Ahead of the 2024 Toyota AFL Premiership Season kicking off, fremantlefc.com.au has taken a look at some of the Fremantle players who are potentially shaping up for a big year of AFL Fantasy.

NAVIGATING THE BYE

In terms of AFL Fantasy, Fremantle players will be at the forefront of coaches’ minds when it comes to structuring their teams around byes.

Fremantle did not play in the Opening Round and therefore for the first 12 weeks of the season Fremantle players will have no break while players from other Clubs will.

This is complimented by the Club’s second bye in Round 13, with Port Adelaide being the only other team not playing that week.

This is extremely useful for coaches as it means Fremantle players will be a lot easier to cover in Round 13 when the competitions other 16 teams are playing. Additionally, Fremantle players will be useful in covering bigger bye rounds when multiple teams have their feet up in Rounds 12, 14 and 15.

DEFENDERS

Hayden Young
Position: DEF
Price: $805,000
Priced at: 89
2023 AVG: 89.2

Maybe the pick of defenders, Young currently sits in 35.36 per cent of all classic teams in AFL fantasy. The 22-year-old scored 100+ seven times last season, including a season-high 119 points against Brisbane in round 21 when he attended 20 centre bounces. The anticipation of Young transitioning from defence to the midfield late last year has continued throughout the pre-season, with the lethal left foot lining up alongside bona fide midfielders Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw in pre-season games. Priced at an 89 in classic, Young finished the 2023 season averaging 97.8 over his final five games as a midfielder. Across the Club’s two intraclub games, Young averaged 25 disposals, five marks and 2.5 tackles. Listed as a defender and looking likely to play midfield in 2024, Young is a serious contender to lock himself into fantasy coaches’ teams.

*Hayden Young was the Club's top scorer in their AAMI Community Series game against Port Adelaide, with Young gathering 26 disposals, seven tackles and kicking 2.3 goals as he amassed 114 fantasy points in his new role in the midfield. 

Luke Ryan
Position: DEF
Price: $897,000
Priced at: 99
2023 AVG: 99.4

Ryan took his fantasy game to a new level in 2023, improving his average by 10-points from 85.4 in 2022 to a 99.4 at the end of last year. Ryan had nine games with 100+ points in 2023, including three outstanding scores of 140+. These sort of scores come at a price, with Ryan being the fourth most expensive defender in AFL fantasy for the upcoming season. However, with only one score of under 70 and playing every game for the season in 2023, Ryan comes with an added sense of security to accompany his scoring potential. Ryan showed the benefits of his fantasy game during the Club’s pre-season match simulation against West Coast gathering 24 disposals (18 kicks, six handballs) and 10 marks as he clocked up 94 points.

Jordan Clark
Position: DEF
Price: $691,000
Priced at: 77
2023 AVG: 76.5

Clark is a potential point of difference (POD) player for 2024, with the young defender currently sitting in only 4.52 per cent of classic teams. Clark scored over 100 twice in 2023, but it was his last five games of the year that caught the eye. In conjunction with Hayden Young moving to the midfield, Clark went on to average 87.8 in those games, including his season-high 114 against West Coast in round 22. That is an 11.3 point improvement on his season average for those games. Clark has said during the pre-season he has put his head down and put in the work after an unsatisfactory 2023 campaign, with the 23-year-old expressing his desire to step up in a leadership role down back. If you are a fantasy coach that has been monitoring Clark’s pre-season, then you would have seen everything you wanted to. Clark averaged 27 disposals, 8.5 marks and two tackles in Fremantle’s intraclub games, while top-scoring for the Club in their match simulation against West Coast, amassing 29 disposals (19 kicks, 10 handballs), six marks and two tackles. If you are looking for a POD in your backline with potential value upside on their price tag, look no further than speedster Clark.

MIDFIELDERS

Andrew Brayshaw
Position: MID
Price: $996,000
Priced at: 110
2023 AVG: 110.3

Brayshaw is a certified fantasy premium midfielder. The co-vice-captain has now gone three consecutive seasons averaging over 100, and last year finished as the eighth highest averaging midfielder in the game, going at 110.3 per game for the season. Brayshaw had ten games in 2023 with scores of 110 or more, including a season-high 157, showcasing his scoring potential as a possible captain pick for your classic side. The big upside with Brayshaw is that despite going at 110.3 last year, he was slightly down on his 2022 average of 112.4, showing that the 24-year-old has the capacity to increase his average again in season 2024. Being priced at 110, there is money to be made by selecting Brayshaw if you are backing him in to once again elevate his fantasy game. Brayshaw has averaged 27 disposals, 5.5 marks and four tackles for the Club’s intraclub games, and if you are looking for a certified premium midfielder with some upside and a brilliant bye round, look no further than the young gun that currently sits in 10.68 per cent of teams.

Caleb Serong
Position: MID
Price: $976,000
Priced at: 108
2023 AVG: 108.1

Much like his midfield partner Brayshaw, Serong is one of AFL fantasy’s premium midfielders, scoring a whopping 2,378 points last year at an average of 108.1 from his 22 games. Serong has been consistently improving his fantasy game year on year across 2021, 2022 and 2023 and has played 22 games in each season. He has shown improved key fantasy metrics each year, highlighted last year when he added +94 disposals, +15 marks, and +13 tackles to his 2022 numbers. The big question for Serong is, after a 2023 fantasy breakout season improving his average by over 20 points, can he do it again? Consistency is what you get with Serong, as the Doig Medallist registered 100+ scores in 17 of his 22 games last year, including six games of 120 or more. The 23-year-old hasn’t missed a beat in pre-season averaging 29 disposals, 4.5 marks and three tackles in intraclub games, and from just three quarters of match simulation against West Coast he gathered 24 disposals (10 kicks, 14 handballs), six marks and a tackle. If you are looking for a premium midfielder with low ownership, then Serong is the man selected in just 5.18 percent of teams. Serong starts season 2024 against the Lions, who he posted scores of 94 and 125 against last year.

