Wired for Success - Round 3
Welcome to the conclusion of Round 3 of the AFL Fantasy Draft season! Going in to Round 4 is the perfect time to start looking at those that should be treated as more “short term” players in your team and looking at what position you’ll need to stream out of moving forward. Hitting the waiver wire can continue to give you that major competitive edge. Whether you’re looking for defenders, midfielders, rucks, or forwards, this guide brings you top picks being discussed in each position and ranks them to help you make the smartest decisions for your team.
As each Round goes by, the waiver wire gets thinner and thinner. Due to this, it’s important not to be wasting your waiver picks in leagues where it’s “first pick to bottom” setting or similar. It’s more than likely better to hold these until an absolute gem comes up (for example if Caleb Daniel gets injured than Zac Fisher becomes a waiver wire gem). Due to this, our summary will highlight those that are worth a waiver pick in shallow leagues or just in deep leagues or leagues where the waiver resets at the conclusion of each round.
So get ready to uncover hidden value, snag Restricted Free Agents (RFAs), and continue to dominate your AFL Fantasy Draft league.
Top Waiver Wire Picks by Position
Defenders
Strong defenders can anchor your AFL Fantasy Draft team, and Round 3 continued to showcase some exciting options. Here are the standout names:
Sinn (69) - Another that looked great in the first half (47 points) and then slowed down without a noticeable role change. Had his most kick ins of the year (5) but they are still being shared around at Port. Has St Kilda next week so there are far worst options and at worst can use him as a one-week stream.
Haynes (89) - 63 points second half including a 40 point last quarter. Really looked like trying to lift the team with some very courageous plays. Again, matchup suited with Silvagni playing as a tall down back, but Haynes is high on the watchlist now for next week and a good loop option for next week.
Blight (92) - Got the matchup bump unlike Vlaustin but this was way more than we would’ve thought. Was subbed in Round 1, went 60 in round 2 against a weakened Port Adelaide forward line and now this score against the leaky saints. No Thank you.
Trainor (78) - Refer to Jacob Blights summary as it’s a very similar story. Not for us due to his floor.
Broad (78) - Refer to Blight’s and Trainor’s summary as it’s a very similar story for Broad.
Brown (75) - Refer to Blight’s, Trainor’s and Broad’s summary as it’s a very similar story for Brown.
Hardwick (98) - Another game, another 2 goals. Hard one to read but could be in line for forward status based on the last few games. Has now scored 98, 76 and 69 over the last three so is worth a spot in deep leagues or going on your watchlist at the very least.
Weddle (86) - We put him on the watchlist last week and he scored well without the hitouts. Has shown enough to make our rankings this week.
Andrews (70) - Flagged him as a short term play last week and that holds as they go into games without damaging full forwards in hopefully more favourable conditions (Richmond, Bulldogs and Collingwood)
Tucker (76) - Started as the sub and in round 1 and this was his first score over 70 this year. Nothing to get excited about here even though he is playing off a wing.
Worrell (65) - Those that waivered him or picked him up in Free Agency didn’t have a Worrell in the world at half time. He picked up where he left off and was on 48 points. Unfortunately, Murray as a late out got the better of him in the second half as he had to play taller than we would’ve liked. Would still hold as an owner and await Murray’s return in the next 1-2 games.
Midfielders
Scoring midfielders are the backbone of any successful AFL Fantasy team. Here are this week’s midfielder options:
Moraes (93) - Has always been a scorer in his junior career at Eastern Rangers (averaged 95 points in 2024). Played mainly from a wing in his second game and benefited from the high level of transition scoring (refer to Burgoyne, Duursma and Bergman’s scores for the game). Butters coming back will have a flow on effect impact and in the short term you’d want to see one more good score before you jump on in Draft formats.
Williams (83) - As flagged last week, we expected a lot more from Williams given how he performed when JJ was out of the side last year but he seem to have moved further up the ground tonight compared to playing more from defence, which benefited his game and fantasy score. If we see this role for one more week, he becomes a short-term option until the stars start to return at the Bulldogs.
Clohesy (99) - For those that follow us on X you’ll know we have had our eyes on Clohessy as a deep waiver wire pickup for a little while. He has these games in him as he first proved when he burst on to the scene last year. There was little noise coming out of Gold Coast’s camp during preseason but what we did hear was Clohessy and Humphrey were in for big seasons. Does all his scoring from the wing which we know means his scores can fluctuate but a good pickup in deeper leagues.
Langford (75) - One for the watchlist here. Praised by Goodwin in the press conference as the best midfielder of the day in his first full game and he had 26 touches and 1 goal from 55% CBAs. Big junior numbers so we know he is capable, and this was his first game after starting sub round 1 and being dropped for round 2. The unfortunate Lindsay injury is a positive for his role moving forward so wait to find out the gravity of that injury before pulling the trigger.
Mcintosh (100) - We put Mcintosh on the watchlist last week and he again has scored well from a hybrid midfield/wing role. Seems to be a real favourite of Yze’s and with all the youth around him the scores don’t have any immediate known expiry date. Three decent scores = worth a waiver pick.
