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Our fantasy team enjoyed a hard fought win over Brisbane’s team this week, but we had to overcome our share of challenges.

Xavier Ellis, for one, picked up an injury in the opening moments of the Eagles' clash against Port Adelade, and was substituted on just 2 fantasy points.

Gary Ablett again led from the front with 119 in yet another masterful performance as captain.

There were plenty of others who stepped up too. 11 players broke the 100-point barrier, including rookies Jared Polec and Matt Crouch, and those bouncing back to form in Lance Franklin and Patrick Dangerfield

Another win means that we’ve now moved into second spot on the ladder, and play the fifth ranked West Coast team this week.

The Eagles' team boasts a number of unique stars, including Sam Mitchell, Dane Swan, and West Australian-based trio Jack Darling, Josh Kennedy and Matthew Pavlich. Our team’s uniques include Jimmy Bartel, Scott Pendlebury and Jarrad McVeigh.

With both teams pretty evenly matched, this game could come down to our trade decisions this week.

Trades
Our trade-out targets this week seem pretty clear. Ellis is set for time on the sidelines, and has now increased $117,000 in value. Dom Tyson has also slowed down, increasing $138,000 from his starting price. As they’ve topped out in price for the time being, we can trade them and bring in a premium option.

The trade-in decision is tough this week. Either we bring in a quality cash cow and a good player (such as Luke Parker, Ryan Griffen or Kade Simpson) or we bring in a cheaper cash cow (who may not make us as much cash) along with a star midfielder (such as Dane Swan, Trent Cotchin, Sam Mitchell or Jobe Watson).

Rookie cash cows
Nick Robertson at $194,848 looks a real find for Brisbane, and will play plenty of games this year. He should increase in value significantly.

A touch expensive for a rookie right now, it means we can't grab Robertson and someone like Dane Swan.

However, there is another option: Hawthorn debutant Mitch Hallahan. He scored 31 points in just one quarter of footy, and is around $80,000 cheaper. Grab Hallahan, and we can also get one of those top midfielders.

Premium options
Dane Swan looks to have turned the corner and with a 145 this week has also arrested his price decline. He’s $100,000 cheaper than he was at the start of the year, and is around the same price as Bomber star Jobe Watson. Cheaper still are Trent Cotchin, who has been inconsistent but is a fantasy star and Sam Mitchell, who offers dual-position flexibility.

Alternatively, if we grab Robertson then we can afford the mid/fwd gun Luke Parker, star defender Kade Simpson, or fantasy star Ryan Griffen, who has started to turn his form around after a slow start.

The choice is yours. Do you want to sacrifice the top-end midfielder for better team balance and a quality kid, or do you just want to lock in that all-important premium scoring?



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