This is it coaches, Round 0 is out of the way and it’s time for AFL Fantasy to kick off! I’m back and excited for Season 2024. Each week, we rely on our AFL Fantasy Projections (available to members of The Keeper League) to identify some of the best captain options for your team.
While there are always some obvious captain options, we try to dig a little deeper to find less popular options due to the widespread nature of players in keeper leagues. However, if you have Uber premium players, please don’t take this article as advice not to put the captaincy on them.
In addition to the top captain options, we’ll also look at some streamer options who may not be automatic selections in your side but have a history of performing well against their opponents. These options are worth considering if you’re looking for a differential advantage in your matchup.
Captains
An untimely shoulder injury to Callan Ward and a nail through Finn Callaghan’s foot presents Josh Kelly with midfield minutes. Kelly has averaged 131 AFL Fantasy points against North Melbourne in recent times and he’s my top pick this week.
Matt Crouch is a bold choice to start my 2024 predictions however he has returned to the midfield rotations for Adelaide and comes up against the Gold Coast Suns. Crouch scored 120 AFL Fantasy Points on the Suns last time they met and averaged 108 from his last three against them.
Mitch Duncan has returned to his fantasy-friendly half-back role for Geelong and is their main distributor out of defence. St Kilda gave up a lot of points last season and scored 115 AFL Fantasy Points the last time they met.
Lachie Whitfield’s 137 AFL Fantasy Point game to start the season makes him hard to ignore. This week he plays against North Melbourne whom he has averaged 99 AFL Fantasy Points from his last three matches against them.
I’m going to ignore Touk Miller’s 2023 and safely predict that this man is back to his tackling and high possession best. Fresh off 110 AFL Fantasy Points on the weekend I see him as an excellent captain option.
Vice-Captain
Errol Gulden had an underwhelming 69 AFL Fantasy Points in Round 0 but I am willing to give him another chance. Gulden had an inside role with 13 centre bounce attendances and scored a whopping 161 AFL Fantasy Points against Collingwood last year.
Another option who had a down Round 0 but will bounce back is Tim Taranto. He never has two bad games in a row, and he scored 123 AFL Fantasy Points the last time he played Carlton.
Brodie Grundy just took Melbourne to town as revenge for letting him go. Watch him do the same to Collingwood. Fresh off 118 AFL Fantasy Points I think we will see a return to ‘Ruck Pig’ status.
With the injury to Sam Docherty, I see Adam Cerra getting a real bump in scoring. He is a great user of the ball and Blues love it in his hands. In addition, Cerra has averaged 112 AFL Fantasy Points from his last three games against Richmond.
Jai Newcombe looked fantastic in the AAMI Community Series game with 37 disposals and 127 AFL Fantasy Points. I expect him to dominate the Essendon midfield and go large.
Streamers
Kysiah Pickett should return to the Melbourne lineup this week and presents as a great F5 stream option. He had 120 AFL Fantasy Points the last time he met the Western Bulldogs.
Has the old-timer Jarryd Lyons returned to AFL Fantasy relevance? He is fresh off 94 AFL Fantasy Points and scored 112 last time he played Fremantle.
Todd Goldstein should get a solid early run whilst Sam Draper returns from a groin injury. In addition, Goldy comes up against Ned Reeves who is still developing and gives up AFL Fantasy points to opposing rucks.
Brayden Fiorini slid down so many draft boards but under the new coach, he’s locked down a wing role and could easily score over 80 AFL Fantasy Points on the weekend.
This week’s smoky is the aging Tom Hawkins coming up against an undersized St Kilda defence missing Howard and Webster, Hawkins could get off the chain.
Want more projections? View the top 20 projected scores of the round here…