Ross (87) - Welcome back Jack. We’ve seen the fluctuation in his scoring now and with Brisbane, Freo and Gold Coast as the next three we’d prefer other options even if he is trending towards forward status.
Byrnes (72) - Despite the opponent still scored very similar to the previous two weeks which shows his role is just not fantasy friendly.
Jones (71) - Even got the CBA bump but still showed last week was a pure once off. Don’t sort by 3 round average or anything like that and get excited about Jones. It’s a case of Fool Me Once with Zak Jones…
Windhager (59) - CBAs were there, defensive role on Taranto was there, scoring was not there. No excuses for this poor performance as all the stars aligned for a great score. If you picked him up it’s fair enough to drop him to someone who is showing themselves to be more reliable (McIntosh?)
Mackenzie (95) - Still only rostered in 15% of leagues and until Worpel is back that should be increasing. Has a bye next week so see how Worpel is tracking on the other side of that bye.
Nash (85) - Nash is rostered in under 30% of leagues and is yet to go under 75 which is more than we can say for some other midfielders around him that have been rostered. Plays defensive roles from time to time but is a much better option than those that are running rookies through their midfield draft squads.
Ward (72) - solid without setting the world on fire but GWS are a very tough matchup for a winger. Still an option on the other side of their bye.
Morrison (72) - Back on a wing which will hurt the potential defence DPP and he’s only relevant if that flexibility is added to his position.
Coniglio (47) - Still at 0 CBAs but with forward DPP likely incoming he needs to be kept on your watchlist and pounce as soon as those CBAs start to climb up (if not before). He was more on a wing in this game which is the first positive sign.
Atkins (88) - Higher number of CBAs with Knevitt playing as sub. Similar to McIntosh is starting to become a reliable player that the coach leans on every week and Geelong seem to be sharing the CBAs around him which is a great start.
Dangerfield (84) - Another that is surprisingly under rostered so make sure you aren’t one of them. Played way more midfield this game to help pick up the Knevitt and Stewart quota of CBAs. Won’t do that every week so his average of 65 is way more realistic and unreliable even as a forward option.
Blicavs (77) - Has gone 68, 84 and 77 to start the season and has had a similar hybrid role in all three games. There is no ceiling but some reliability in the midfield can be a nice thing.
Peatling (79) - Easily his best game and with forward status on the cards we have to keep one eye on him as he is still not rostered in over 70% of leagues. Crouch looked very tired and sore so is the door slightly ajar?
O’Driscoll (99) - Weaker opponent today and didn’t even need to get any CBAs to bolster the score. Still a good option for those looking to bolster their midfields.
Johnson (75) - Actually an underwhelming score considering he had 20 CBAs and was the main beneficiary of O’Meara being a late out. Last year when Fyfe was out of the side, he scored a lot better as the third rotation in the CBA (85 and 97). Means we should continue to see the scores in the high 60s to low 80s throughout the season.
Reid (61) – His score was underwhelming but it’s his last quarter that caught our eye as McQualter moved him to a half back flank and he scored 22 points. Say what you want about the man, this is only good for his fantasy game so one we will be keeping a close eye on next week if the move sticks.
Rucks
Quality rucks are often hard to find on the waiver wire, but a couple of Round 3 performances stood out:
Fort (77) - Solo ruck with Big O a late out due to gastro and traditionally scores well in his absence (during regular season games anyway). He won’t be solo ruck much longer so is not an option for us. If you have Big O and plenty of room on your bench, there’s no harm in holding one of those spots for Fort.
Williams (76) - After a severely underwhelming performance against Brisbane he looked a lot better today. Hopefully not many need a ruck off the waiver but if you do, he’s entered the ring as an option. We’d still rather Draper and then Bryan.
Reid (64) - Speaking of ruck options, as much as he was better today with 2 goals and his usual share of ruck duties. Just too young and fragile to be an option for us.
Forwards
Forward talent can vary week to week, but these waiver wire options emerged after Round 3:
Gresham (95) - After starting as the sub in round 1 has put together scores of 55 and now 95 in full games. He actually scored 78 points in the first half to really set the tempo. The fact he only scored 17 points in the second half shows he hasn’t turned any kind of corner. Free agency pick up only unless desperate up forward.
Caddy (69) - One for the watch list as lifted in the last quarter when the Dons needed someone and that will only raise his confidence. Also loved how he pulled Reiwoldt aside on live TV to ask for his number to get some advice. Made from the right stuff.
Georgiades (62) - Tale of two halves, was on 56 at half time before Reid moved on to him and kept him to 6 points in the second half. Still an option to stream against weaker opponents but not a waiver wire target.
Davidson (125) - Well who saw this coming. Was absolutely terrific in this game and the ball just seem to hang out on his wing. Pulled out of a contest before half time and that seem to spark him in to action. Started laying tackles and even taking contested marks on the wing after that. Davidson had showed some type of scoring ability in preseason but nothing to this extreme. In 17 VFL games last year averaged only 68 (albeit a different role) so this can only be seen as a perfect storm of playing well, game play and conditions absolutely suiting Davidson. Only make a play for him if your RFA rules are “reverse ladder order” or something else that resets at the end of each round.