Jeremy Sharp
Position: MID
Price: $284,000
Priced at: 32
2023 AVG: 0

Already in 38.02 per cent of fantasy teams, coaches are backing Sharp to be an instant impact player on Fremantle’s wing. With only 23 AFL games to his name across his four seasons at Gold Coast, including no games in 2023, Sharp starts 2024 with a near-basement-level price of just $284,000. Sharp has returned home to WA during the off-season and has impressed in his first pre-season at the Club as he looks to hunt down one of the Club’s wing roles. Sharp’s running ability and forward 50 penetration has been a highlight during pre-season intraclub games, gathering 40 disposals and 21 marks across the two games. Despite limited AFL game time during his tenure at Gold Coast, the 22-year-old has shown he has a fantasy game to him, with seven games of 70+ scores, including two centuries, one being his career-high 123 points when he had 30 disposals and 10 marks against the Bulldogs in 2021. In his final season at Gold Coast, he averaged 91 in the Suns’ VFL premiership side, featuring a high score of 156. 

FORWARDS

Luke Jackson
Position: RUCK/FWD
Price: $765,000
Priced at: 85
2023 AVG: 84.7

The biggest fantasy assets for Jackson in season 2024 are his ruck/forward status, the bye rounds, and his untapped fantasy potential. It is well-documented that Jackson will play primarily forward this season due to his versatility around the ground. Senior Coach Justin Longmuir has said Jackson may pop up in a variety of roles, including a run through the midfield as a genuine insider at times. Jackson kicked 22 goals in 2023 after spending the early part of the year as a key-forward for the Club before moving to the ruck when Sean Darcy got injured, showcasing his ability to impact the scoreboard. The 22-year-old had his best fantasy year in 2023, averaging 84.7 points from his 23 games. Jackson put up eight scores of 90+ last year, the most in his four-year career including a career-high 149 points against Brisbane in round 21. There is no denying Jackson primarily scores well in fantasy when he has assumed the primary ruck role in Darcy’s absence, averaging 99.4 when Darcy has been out of the team, and 76.9 with Darcy in the team. The big difference in season 2024 is that Jackson has a full pre-season under his belt as a genuine forward, building on his connection with the fellow forward group, while putting his forward craft on display during the Club’s two intraclub games - kicking six goals to accompany his 24 disposals, eight marks and eight tackles. Finally, the favourable bye rounds for Fremantle in fantasy this year add a valuable asset to selecting Jackson in 2024, with the 199cm big man having dual ruck/forward status meaning he can cover either line when multiple teams are on their week off. Jackson can be a unique pick for fantasy coaches. 

*Now that fellow ruckman Sean Darcy is set to be sidelined for the early portion of the season, Jackson's ownership has increased to 18.52 per cent. 

Nat Fyfe
Position: MID/FWD
Price: $491,000
Priced at: 54
2023 AVG: 49.3

Talk about value... priced at 54, Fyfe has looked every bit like he can blow that price-point out of the water in 2024. To put it into perspective, Fyfe has had eight seasons where he has averaged 95+ in AFL Fantasy, including a 105-season average in 2019 when he won his second Brownlow Medal. Granted, Fyfe’s last couple of seasons have been impacted by injury with the superstar only managing 16 games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and combined with a move to the forward line last year, Fyfe’s fantasy game has been well down on what we know the superstar can achieve. Averaging 49.3 last year, marking the first time in his 14-year career that Fyfe has averaged below 50 for a season, comes a massive opportunity for fantasy coaches heading into 2024. With a lack of genuine premium forwards available in fantasy this year, Fyfe’s mid/fwd listing makes the 32-year-old a prime candidate for coaches looking to pick up a bargain in their forward line. Fyfe’s pre-season has been very solid, with the dual Brownlow medallist lining up and training as an inside midfielder again. This alone will be music to fantasy coaches’ ears, knowing they can select Fyfe in their forward line and watch him spend time in the middle. Fyfe currently sits in 27.49 per cent of all fantasy teams, with coaches identifying the value his $491,000 holds. If you are bullish on Fyfe being able to be +20, +30, or +40 points better than his 54 pricing, then he is a no-brainer pick in your forward line.

Cooper Simpson
Position: MID/FWD
Price: $200,000
Priced at: 22
2023 AVG: N/A

Cooper Simpson should be on the radar for fantasy coaches to fill out one of your rookie bench positions. The 19-year-old has been a live wire of excitement since joining the Club and is pushing for selection early in the season after successful outings in Freo’s intraclub games, where he gathered 25 disposals, six marks, four tackles, and kicked one goal across the two games. Simpson came on in the second half of the Club’s match simulation against West Coast and quickly made his presence felt, picking up 11 disposals (five kicks, six handballs), one mark, four tackles and a goal. His prowess around goal combined with his speed makes him an option to be injected into the midfield for a bit of extra pace and impact should the Club need it at stages throughout the year.

Simpson's current ownership sits at 10.5 per cent, a slight increase since his appearance across Fremantle's two pre-season fixtures against AFL opposition. Keep a close eye on Cooper.