After a tough round for many in SC over the weekend with a host of late withdrawals coming from mainly popular fantasy selections, many coaches will be hoping for some respite this week. Unfortunately it isn't looking likely. Another rookie-less week severely limits the trading options of a lot of coaches, and with only a handful of even cheap alternatives it is looking like upgrades or no trades this weekend for many. No defenders and only a couple of 200 grand plus options spread out over the other positions will really test the depth of more than a few teams.

The Best Buy for the week this week is a particularly risky one, especially with all the negative press going on at the moment, but he's my pick all the same. David Zaharakis, come on down. Probably somewhat surprisingly for a few, Zaharakis has exploded in the absence of skipper Jobe. Questions around ASADA seem never-ending with the Dons, but Zaha may be one of the only players not directly effected. Unless of course the rest of his team get suspended, cause then he's screwed. All in all this pick isn't one for the faint-hearted, but if it comes off could be one of the moves that define a season.



DEFENSE
MID-PRICERS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Shaun Burgoyne (HAW) D/M 453.7k 97
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Burgoyne has been a stalwart down back this year, averaging 97 for his 55,000 coaches and consistently scoring well for most of the season. Priced at a great 450 grand he is a proven star, and with SMitch on the way back could see more time in the midfield again soon. Facing a small price drop this week, but not enough to deter the potential recruiters.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Pearce Hanley (BRI) D/M 478.7k 94
Hanley seems to be returning to form, after starting the season well before succumbing to injury he belted out a very solid 133 in his last game, which also happened to be a hammering by the GWS. Now averaging 94 and priced at just under 480 grand he offers decent value, and with around 36,000 picks currently is somewhat more of a POD than the majority of his contemporaries.

PREMIUMS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Jimmy Bartel (GEE) D/M 550.4k 108
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Bartel showed on the weekend why he is in 88,000 sides so far this season, smashing out a 152 to bring his season's average up to 108. Costing 550 grand and playing more through the midfield this season, albeit mainly to cover injuries, Abrtel is almost a must have down-back this year.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Jarrad McVeigh (SYD) D/M 536.9k 105
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]McVeigh is another one of the performing premium defenders this season, averaging a healthy 105 for the year to date and sitting in around 84,000 sides. With a slight price drop on the cards this week McVeigh is already decent value priced at around 537 grand, and the potential loss of around 2 grand should be safely ignored by most interested.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Brodie Smith (ADE) DEF 509.7k 99
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Smith has been on fire lately, overtaking Jaensch in a hurry to become the Crows best SC defender with a 3 match average of 118. With around 10,000 selections and a price of 510 grand his 99 average for the year isn't amazing, but even without his current 3-game average he is at least worth considering.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Lynden Dunn (MEL) DEF 522k 97
Dunn is another younger defender to really stand out this season, especially lately. Priced at 522 grand with an average of 97 he isn't the best value going around, but he did score a massive 145 two weeks ago, and backed it up on the weekend with a 149. These two games will see his price rise by around 35 grand this week, and if he can keep those numbers coming then his sub-3000 selection numbers should see a similar increase.

MIDFIELD
ROOKIES
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Anthony Miles (RIC) MID 246k 95 +60k
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]No rookies again this week, but for those with a few dollars to spare Miles is certainly worth a look. Pricey at just under 250 grand the young gun has struggled to make his way into the Tigers team, but now he's there many pundits are asking why it took so long. Averaging 95 from his first 2 games of the year and facing a 60 grand price rise this week, if Miles can keep his reserves form going he should be a good inclusion to any fantasy team.

MID-PRICERS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Nathan Fyfe (FRE) MID 549k 115
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Fyfe is gaining popularity in his selection numbers now, hitting over 40,000 picks and still sitting on a price just shy of 550 grand. Averaging 115 for the year and playing some good football for the Dockers, with a price as low as it is currently he'll surely be picked up by a fair few more teams in coming weeks.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Nathan Jones (MEL) MID 536.6k 109
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Nathan Jones makes his way back after earlier in the season being the Best Buy for a week, now with an average of 109 and priced at 535 grand. Scoring an impressive 127 in his last game Jones is facing a near 20 grand price rise after his next game and is a POD still in under 10,000 sides. A risky pick, but one that could certainly pay off.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Mathew Stokes (GEE) MID 541.5k 109
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Stokes is another POD to be playing good footy of late, belting out a 147 in his last match to bring his average up to 109 for the year to date. Priced decently at 540 grand Stokes has been a consistent performer for the Cats this year, and with only around 2,000 selections to his name is a huge POD.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]David Zaharakis (ESS) MID 532.3k 92
Zaharakis has been outstanding in the last few weeks, averaging a massive 140 from the last 3 games. 140! Priced at 530 grand and sitting in only the 7,000 sides to date he has great potential and is a solid POD, but obviously will need to be able to maintain his current form to be real value. As mentioned in the intro Zaha may be one of the only Bombers not directly tied to the ASADA scandal, but if the rest of the team gets suspended it probably won't do him much good anyway.

