Firstly this week we have to thank Tom Mitchell for finally breaking the Best Buy curse, and even managing his highest score for the year to date. Given it's a small sample size, but we still appreciate the effort. Secondly, apologies for the delay.

The Best Buy for this week has been close to it for a while now, Demons defender Tom McDonald. Topping the charts for defenders this season by 5 points-per-game he has really stepped up to a new level this year, while he was consistent previously (with an average in the seventies for each of his past 4 seasons) he wasn't especially fantasy relevant. That has all changed now though, as is made pretty clear by his stats. Averaging 20 disposals with a kick:handball ratio of 2:1 and a disposal efficiency of 77%, 8 marks and 6.6 rebound 50's per game, for a key-position defender he's going alright.



DEFENSE
ROOKIES

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Jake Lever (ADE) DEF 157.3k 66 +46k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Lever has looked good in his first 2 games at the top, averaging 66 and facing a quick price rise of around 46 grand. With Jaensch going down for the season and Smith continuing to head-butt things he shouldn't, Lever looks set to keep getting games as long as he performs.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Alex Pearce (FRE) DEF 123.9k 50 +34k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Pearce has joined the other two Pearce's at Freo, and has seemingly fit in fairly well. Averaging 50 flat over his first 2 games means he will increase his worth by around 34 grand after his next game, which hopefully will be this weekend. For rookie players under Lyin it seems the hardest part is just getting a game, a feat which Pearce has now managed twice.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Matthew Dick (CAR) D/M 123.9k 27 +3k
Dick has an amusing surname, but isn't in a very amusing situation. Having played his first 2 games for Carlton he is on the bubble with an average of 27 and will increase his price by 3 grand after his next match. See, none of that is funny.



MID-PRICERS

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Alex Rance (RIC) DEF 476.8k 103 9.9%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Rance is dropping value quickly now, which will bring him back into contention for a fair few sides that think it's only temporary. Priced at around 475 grand and averaging 103 he is decent value, and will only suffer a small price drop this round if he hits his average. Now in just under 10% of teams he is still a POD, but not to the level he was earlier. A risky pick going by his recent numbers, the Tigers and Rance will both be looking to find some consistency in their game.



[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Grant Birchall (HAW) DEF 475.9k 95 4%
Birchall has been in decent form since his late start this season, averaging 95 and annoying the crap out of a lot of coaches that picked Suckling. Sitting in only 4% of teams and costing 475 grand he offers good value as a POD, and is well worth at least considering for a spot in your side.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Elliot Yeo (WCE) D/M 441.5k 86 2.3%
Yeo has been impressive in the last few weeks, pumping out a 146 in the last game and sporting an average of 119 from the last 3. This is a pretty stark contrast to his season's average of 86, so something has clearly changed and it looks like a move into the midfield. Sitting in 2.3% of sides he has some supporters, and if he keeps the recent numbers going you can expect to see a fair few more. Priced at under 450 grand and boasting D/M status Yeo is a smokie for the risk-takers.



PREMIUMS

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Tom McDonald (MEL) DEF 531.1k 115 14.8%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]McDonald is still performing well, so well in fact that he is shaping as the pick of the season for those that started with him and he can now also add Best Buy” to his growing list of accolades. Now priced at a touch over 530 grand and averaging 115 he is still decent value, but really the average alone makes him worthwhile in the backline. Now in just under 15% of teams he will likely keep getting more picks each week, as long as he can keep his scoring up over 100. In a clear break-out season McDonald has so far had 5 scores over 120 and none under 95.


[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Heath Shaw (GWS) DEF 507.1k 100 26%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Heater had another solid game, scoring 118 in the Giants' smashing of Carlton. Now averaging 100 on the dot his 507 grand price tag is pretty fair, but he is already in over 25% of sides. As always he's a risk to do something stupid and miss games, but anyone familiar with Shaw will be expecting this by now.


[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Liam Picken (WBD) DEF 520.3k 95 3.3%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Picken was a bit quieter than recent weeks in his last game, scoring 98 which will see him lose a grand total of $78 in value after his next game if he hits his average. His role is still an unknown, and will probably remain that way until the season has concluded, but for those wanting a risky POD Picken certainly meets the criteria.

