<p style='font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 16.363636016845703px;]This week in the Best Buys we'll be doing our last general edition before the byes, and before we start to avoid players about to miss due to them. There has been a fair bit of talk over the week about people looking to trade out Sam Jacobs, and while he certainly is spudding it up I have personally noticed that he is now priced below a lot of my rookie cash-cows. Added to that the lack of good ruck options this week, and for my point of view I think he'll be better off sitting on my bench as cover until he can regain some form.
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<p style='font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 16.363636016845703px;]The Best Buy of the week for this week is Brent Staker. The Lions D/F is looking like an excellent pick, as he is now on the bubble and rookie priced, but with much greater job security and some good form behind him. The majority of SCer's will likely bring him in this round, as either a defender or a forward, but for very good reason: he looks great value. If Staker can remain fit, and avoid becoming the new Karnezis situation, he'll be a great pick-up.



EDIT: The bye structure is as follows -



Round 11ort, Richmond, Bulldogs, Brisbane, Freo, Hawthorn
Round 12:North, St Kilda, West Coast, Sydney, Geelong, Melbourne
Round 13:Adelaide, Gold Coast, GWS, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon



DEFENSE
ROOKIES



Brent Staker (BRI) D/F 128k 86 +79k
Stakes has already made his way into over 60,000 squads this season, with a lot of coaches jumping the gun early banking on his probable good job security and role in the Lions side. At a price of under 130 grand and expected to jump to over 200 grand after his next game, it will probably take something drastic to prevent him from being the top player traded in this week. On the bubble and averaging 86, he looks a real steal. Only issue really, is can anyone remember Patty K?



Sam Colquhoun (PTA) D/M 109.5k 42 +26k
Colquhoun was taken in the rookie draft pre-season, and has looked fairly good when he's gotten a game. An average of 42 for his first 2 games may be on the low side, but his D/M positioning (matching with Vlaustin) may make him a more attractive prospect for some. Job security remains an issue, but Colquhoun hasn't looked out of place at the top level.



Sam Docherty (BRI) DEF 162.8k 59 +23k
Docherty has also struggled to get game-time, meaning he is still priced at rookie levels essentially, but has actually already broken his bubble. Estimated to rise around 25 grand this week I can't see him traded in over Staker by many coaches at all.



MID-PRICERS



Garrick Ibbotson (FRE) DEF 481k 103
Ibbo has continued his great form, and has bumped his average up to over the 100 mark. A solid player and still under-priced, he is a high-risk high-reward type but should offer decent value if he can remain on the field. Still a solid POD option Ibbo is still only in around 8,000 teams to date.



PREMIUMS



Pearce Hanley (BRI) DEF 547.6k 112
Hanley has been in great form this year, a couple of poorer efforts have held him back somewhat but he is still the number one backman by a decent margin. The Irishman is looking likely to drop slightly in price this week, but really the byes are the only reason coaches wouldn't be considering him just yet.



Brendon Goddard (ESS) D/M 530.1k 106
BJ is in the majority of teams, and I won't go into much detail on him. The key point here is that he is now sitting on about 530 grand, and at this price is definitely a nice prospect.



Paul Duffield (FRE) DEF 521.6k 98
Duffman is still a high-risk high-reward player, occasionally doing stuff-all but other times showing some real class. Lyin still has an obvious impact on his scoring abilities, but if he can continue to get some space and play a half-back role he should be able to keep the decent scores rolling.



MIDFIELD
ROOKIES



Mark HUTCHINGS (WCE) MID 109.5k 71 +64k
Hutchings is the only real rookie option in the midfield this week, and as such will have a few coaches jumping on. As he is only just now on the bubble his job security is in doubt, but he is looking at a 65 grand price rise when next he gets a game. Has a good average to date, but that has been bumped up by some poor opposition I'd say.



MID-PRICERS



Luke Ball (COL) MID 301.8k 83 +29k
Ball has made his return from injury, and while he had a quiet opener his last game was good and topped the ton. Priced at just over 300 grand he is a mid-priced gamble with a bit more job security then usual and his tackling rate and pressure mean he is usually good for consistent scores. Currently in around 18,000 teams Ball should offer some decent cash generation before he inevitably gets the chop.



Daniel Hannebery (SYD) MID 488.6k 104
Dan Hannebery has continued to be a bit up and down, but is looking like keeping his average over 100 for the majority of the season. Priced excellently for his potential he is a potential bargain this week, and likely to rise 15 grand or so after his next game. In under 18,000 teams, Dan provides great support for the other Sydney mids and generally finds his own ball.



