Good morning all, and welcome to the Best Buys.

Last week I managed to cause a little confusion by including players with the bye round in the Best Buys, and so this week to make it a bit simpler we have an abridged version. Since the bye players from round 11 havent changed at all I have used the spiel about each of the recurrent ones from last week, and throw in some other guys, and this week I will not be including players who are missing due to the byes.

My tip of the week this week, is Matt Priddis. After a couple of injury affected scores his price has seen a massive drop this season to date and is now around 460 grand. His price will be on the rise from now, barring serious mishap, and for a player of his talents he must at least be considered. Will be a very popular option from here on, but the fact that many SC coaches only have one or two midfield spots left mean whichever bargain is grabbed could make all the difference.

After some pure carnage last round, where 1500 was almost always a winner, a lot of coaches will be hoping to get some semblance of decency into their scores, but with the round 12 bye teams being Coll, Ess, Fre, Gee, Mel, and Syd there is sure to be more pain on the way. With the way this year has gone so far, some clever trading and a whole lot of luck could really vault someone into contention.

As with last week Im sure there will be some games played at the selection tables around the traps, but hopefully the AFL coaches will show a little more mercy this week and at least leave in their rookies for us.

So, for the shortened Best Buys and all your thumb needs, join me over the break.

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INFO

The Best Buys uses a mix of price, form, break-evens and projected salaries to assess the Best Buys of each round. These are essentially the players that represent the best “value” which is determined by the above factors. Some player will not be mentioned on here even if they are playing well, as value is the key for this article. If a player is averaging 110, which is certainly solid, but priced at an average of 112 then they will not be rated. This does not mean these players should be avoided or not picked due to this, but simply that they aren’t as good “value” as the others in the Best Buys. For all the player I’ve missed, and any more you’re wanting opinions on, the thumbs are always there.

The thumbs act as a polling tool for the TS community, if you pose a question with either a yes-no answer or a “thumbs-up X, thumbs down Y” in there then the community as a whole can give you some great feedback into your choices and what they think about it, while also catering to the lazy amongst them that can’t be bothered actually typing out a response.

The “Waiting List” section at the end of the article shows players who are looking like being great buys but for whatever reason will be better looked at in the coming weeks rather than this one. In the case of the first few names on the list this is because they have only played one game (indicated by the * next to their single game score) and you will have one more week to assess them, having only played one match they do not have a salary prediction either, for the others on the list it is usually because they will be decreasing in value this round based on current predictions and could be picked up cheaper the next week. Some players on the Waiting List will not make the next Best Buys, due to only a small decrease in price etc, and so it is something you should keep an eye on regularly. The Waiting List also includes a projected salary drop over the next round for each player.

DEFENSE
ROOKIES
Sam Shaw (ADE) DEF 113.2k
Shaw is a rookie on the bubble this round, with a solid average of 74 and a break-even of -79 he should make some very nice moneys after his next game. Job security may well be an issue as he has only just played his second match for the year, but he looks set to take advantage whenever the opportunity arises.

MID-PRICERS
Nathan Grima (NM) DEF 402.5k
Grima is another Roo hitting some decent form as of late, and has snuck into the Best Buys this week. Thompson of the North variety may well put some people off him however, as after a good start and some decent form himself and making the Best Buys, he has since stunk it up. North so far haven’t really had any stand-out SC choices this year and may be an indication of their new game plan. One to watch and consider.

PREMIUMS
Beau Waters (WCE) DEF 528.7k
Big Beau is becoming a Best Buys regular this year, continuing to rack up decent scores and put his less consistent counterparts to shame. Priced at a little over 500 grand he is still relatively cheap and looks to be a great pick-up.

MIDFIELD
MID-PRICERS
Matt Priddis (WCE) MID 464.5k
Priddis has had a couple of minor injuries this season, the most recent of which dropping his price to an incredible 464 grand. He is an absolute steal at this price and his break-even of just 32 this round shows he has bottomed out, and if he can kee up his usual form over the rest of the season will be a great pick-up.

