With the draft only a few weeks away, it’s time to start looking at AFL Fantasy scores and the potential of this year’s draft class.
Last season saw the return of the Under 18 Championships, so we got a chance to see the draftees play against one another. This gives us a better idea of how they perform on a level playing field. However, the stats and fantasy numbers from this competition aren’t freely available, so our analysis is more so based on how they performed at the state level.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the players who are projected to go at the top end of the draft and how they performed in 2022 from an AFL Fantasy perspective.
Will Ashcroft
AFL Fantasy Average:
| GP | K | H | M | T | HO | FF | FA | G | B | AF |
| 14 | 15.8 | 18.7 | 3.3 | 4.9 | 0 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 117.9 |
Ashcroft was the standout performer of this year’s draft crop and deserves to go at pick 1 in this year’s draft.
The son of Brisbane three-time premiership player Marcus Ashcroft was prolific in his draft year playing as a ball-winning midfielder with footy smarts and good acceleration.
He played 14 games for Sandringham Dragons in the NAB League for an average of 117.9 points. His top scores were 149 against Western Jets and 138 against Northern Knights. He also played 3 VFL games for an average of 116.3 with scores of 116, 122, and 111.
He is the clear standout in this year’s draft.
George Wardlaw
AFL Fantasy Average:
| GP | K | H | M | T | HO | FF | FA | G | B | AF |
| 4 | 8.5 | 7 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 68 |
Despite getting injured for the second half of the 2022 season, George Wardlaw was still considered one of the draft’s best prospects.
This tough inside midfielder has explosive qualities including a penetrative kick, clean hands, and good athleticism with the ability to go forward and kick a goal.
Looking at his fantasy qualities, he only averaged 68 in the NAB League, but this included a score of 0 in a game where he got injured in the opening minute. If you take out this score, he averaged 91 points.
As an inside midfielder, he may not have a huge impact in fantasy straight away but is one to watch over time.
Elijah Tsatas
AFL Fantasy Average:
| GP | K | H | M | T | HO | FF | FA | G | B | AF |
| 6 | 19.8 | 14 | 7.2 | 1.3 | 0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1 | 115 |
Tsatas played on a wing early but added an inside game as the season went on.
He possesses an elite kick and can break lines with his speed and athleticism.
He started the year well averaging 112 points throughout the first four rounds of the season, but then missed two months with a foot fracture.
He returned for one game in round 16 against Sandringham who featured some of the best talents in the draft and was clearly the best player on the ground. In this game, he scored 115 points on the back of 38 disposals.
Tsatas is a player that has a fantasy game and should be considered for your team.
Harry Sheezel
AFL Fantasy Average:
| GP | K | H | M | T | HO | FF | FA | G | B | AF |
| 14 | 11.8 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 0 | 1 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 88.5 |
Sheezel is one of the more naturally skilled footballers in this year’s draft.
Playing as a forward who can run through the midfield, he’s a proven goalkicker with exceptional foot skills.
Throughout the year, his scoring fluctuated which is not uncommon for general forwards, but some of his ceiling games were remarkable.
In round 9 of the NAB League, he had 37 disposals playing in the midfield, putting up a score of 159. He also had a 6-goal haul against Tasmania Devils to score 137 points.
Expect his fantasy output to start slowly as a forward but keep an eye on him. When he is added into the midfield rotation later in his career he’ll put up some big scores.
Aaron Cadman
AFL Fantasy Average:
| GP | K | H | M | T | HO | FF | FA | G | B | AF |
| 12 | 11.8 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 92.8 |
Cadman is one of the best key forwards in the 2022 draft.
He has a fantastic set of hands and manages to find the goals week in, week out.
We often don’t expect great fantasy scoring from key forwards, but Cadman put up some reasonable scores, particularly in the back end of the 2022 season.
He averaged 110.4 from his final five games of the season booting 8 goals throughout this period and managed to rack up 20+ disposals in all but one of those outings.
However, senior football is a different kettle of fish, and I don’t expect him to be putting up too many big scores at the top level for a while.
We will be releasing the fantasy numbers and our ‘Draftee Fantasy Analysis’ document following the 2022 AFL Draft.
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