David Mundy (FRE) MID 508.8k 103
Mundy started the season on fire, tempting a fair few coaches to bring him in, and while he has been a good scorer overall his consistency is still a bit of an issue. Priced at just over 500 grand he offers decent value, but not at the same level as some of the mid-pricers listed above. Still in around 12,000 teams.



Nathan FYFE (FRE) MID 540.3k 112
Fyfe continues to tempt, now averaging 112 for around 540 grand if he can stay on the park he offers some very good value. Great potential, but always has the risk of coming apart at the seams. Fyfe's 45,000 selections so far this season show that a fair few coaches think his rewards will outweigh those risks.



Richard Douglas (ADE) MID 545.3k 110
Douglas had another great game on the weekend, pushing his average up to 110 for the season and boosting his price to around the expected level. A certain POD, and with Danger not performing at the level most expected, Douglas offers good value for the sub-2000 teams to select him to date. Interestingly Douglas is only .12 points per game behind Danger on average for the season, from the same amount of games played, but Danger has 70,000 more selections. If that's not a POD, I don't know what is.



Michael BARLOW (FRE) MID 522.6k 108
Barlow has been good again this season, looking nearly back to his pre-leg break best. His 108 average isn't quite as high as his 14,000 odd coaches would be hoping, but is still certainly serviceable for a price just over 520 grand. If Freo start playing slightly more attacking football, Barlow is one of the main players that could benefit.



Sam Mitchell (HAW) MID 544.7k 112
SMitch is still keeping pace with the rest of the borderline premiums in the midfield, averaging a nice 112 and seemingly relishing in his role with more time across halfback. A somewhat surprising POD with around 37,000 selections so far, SMitch is generally one of the more consistent fantasy scorers and playing in a quality side. Bye worries may still be limiting his selections somewhat, but he has long ago proven that he's worth the selection.



PREMIUMS



Scott Pendlebury (COL) MID 619.6k 127
Pendles hasn't quite been Dependlebury this season, but has still managed some great scores and is only sitting behind Gaz on the overall leader-board. The main reason I say that is probably because when he's been named my captain he has an annoying tendency to not do much. A quality player who will be in most teams by seasons end, I'm somewhat surprised that he has only just cracked the 100,000 selections barrier.



Jobe Watson (ESS) MID 610.2k 124
Jobe is looking to back-up his excellent game last weekend with another monster this week against the Swans at the SCG. This is no easy task however, and a few coaches may well avoid him in fear he could get tagged out of the game. Priced a little cheaply for his average, which had a healthy boost last weekend, Jobe is still only in 90,000 or so teams but I wouldn't expect that to last long once his bye is out of the way.



Trent Cotchin (RIC) MID 570.2k 116
Cotch has been good this season, without really taking that next step up that many thought he would, possibly due to the added attention. Rated as one of the best by his peers, the roughly 75,000 coaches with him in their sides obviously agree, Cotch will be facing the hard task of West Coast at Pattersons this weekend. A gun midfielder who still has some improvement to go, Cotch has been a solid selection so far this season.



Ryan Griffen (WBD) MID 579.9k 115
Griffen continues to fight his way up the ladder of SC scoring, now sitting comfortably in in the top 5 for overall points per game with an incredible sub-2,000 selections. An excellent POD, if his form can continue, Griff has been really benefitting from Wilburs improved work-rate this season and has stepped up to the next level.



Leigh Montagna (StK) MID 559.3k 113
Joey has been in some good form of late, bouncing back from a reasonably slow start to the season but now averaging a healthy 113. Looking likely to rise by around 20 grand in price this week, he has still only managed the 3,000 selections to date. If the Saints can pick up their game a bit, which I've said before I'm sure, he could be a real POD bargain or offer some healthy bye coverage.



Andrew Swallow (NM) MID 538.3k 110
Swallow hasn't really performed at the SC level a lot of people expected this year, while averaging 110 the Roo's have lost some really close ones and Swallow is one of the players who needs to stand up to stop this trend. A clearance and contested ball machine, Swallow just needs to start kicking a couple of match-winners and his scores will be right up there with the best to make his 23,000 coaches sure they made the right call.



RUCK
PREMIUMS



Will Minson (WBD) RUC 559.7k 114
Wilbur just won't go away. Averaging 114 and still rising in price he has been one of the surprise packets of this year, and his 12,000 coaches have loved every minute of it. A very competitive player, Big Will has seemed to be the shining light for the Dogs this season, managing to rack up big scores even while his team get pumped. A solid POD and in some career-best form.



