And Champion Data’s guru has found four guns who could blitz off the bench.
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As we enter the pointy end of the season trades are at a minimum for most KFC SuperCoaches.
No doubt there will be hurdles to overcome in the run home and having adequate bench cover is paramount, preferably in each position if you can manufacture it.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS WEEK’S NEW DPPs AND TOP TRADE TARGETS
Bench cover is not only for potential injury or suspension, it can also be used in a strategic way to maximise weekly scores. Having a non-playing bench player enables you to loop the other one if the fixtures allow it. For example, if you still have Nic Martin on your bench and he is in your midfield, and he scores 101 points in the early Saturday game, then you could easily bench someone line Patrick Cripps, who has only hit 100 points just twice in his last eight matches.
Below I have highlighted the best value bench options for the run home.
DEFENCE: DAYNE ZORKO $391,900 DEF/MID
The 2022 season hasn’t been a great one for Zorko – averaging a career-low 81
points. Unfortunately for SuperCoaches, injury has played its role, missing rounds
15 and 17 already. He’s also in some doubt to play this week as he continues his
recovery from a hamstring injury.
Zorko’s scores have been all over the place this year, scoring 100-plus points seven
times, while dropping below 80 in seven other games. At his best though he is one of
the most prolific scorers in the game and after dropping in price by $203,500 already
this season, he comes in at a low $391,500.
Dual-position status allows you to use Zorko to cover two positions, and if you still own a Paddy McCartin or even a Sam De Koning, it is an easy switch to make.
MIDFIELD: JARRYD LYONS $436,600 MID
After averaging 100-plus points from 2019-21, Lyons has dropped to 93 points per game this year, and as a result his price has plummeted by $203,500 – the equal third-biggest drop of any player in the league alongside teammate Zorko.
He posted solid numbers up to Brisbane’s round 14 bye, averaging 24 disposals, 10 contested possessions, six clearances, six tackles and 99 points. But these have fallen since round 15, averaging just 18 disposals, five clearances, three tackles and 69 points.
Will he continue to post sub-par scores in the run home? It’s impossible to answer. But I do think he has enough runs on the board and he ticks a lot of boxes as a bench option from here on in, with a clash against the Suns on the horizon in round 19, a side he has scored at least 100 points against in each of his last six matches.
PATRICK DANGERFIELD $438,100 MID
Dangerfield is SuperCoach royalty, and he reminded everyone one of his worth last week against the Demons, finishing with 31 disposals, 13 contested possessions and 112 points.
Ordinarily, SuperCoaches would be all over him at his ridiculously low price, but his year has been hampered by injury – missing six matches in total. With two games under his belt after his latest setback, let us not forget that Dangerfield piled on 155 points in round 1 and the Cats have the best run home of any team with three of their last six games in Geelong.
If you still own Nic Martin and he is in your midfield, then a swap to Lyons or Dangerfield is a huge move.
RUCKS
The ruck department has caused SuperCoaches heartache this year, and the injuries continue to mount, with Toby Nankervis the latest to succumb.
Unless you have Tim English in your forwards and can use a DPP swing to give you cover, you could potentially have to trade Nankervis, or any other ruckman that goes down in the run home.
If you have plenty of trades up your sleeve and your team is in decent shape, then you could potentially afford to trade out Sam Hayes to give you a playing bench option if he’s still in your team. Any one of Sam Draper or Rhys Stanley could fill that bench void and give you
adequate cover.
FORWARD: JAMES HARMES $384,500 MID/FWD
Harmes’ role has changed over the last three rounds, and he has been used a lot more in the middle, attending 12, 14 and eight centre bounces, respectively. He is averaging a respectable 84 points over this period and could be a handy option towards the end of the year.
Obviously, he is a far better SuperCoach option if he’s in the midfield and if Clayton Oliver does miss this round through injury, one would expect Harmes to play as a centre bounce midfielder against the Power on Sunday.
Robbie Gray ($348,900) is an alternative option to Harmes on the back of 72 and 80 points in that order in his last two games.
ROOKIE WATCH
SuperCoaches may need to turn to the bench this round if Oliver misses through injury.