MIDFIELD
ROOKIES

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Jordan De Goey (COL) MID 202.3k 49 +12k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]De Goey has looked good in the top league, averaging 49 points from his first 2 games. Unfortunately though, due to his high draft pick number, his price is already over 200 grand and he's likely to only improve his value by around 12 grand after his next game. While he looks a good bet to stay in the Collingwood side for a while yet, he looks a much better option for emergency cover than cash generation.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Corey Ellis (RIC) MID 167.3k 47 +18k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Ellis is also an early draft pick, but one with better fantasy credentials so far. Costing just under 170 grand and averaging 47 he is looking at a price rise of about 18 grand after his next game, but will still probably not be a hugely popular pick-up.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Billy Stretch (MEL) MID 117.3k 32 +12k
At the other end of the rookie-spectrum, Stretch is cheap at under 120 grand and is averaging 32 so far to score himself the same price rise as De Goey. With Melbourne getting belted and a few of their best players yet to return Stretch will likely come under the scrutiny of the Demons selection committee.



MID-PRICERS

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Luke Parker (SYD) MID 516.1k 99 10%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Parker has seemingly recovered from his early-season concussion, posting a big score of 148 on the weekend to back up his 119 the week prior. This takes his average for the year so far up to 99, and his price to around 515 grand. With an average of 108 in 2014 he has already shown what he can do, and hopefully now he can keep on doing it.

PREMIUMS

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Nathan Fyfe (FRE) MID 658.6k 132 61.3%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Fyfe continued on his merry way over the weekend, racking up 146 points in a true captains knock. Now in over 60% of the competition he is easily the most popular pick for the big C each week and with good reason when you look at his 132 average. Now costing just under 660 grand he is priced pretty much where you'd expect for the numbers he's producing.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Scott Thompson (ADE) MID 559.2k 121 3%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Thompson is seemingly in career-best form at the moment, averaging 121 after his late start to the season. Sitting in just 3% of sides he is a big POD, and costing just under 560 grand shows he is still great value if he can maintain form. With Sloane out for a while yet Thommo will likely face some more attention from opposition teams, but that's something he's well and truly used to by now, and those looking to bring him in shouldn't be too concerned that he's likely to drop around 5 grand in price by next week.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]David Armitage (StK) MID 603.3k 119 2.6%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Another veteran in career-best form, Armitage has been pumping out some big numbers in recent weeks on the back of some big possession tallies, averaging 127 over the last 3 games. With the Saints struggling and Montagna not yet back to full fitness Armo has stepped up and will hopefully continue to perform for the 2.6% of coaches to back him in. At just over 600 grand he is likely at the top of his price range.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Matt Priddis (WCE) MID 591.6k 115 5.3%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Priddis dominated on the weekend, smashing out a 196 against the struggling Suns. For the 5.3% of teams with him in the side, and especially the ones like Mick who made him captain, this must have come as a big relief as it boosted his average back up to 115 for the year. This will probably inflate his price a bit however, currently at 590 grand with an increase of 36k on the way, so potential coaches may need to be wary of this. As usual the big question is whether this was a once off, or whether it means that Priddis is back to his Brownlow-winning best.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Lachie Neale (FRE) MID 567.9k 114 12.1%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Neale continues to perform this season, racking up another 100+ score to keep his 3-game average at a very impressive 128. Now in 12% of sides he still has some good POD value, and is around the mark price-wise. Personally I'm still waiting for an opposition team to shut him down, but it's starting to look like I may be waiting a while.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Josh P Kennedy (SYD) MID 572.3k 114 16.2%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]JPK was good once again over the weekend, scoring 122 against the Cats bringing his season's average to 114. In only 16.2% of teams he still has fairly low selection numbers, and is a proven scorer when in form. Priced well on potential at 572 grand he will be a popular target over coming weeks, but will need to step his game up slightly to become one of the must-have players this season.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Dyson Heppell (ESS) MID 552.9k 111 8.1%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Heppell played well again against the Roos on Friday night, even though he is looking at a small price drop after his next game. Sitting at just over 550 grand with an average of 111 puts him right where he should be on price, and as he is only in around 8% of sides he still offers some good POD value. It will be a long year once again for the Bombers, but if they can make the finals it will be fairytale type stuff and Heppell will likely have to drive it.

