AFL Fantasy has launched for 2014, with player positions and prices just announced for the popular Classic game.

This year, NMFC.com.au will be working closely with the team at Footy Prophet to provide the best analysis, so you can get the upper hand on your mates.

While most coaches will be waiting until the NAB Challenge to pick their sides, get a head start by reading our guides to AFL Fantasy.

[Related: North's draftees in focus]

Part two: Class of 2009
The 2009 National Draft yielded three of the club’s finest young footballers. Ben Cunnington was selected 5th overall, with Ryan Bastinac (pick 21) and Aaron Black (pick 25) soon after.

All three are now entrenched in North Melbourne’s best team, but all are very different players.

Cunnington is the midfield bull, an inside player who thrives on the grunt work. His rise through the AFL ranks has been steady, increasing his fantasy output over the past three years. He averaged 53 fantasy points in 2011, followed by 75 in 2012. He then had an excellent 2013 season, ranking fourth in the AFL for clearances and averaging a healthy 82 points per game.

Tackling is a real feature of Cunnington's game, laying almost 5 per match last year. In a statistical category so vital to AFL Fantasy, the number 10 will generally score well for your team.

In contrast, Bastinac is the smooth mover who has made the wing his home. The most prolific of the trio, he averaged 65 points over his first two AFL seasons, before jumping to just under the 80-point level in 2012. Last year he improved again, averaging 85 fantasy points per game and playing every match.

Bastinac performs well in big games, as evidenced by his fantasy tons (100+ points) against Geelong, Collingwood, Fremantle and St Kilda. He works hard into space to find the footy and takes plenty of uncontested marks, giving him the potential to be an elite fantasy player in the future.

Black came of age in 2013, breaking into the senior team in Round 5 and never looking back. He booted 33 goals for the season, and after averaging 71 fantasy points he looms as a unique fantasy selection.

Before last year, the mobile key-forward had only played four games in three seasons as the club managed his development, meaning his fantasy improvement was much greater than the two midfielders.

Black took 86 marks in 2014 and will likely improve on his 1.8 goals per match as he approaches the 50-game milestone. He has an excellent mentor in Drew Petrie and will one day take over the mantle as the club’s no.1 forward.

For AFL Fantasy Classic, all three players are priced in the mid-range market, offering coaches a point of difference alongside their more premium selections. They will be valuable contributors at a potentially bargain price with Bastinac ($463,200) the most expensive, followed by Cunnington ($446,300) and Black ($384,500). All should improve on their 2013 efforts, however, so price increases are considered likely early in the season. If you want the young Kangaroos in your team, make the choice early.

In AFL Fantasy Elite, a draft-based format where salary caps and player prices don’t apply, each of these young Kangaroos are likely to be drafted in every league. In draft leagues each player can only be selected once, so if you pick Bastinac for your team, none of your opponents will be able to have him in their teams.

Aaron Black is the most valuable selection in the Elite format, courtesy of his forward eligibility.

Per Footy Prophet rankings, Black is the 42nd best forward available this season. Ryan Bastinac (64th) just pips Cunnington (76th) in the rankings of all AFL midfielders.

The players are well advanced into their pre-season programs and have begun match simulation sessions. Keep an eye on Bastinac, Black and Cunnington over the coming weeks and in the NAB Challenge as they have a great chance to show off the results of their hard work during the summer.

Up next: A look at the value of prized recruit Luke McDonald compared to the other top 10 draftees.