Not many will have adequate coverage, with the likes of Cooper Stephens and Mitch Owens sitting on the pine in the midfield for many teams.
A few may have even jumped on James Tsitas ahead of his round 16 debut. But he was dropped the following round after scoring 26 points from just 35 game time.
If we look ahead to this round, Jase Burgoyne is the standout pick ahead of round 18 after scoring 65 and 68 points respectively in his two games. He tallied 12 disposals on the weekend against the Giants and hit the target by foot 86% of the time, rated elite for a defender. A DPP in KFC SuperCoach, he looms as a handy choice.
In terms of one-gamers, Josh Carmichael showed glimpses of his talent on his AFL debut last week, scoring 54 points from 14 disposals and three tackles. With Jordan De Goey sidelined for the short term and Taylor Adams missing after a concussion, Carmichael has done enough to keep his place in the team.
As always, best of luck for the round ahead and trade wisely!
Trade guide: The Oliver trade that could shake up SuperCoach
– Al Paton
Could you really trade out the No.1 scoring player in KFC SuperCoach?
Clayton Oliver leads the competition for total points and has an insane five-round average of 143 points per game, which explains his staggering price tag of $722,800.
And it’s that price that could make trading the Demons superstar a possibility this weekend – if he misses with a fractured thumb.
Oliver had surgery on Saturday and is still a chance to take on Port Adelaide in Alice Springs on Sunday, keeping alive his run of 127 consecutive games.
But if he doesn’t get up many coaches will be scrambling to find cover for a week, with benches stretched extremely thin late in the season.
If you’re down to three trades or fewer, the best tip is to suck it up and hope a player like Maurice Rioli Jr or Connor MacDonald spikes a decent score. Or if you have a DPP link you could swing a DEF/MID like George Hewett into the midfield and play Jacob Wehr on field in defence.
Or you could trade Oliver.
For players with four or more trades it’s a radical play that could get you a huge jump on rivals this week. The trick is making sure it doesn’t come back to bite you over the final five rounds when Oliver returns, but if you invest the funds wisely you can still end up ahead.
This is where Oliver’s huge price tag comes into play. If you are one of the 85 per cent of coaches without Rory Laird, you can make the swap to the third-highest averaging player in KFC SuperCoach (124.6) and have almost $55,000 left over. Do the same to Touk Miller (five-round average 131.2) and you’ll pocket $102,000.
An even bigger move would be to trade Oliver to a discounted premium like Callum Mills ($575,300) or Jack Steele ($549,800), which would leave $150,000-plus in the bank. You could then use that cash to fix another issue in your team – say, upgrading the very highly owned Patrick Cripps (who hasn’t scored over 100 in a month) to an uber premium who will give you a big edge on most rivals from here.
More injuries and a rash of Covid-related outs are a reminder that trades will be incredibly valuable in the final six rounds, so don’t use them lightly. But with teams looking increasingly similar, you can’t overtake coaches ahead of you without taking some risks.
HOW NEW POSITION CHANGES IMPACT YOUR TEAM
Chasing points is not usually a recommended strategy in KFC SuperCoach, but sometimes the temptation is just too great.
After Harry Himmelberg monstered North Melbourne in round 13 with 37 disposals, 16 marks and 187 KFC SuperCoach points, more than 10,000 coaches promptly traded him into their teams. And it has been a winning move.
But the GWS swing man isn’t the biggest name in the latest round of position changes.
Rowan Marshall made a late charge to reach 36.1 per cent forward time and qualify as a RUC/FWD DPP for the final six rounds.
Marshall has averaged over 100 KFC SuperCoach points twice in his career, including a career-best 110.2 in 2019.
His scoring power was evident in a 156-point game against Sydney in round 15, but it’s notable that came in the absence of Paddy Ryder. Rucking alongside Ryder, Marshall has averaged 69.5 points in 11 games in 2022. If Ryder becomes unavailable for any reason, keep the big Saint on your watch list.
The other new DPPs are less likely to feature in trade plans, but some could provide some valuable flexibility for existing owners.
At the top of that list is Eagle Brady Hough, who played in three of the first nine rounds but has become a staple of the West Coast team in recent weeks, averaging just under 60 points in his past five games.