PREMIUMS
SMitch (HAW) MID 531.9k
SMitch continues to have an off season by his standards, but is still managing to average a decent 110 over the year. The continued absence of Hodge, and poor form when he does manage a game, mean that SMitch will more than likely continue to be relied upon by the Hawks and can hopefully start to pump out some big ones. The Hawks midfield is a big part of their flag aspirations so expect them to really step up in the second half of the season.

Shuey (WCE) MID 540.4k
Shuey has continued on his rich vein of form from last season, showing why he had been tipped for a break-out year for a fair while previous. Averaging 111 for the year to date he has been consistent so far in the absence of some of the Eagles big name injuries but should now have cemented his midfield spot well and truly.

Rory Sloane (ADE) MID 555.4k
Sloane continues to fly under the radar, with Dangermouse hogging a lot of the spotlight, but his form so far really does deserve a look. Averaging 114 for the season in his break-out year he is priced about right at around 550 grand. He may not have the consistency and big scoring history of some of his counterparts but his draw may well make up for it. Could be a very handy POD option.

RUCK
MID-PRICERS
Goldy (NM) RUC 497.2k
Goldy has come into some good form now with the injury to HMac, and is starting to look more like the Goldstein of last season. Averaging 91 for the season he hasn’t got the best numbers to date this year but his massive hit-out tallies from last year show that he certainly has the ability to rack them up. Will remain an unknown while North sort out their ruck set-up.

PREMIUMS
NicNat (WCE) RUC 515.8k
NicNat has continued to show that he is now the clear number one ruckman at the Eagles. Cox has had some good form recently, mainly with NicNat out of the squad, but is spending considerably more time forward than in years past. If this trend continues then NicNat will likely be in the top ruckmen come years end, and his 106 average shows why.

Maric (RIC) RUC 585.8k
The Mullett appears to have arrived in SC this year. Once again in the Best Buys his numbers so far cannot be ignored, and with Sandi re-injuring his “turf toe” (always been around a 12 month injury in Gridiron) over the weekend many coaches will be looking for a reliable ruck option. If someone had told me pre-season that Maric and Ryder would be the two most consistent rucks this season I probably would have laughed.

FORWARD
MID-PRICERS
Drew Petrie (NM) FWD 472.2k
Droopy has had a poor year so far, after the heights of his 2011 SC scoring, and as such his price has seen a decent drop-off. Averaging only 89 for the season he is definitely a risk this year, but one that could pay off. North will be looking to regain some respect after their drubbing at the hands of one Buddy over the weekend and Droopy will be expected to lead from the front. Can have some big games, but also some shockers.

Tex Walker (ADE) FWD 466.9k
Tex has had a good season to date, while missing a few games, and has managed a very decent average of 98. Tex and Tippett seem to be sharing the points between them so far at the Crows, and Tex has less of a history of burning SC coaches. Will be interesting to see how the Crows play out the rest of the year but if they can maintain their early form then Tex should continue to score well and be an effective POD.

PREMIUMS
Patrick Dangerfield (ADE) M/F 592.9k
DangerMouse has been in great form this season, averaging 114 even after a couple of poor outings. His price is on the high-side of its range but if you feel his form will continue then don’t let that put you off. Along with Adelaide one of this seasons big improvers, which the draw can only help, and making many people start to query Neil Craigs credentials. It will also be interesting to see whether his recent re-signing with Adelaide affects his game. Should lose around 10 grand this week, if he hits his yearly average.

Roo (StK) FWD 529.2k
NRoo is starting to look like now getting back to his best, after a down year last season and a fairly slow start to this one he has managed to bump his average up to 107 now, and is coming off a big 159 last round. Priced at around 530 grand he still represents some solid value and St Nick should definitely be considered.


WAITING LIST
Shane Mumford (SYD) RUC 501.4k -48k
Scott Thompson (ADE) MID 591.8k -40k
Dean Cox (WCE) RUC 562k -31k
Ryan Griffen (WBD) MID 563k -26k
Brett Deledio (RIC) D/M 579.5k -24k
Josh P Kennedy (SYD) MID 568.6k -17k
Harry Taylor (GEE) DEF 430.8k 20k
Cam Wood (COL) RUC 439.5k 38k