PREMIUMS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Tom Liberatore (WBD) MID 637.2k 118
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Libba has been fairly regular in his Best Buys appearances this year, and with an average of 118 it's fairly easy to see why. Sitting in around 40,000 sides and priced at around 640 grand Libba isn't much of a POD or offering great value, but he has been consistently pumping out big scores which is fairy important as well. With Griffen slowly finding his feet again Libba may receive a little less opposition attention over the rest of the year, but will still face a tag more often than not.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Joel Selwood (GEE) MID 556.1k 116
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Ducky has been, as most expected, an excellent acquisition this season for his 92,000 sides averaging 116 for the year and staying on the park. Currently priced cheaply at around 555 grand Selwood has good value to his name, and is a favourite to remain a top midfielder in SC. Basically if you haven't got him in yet, you probably won't find him much cheaper.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Adam Treloar (GWS) MID 559.5k 114
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Treloar has continued on in his break-out season, averaging 114 for the year for his 9,000 coaches and showing glimpses of what the Giants will be offering in the next few seasons. Priced at 560 grand he is decent value, but even better value when you consider that he's averaging 121 from his last 3 games. A star player and a POD at the top end of the leader board, Treloar is one of the safer risky&amp;rdquo; options.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Bryce Gibbs (CAR) MID 567.8k 108
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Another player to really step up in the last few games is Bryce Gibbs. A fantasy favourite in defense his MID only positioning this year has seen him with less than 3,000 selections to his name, but in recent weeks he has really shown some improvement. Averaging 108 for the year and 118 over his last 3 Gibbs is certainly a risky pick, but with Judd back and Gibbs finding his form he could well provide a unique edge come finals time.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Brendon Goddard (ESS) MID 550.6k 107
BJ is another player standing up in the last few matches, also averaging 118 from his last 3 games to go with the 107 average for the season so far. Priced at 550 grand he isn't the best value option going around, but is one of the more likely to maintain his current output. With Jobe gone for possibly the season Goddard will have to shoulder more of the midfield load, and probably more of the tags, but has the talent to do so. Only around 16,000 sides have Goddard so far this year, but that number should grow considerably.

REGULARS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Scott Pendlebury (COL) MID 631.5k 129

RUCK
ROOKIES
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Stefan Martin (BRI) R/F 242.7k 107 +75k
Another player listed this week in the rookies, and another not-quite-actual rookie. With the ruck issues at Brisbane Stef Martin has stepped up to fill the void, and has done so admirably in his first 2 games for the year. Averaging 107 from these 2 games, including a 100 flat in a belting by the Giants and Mummy, Martin's main appeal is his price and the fact he should be number one ruck for the Lions for at least a few more weeks. Priced at 240 grand and facing a 75 grand price rise this week, Martin is already in around 17,000 sides and for those with Thurlow on the bench offers a great R/F link.

MID-PRICERS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Nic Naitanui (WCE) RUC 474.9k 83
Nic Nat continues to find form lately, now averaging 123 from his last 3 games compared to the 83 he has averaged over the season. Still priced cheaply on potential, but a fair bit over going by his 83 average, we all know he has the talent to tear apart a game when on song. With Cox injured he'll be shouldering more of the load, and his 23,000 coaches will be taking that as a positive.

PREMIUMS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Shane Mumford (GWS) RUC 547.8k 120
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Mummy is back in the Best Buys, after a long lay-off due to injury and then a pounding of the Lions last game. Still scraping in just under the 550 grand mark and averaging 120 for the season Mummy offers good value, but obviously only if he can maintain his current average. With just under 30,000 picks he isn't exactly a POD, going by ruck selection numbers anyway, but should still be able to contribute to most teams nicely.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Sam Jacobs (ADE) RUC 521.3k 106
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Sauce is still in the Best Buys as one of the better performed rucks this year, but interestingly the ruck selections seem to have a fairly even spread. Also sitting just under 30,000 selections he isn't much of a POD, but averaging 106 for price of 520 grand is still good value nonetheless.

REGULARS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Aaron Sandilands (FRE) RUC 578.1k 116

FORWARD
ROOKIES
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Jeremy McGovern (WCE) FWD 213.2k 92 +85k
McGovern starred last weekend, managing a 146 to bring his average up to 92 after his 3rd game at the top level. Unfortunately this also means he's priced at over 210 grand, but is facing another 85 grand worth of price rises this week coming. With only 22,000 selections so far this can be expected to rise dramatically this round on the back of his 146, but rumours are he missed training during the week so keep a close eye on teams before trading him in.

MID-PRICERS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Luke Dahlhaus (WBD) FWD 456.8k 96
Another returning Best Buy is Luke Dahlhaus. Averaging 96 for the season so far, which incidentally puts him in the top forwards to date this year, and with only 17,000 selections means he's a bit of a POD with some good value to boot. Priced at just over 450 grand and with a decent run home for the Doggies, a few coaches will likely take the punt on Dahl.

PREMIUMS
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Brent Harvey (NM) M/F 597.9k 112
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Boomer just keeps on keeping on, averaging 112 for the season and 129 over his last 3 games. With a price of just under 600 grand he isn't cheap, but looking at those numbers he is most likely well worth it. Around 29,000 coaches have grabbed him so far, and for the best forward going around this isn't really that many picks.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Robbie Gray (PTA) M/F 570.5k 109
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Gray currently slots into the second placed forward spot quite nicely, averaging 109 for the season with 35,000 picks. Doubts over Boomer's age can probably account for the selection differential, but the fact the Power are topping the ladder probably doesn't hurt either. Priced at 570 grand Gray is slightly overs, but again for the second best forward in the comp value isn't everything.
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Dustin Martin (RIC) M/F 531.1k 99
Dusty has been on fire over the last few weeks, in the opening half of Tigers games anyway. Still lacking the fitness/ability to run out full games luckily his first halves have usually been good enough to keep him at the pointy end of scoring, and attract him 100,000 picks as well. Certainly not a POD now, and only averaging 99 for a price of 530 grand, Dusty isn't great value but if he can put together a full match for once could probably score 200.

WAITING LIST
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<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Josh P Kennedy (SYD) MID 635.6k 121 -14k
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Tom Rockliff (BRI) MID 635.9k 119 -37k
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Marc Murphy (CAR) MID 559.6k 110 -14k
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Kieren Jack (SYD) MID 580.2k 109 -12k
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Kade Simpson (CAR) D/M 550k 104 -29k
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt;]Luke Parker (SYD) M/F 487.5k 98 -14k