The bonus of a new MID/DEF player on the midfield bench could be huge in the closing rounds, opening up the option of moving a DPP premium like Jack Crisp or Jayden Short to the midfield to cover an unexpected out.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP TRADE TARGETS
Callum Mills $575,300 MID
Few players can rack up KFC SuperCoach points like the Swans midfielder. Against the Bulldogs he had 23 disposals and a ridiculous 16 tackles to post 138, his seventh score above 130 for the year. He has dropped under $600k for the first time since round 6 and is the cheapest he’s been all year. He could be the perfect point of difference when most rivals have Clayton Oliver, Jack Macrae and Co.
Jack Steele $549,800 MID
The value uber premium of the competition, Steele will be available for about $550k despite hitting three figures in his three games back from a shoulder injury. He hasn’t quite hit top gear yet but we know what he can do after averaging 138 points per game after St Kilda’s bye last year.
Tim Taranto $441,100 MID/FWD
One of the forgotten men of KFC SuperCoach in 2022, Taranto was high in forward premium discussions in the pre-season and started with three tons in the first four rounds before suffering a drop in form then a back injury. But after scoring 56 in his return game he has posted 111 and 109 in his past two and is dirt cheap at around $440k.
Mitch Duncan $486,600 MID/FWD
You could cut and paste the above description for Duncan, who is slightly more expensive but has a stronger body of form with a five-round average of 104 after scoring 121 and 117 in the past two weeks. The Cats have a great run home.
Patrick Dangerfield $438,100 MID
Dangerfield’s return of 114 against the Dees could have been much higher if he had kicked straight in front of goal - finishing with 0.4. It was just his second ton of the season but the signs were ominous after his 96 from just over 60 per cent game time the week before. If you’ve got a spare trade he could be an incredible player to bring off the bench in your midfield.
No doubt a risky option, but Patrick Dangerfield will be approx $440k in #SuperCoach next week coming off a 114.
— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) July 8, 2022
If you have luxury trades, could be a perfect M9.
Isaac Heeney $440,900 MID/FWD
Heeney bounced back with 112 points from a four-goal effort against the Bulldogs, but will drop further in price and can be bought for under $450k this week. The rollercoaster can be tough but he could be a great MID/FWD F7 if you can loophole his scores off the bench.
Luke Davies-Uniacke $567,300 MID
The Kangaroos gun is arguably the form midfielder of the competition. He has scored 120-plus KFC SuperCoach points in three of his past four matches, with his effort against the Magpies on Saturday one of the most complete individual games of the season - 33 disposals, 11 tackles, 12 clearances and 149 KFC SuperCoach points.
Connor Rozee $520,500 MID/FWD
Ken Hinkley rated Rozee as one of the best midfielders in the comp after his dazzling 154-point game against the Giants. Now a key member of the Power engine room, he has scored 98 or more in five of his past six games and offers dual-position flexibility – and a huge upside.
Tim English $576,000 RUC/FWD
If you held off a week before grabbing one of the top scorers of KFC SuperCoach in 2022, well played. English’s 97 was well below his 160 Break Even which will result in a big price drop this week from his pre-round 17 price of $605,100. The fact he was outmuscled in the ruck by Sydney’s third-string option Sam Reid wasn’t a great sign, but his scoring power still almost got him to 100.
Jase Burgoyne $117,300 DEF/MID
The son of Port Adelaide champ Peter Burgoyne has made an impressive start to his AFL career, scoring 65 and 68 KFC SuperCoach points in his opening two games. Not many coaches are in the market for a rookie at this time of year but if you need extra cash for an upgrade Burgoyne is the standout bubble boy this round.
Dan Rioli $484,300 DEF/FWD
If we’re picking on form – and price – the reborn Tigers half-back has to be in the conversation. Rioli has posted 127 and 129 points in his past two games and has set new career-highs for disposals three weeks in a row (27, 28, 31). Filling the Bachar Houli role, Richmond loves to get the ball in his hands and he’s not afraid to run down the ground for a ping at goal. He was $425k a few weeks ago but he’s still very affordable.
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