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RUCK
PREMIUMS

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Ivan Maric (RIC) RUC 526.9k 103 9.1%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Maric has started performing at the level that the 9.1% of teams to pick him had hoped for now, belting out 139 in the game against the Pies. Now averaging 103 for the year he is heading in the right direction, but needs to keep his momentum going to challenge for a top 2 ruck spot. Priced slightly overs for his seasons average, but still cheaper than he was before the season started, his 116 average over the last 4 games is a good indication that he could still offer value.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Shane Mumford (GWS) RUC 532k 101 8.1%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Mummy also bounced back into form in his last game, managing 138 points to take his average back over the 100 mark. He has scored 100+ in the last 3 matches, and only has 1 game this year where he scored less than 97. Durability/suspension issues are a constant worry for the Giant ruckman, having never played more than 19 games in a year, but so far he has managed to play every week this season.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Sam Jacobs (ADE) RUC 522.1k 101 10%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Another top ruckman to come back into form with a score of 130+ is Sauce, also bringing his average back to over 100 for the season to date. Priced at 522 grand and sitting in 10% of sides he will be hoping to build on current form, and return to his 2014 scoring level.

FORWARD
ROOKIES

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Kyle Langford (ESS) FWD 142.3k 23 -7k
Langford is now on the bubble after playing 2 games, but with a price of 142 grand and an average of 23 his stats show a loss of 7 grand this week. Simply put, he probably won't make much cash for the coaches that choose to pick him.



MID-PRICERS

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Tom Mitchell (SYD) M/F 460.4k 122 22.7%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Titch rewarded the coaches that brought him in last week, and broke the Best Buys curse while he was at it, with a great score of 128. Now looking at a price rise of a bit over 40 grand after breaking his bubble last week he still offers good value with an average of 122, and if he keeps scoring like this could well make 200 grand for those that jumped on early.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Dane Swan (COL) M/F 492.4k 105 56.6%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Swanny bounced back well against the Tigers, scoring 130 points to offset the relatively disappointing Pendlebury. Priced at just under 500 grand he is good value, and while inconsistent at this stage he is still doing enough for the 56% of teams that have him.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Jarryd Roughead (HAW) FWD 495.7k 104 17.7%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Roughy showed some good form on the weekend, scoring a very solid 145 points. While he has only managed to score 100+ 3 times so far this season those times have been enough that his average for the year is 104. Spending more time around the ground he may kick less goals, but will hopefully rack up more possessions. Priced at just under 500 grand and in under 20% of teams he is a decent forward pick but may struggle to match it with the M/F selections by the finals.

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PREMIUMS

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Robbie Gray (PTA) M/F 601.8k 120 50.4%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Gray pumped out a 134 in the shock loss to the Lions, which brings his 3-game average up to a very nice 137. Now costing just over 600 grand he is pretty much where he should be, given his average of 120, and Port will be looking to bounce back this week against the Tigers. In just over 50% of teams so far unfortunately for those that don't have him it seems his price probably won't be dropping substantially anytime soon.

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Eddie Betts (ADE) FWD 504.1k 110 4.8%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Alright so I said previously that I wasn't too sure on Eddie, and that it seemed he would have to kick a lot of goals to be a worthwhile pick in SC. After 7 rounds he is now second in the race for the Coleman medal, and averaging 3.7 goals a game. While I may have been skeptical before, Eddie is certainly doing his bit to change my mind. Averaging 110 for the year after his 134 on the weekend means his price of 500 grand is well worth it, and with only 4.8% of teams bringing him in he has loads of POD value.



[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Luke Dahlhaus (WBD) FWD 507.6k 103 4.3%

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Dahl is looking at a minor price drop after his next game, but currently priced at 507 grand and averaging 103 it probably isn't worth waiting for. Still sitting in under 5% of sides he has great POD value, and should enjoy the Bulldogs run over the coming rounds.

WAITING LIST

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[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]David Mundy (FRE) MID 589.3k 118 -16k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Daniel Hannebery (SYD) MID 583.8k 117 -16k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Scott Pendlebury (COL) MID 619.2k 115 -30k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Todd Goldstein (NM) RUC 571k 115 -13k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Bachar Houli (RIC) DEF 552.9k 110 -15k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Jordan Lewis (HAW) MID 552.1k 110 -18k

[span style='color: #1a1a1a;]Stefan Martin (BRI) RUC 594.5k 106 -13k

Once again that's it for this week, so good luck to all and join us in the comments for all your trade discussions.