Nic Naitanui (WCE) R/F 595k 108
Nicnat showed on the weekend why so many coaches brought him in in the preceding weeks. Pumping out a great score and dominating, he appears to be taking more and more of Coxy's pie each game he's fit. Still in only around 24,000 sides, the price rise from last week of only around 20 grand means that it isn't too late to jump on.



FORWARD
MID-PRICERS



Mathew Stokes (GEE) FWD 495.5k 100
Matty Stokes has been in great form this season, averaging a flat 100 and priced at just under that, his consistency puts him ahead of the other two surprise packets in Steven Motlop and Allan CHRISTENSEN. A dangerous player with only 14,000 selections to date, Stokes provides clear POD value and will probably see more than a few sneaky selections over the coming rounds.



Adam Goodes (SYD) FWD 456.7k 89
Goodes bounced back in a massive way on the weekend, both in terms of performance and in terms of his reaction to racist abuse. Now averaging 89 after his monster score, if Goodesy can keep his form at a level even close to that of the weekend then he is a real steal. Priced at just over 450 grand, Goodes has so far only made it into around 12,000 teams.



Lance Franklin (HAW) FWD 453.7k 90
The Bud had a shocking start last weekend, which was a bit reminiscent of most of his form this year, but improved significantly after half time and finished with 5 goals and a decent SC score. He is currently priced at around his average, but with some really poor performances earlier we all know he can do much better. Still a bargain, on potential anyway, Buddy is one of the most popular players going around currently with 150,000 selections. If you're planning on bringing him at all, your best bet will be to do it soon before his price gets back to his normal levels.



Robbie Gray (PTA) M/F 384.4k 77
Gray has been talked about a bit over the last couple of weeks, and while he has seen a decent price rise he still looks to offer some value for those that way inclined. The Power have struggled a bit since their dominant start, but Gray has been the opposite as he slowly builds form. His average for the year is 76, over the last 5 games it is 88 and his last 3 95. That's the kind of improvement we want from all our mid-pricers. Still in only 14,000 teams.



PREMIUMS



Steve Johnson (GEE) M/F 604.1k 121
Stevie J is back with a vengeance, averaging 131 from his last 3 matches and leading the forward-lines of those 33,000 coaches who have already brought him in. With increased midfield time so far this year his scores are likely to remain at least above the 110 line but probably won't continue at his current level. Abrtel alongside him, and the upcoming byes, will be the main reason people stay away.



Jimmy Bartel (GEE) M/F 554.5k 112
Jimmy has been up and down, as normal really, but has still been a very popular pick with his M/F status this year. 85,000 selections and counting Abrtel turns it on towards the end of games, and with the Cats in some relatively close ones this has seen some great scores for him. The focus appears to be slowly shifting to Stevie J, but odds are that's because so many already have Jimmy.



Jarrad Waite (CAR) FWD 516.4k 102
Waite is a definite high-risk high-reward option. He has a shocking injury and suspension history, affecting him as recently as 2 weeks ago, but when he plays he is generally the focal point of the Carlton attack and can score quite well. Probably justifiably only in around 1,000 sides so far, and as previously mentioned a massive risk. The one thing that may have changed is Malthouse's serve when Carlton lost without him may still be forefront in his mind.



Brent Harvey (NM) M/F 517.7k 108
Boomer continues to look good after a delayed start to the season, and has certainly benefitted from the extra recovery time. He has stated that this is the best he's ever felt at this stage of a season, which is music to the ears of the 13,000 odd coaches with him currently. His most recent score of 78 is the lowest he's put out this year, and his average of 108 means he is still somewhat under-priced.



WAITING LIST
Gary Ablett (GCS) MID 692.7k 137 -8k
Kane Cornes (PTA) MID 525.5k 115 -18k
Josh P. Kennedy (SYD) MID 593.6k 115 -15k
Nick Riewoldt (StK) FWD 584.3k 113 -27k
Todd Goldstein (NM) RUC 582k 113 -25k
Dean Cox (WCE) R/F 543.6k 111 -10k
Patrick Dangerfield (ADE) MID 614.8k 111 -20k
Dane Swan (COL) MID 544.3k 110 -29k
Brett Deledio (RIC) MID 556.1k 108 -15k
Dustin MARTIN (RIC) M/F 564.6k 108 -15k
Joel Selwood (GEE) MID 521.6k 108 -14k
Ben McEvoy (StK) RUC 527.7k 106 -31k
Travis Boak (PTA) MID 491.5k 105 -10k
Andrew Walker (CAR) M/F 503.1k 105 -20k
Tom Rockliff (BRI) M/F 527.1k 103 -28k