Kemp (104) - Nick Larkey and Brodie Kemp have both kicked 5 goals against Bulldogs this year. We see a pattern forming! Just a positive matchup for Kemp and he delivered, not enough for us to recommend picking him up.
Cottrell (53) - Another defensive job this week and this time it was on Dale. Until he his broken of this responsibility he can’t be a good forward option for us.
Harmes (88)- Nothing to report here in terms of new role to get excited about unfortunately. 10 disposals in the first quarter did a lot of the heavy lifting for this score. Not for us.
Humphrey (93) - Similar CBA count to his first game this year (12) but really brought the intensity early and this is the first time we have seen him back it up in the second half. TOG at 80% is very promising too. Good waiver wire pick up even in shallow leagues and has a more reliable role than the one hit wonders we’re seeing.
Chandler (61) - Speaking of one hit wonders. Turns out last week was a bit once off. Was always on a low score the entire game and only his last quarter somewhat repaired it.
King (83) - That’s now an easy and a less than easy matchup he’s done well in away from home. We have to keep him on the radar for easier matchups. For example, he has Roos and Richmond in round 5 and 6 so you may want to get in early this round.
Garcia (110) - Him and Zak Jones were the two main beneficiaries of Steele being a late out. Garcia put together a great four quarter effort on the back of the late out. Unfortunately, his role is too unreliable week to week, so unless lineups are in his favour at team selection, we can’t be confidently fielding him. If you have a deep bench he is worth holding though incase those moments arise.
Hall (89) - 2 scores in the 80s out of 3. The only concern is Ross Lyon mentioning the soon return of Dan Butler and the later return of Phillipou coming back into the fold over the next few weeks but if you think he will survive selection on Butlers return (1-2 weeks away) he’s a legitimate option now. We would prefer Garcia in our squads though and playing him selectively.
Owens (76) - 52 point second half including 4 goals is exciting on paper but he did it as St Kilda started piling on the goals so it was a bit of a downhill skier performance. Did get coaches votes last week and now has done this game so we are putting him on the watchlist as his confidence will be growing and matches against Port and GWS will be a good litmus test to work out if he can be trusted in any form.
Caminiti (70) - The role in defence is real and with Sharman back and King’s return imminent I don’t see it going anywhere as he was actually very competitive down back for st Kilda. Won’t translate to scores every week but it’s a great role as he’s playing as Wilkie plays as main lockdown defender. Worth a waiver pick for deep leagues as his incoming defender/forward flexibility will give your squad great depth.
Bedford (96) - Had time on Newcombe and Day in moments but also found himself with more freedom at times when they were thrust forward. Still, his default is defence first so can’t rely on something close to this score weekly.
Watson (90) - Similar scoring pattern to Hardwick and with the potential flexibility of dual position for Hardwick we would prefer him over Watson if we had to pick 1.
Mannagh (N/A) - Didn’t play Saturday night but putting him here because he was fantastic in the VFL over the weekend, and he is surprisingly bit rostered is as many leagues as we thought. So, one worth picking up if he is picked this week. Just be mindful he may start as sub in his return game.
Walker (85) - Back-to-back scores in the 80s now but was both against weaker defences he has scored well on in the past. Much better options available to us that aren’t a threat of a score in the 30s.
Curtin (81) - Keeps improving every game and now has back-to-back games at 70+. Firmly on our watchlist especially against weaker opponents like the Roos. Got just under half his possessions in the back half which is a great sign for his scoring improvement moving forward.
Larkey (74) - The man has kicked 12 goals in three games, yet this was his top score of the year. Just pencil him in for when he plays either Richmond or West Coast as a streaming option. That’s about all you can do (Rounds 10 and 13 for those actually interested).
Curtis (53) - Similar to Chandler proved it was just a fluke last week but still seems to have a better floor than Chandler. Hold for one more.
Maric (101) - Was flagged last week after 26 disposals in defence and this week it was 28 including 9 kick ins (once McGovern went down) We had him at fifth on our rankings last week but a clear no.1 target for forward lines based on current scoring. Floor in this role should be around 70. The other thing to note here is that’s now three weeks in a row where distributors in defence have done really well against Freo. Has a couple of difficult matchups coming up and may need to defend more with McGovern going down but is better than a lot of other options as a forward waiver.
Amiss (75) - Nothing to get excited about here as Eagles are severely undermanned down back and Amiss just reaped the benefit today with 4 goals.
Dewar (59) - Looked good at the start of the game but crashed back to reality in all other quarters. At the end of the day plays a very volatile role in a very volatile team so he’s off the watchlist.
Positional Rankings at a Glance
To help you prioritise your pickups, here’s a quick ranking of the top options by position.
Defenders
Please note all players are not in Bold which means they are only worth a waiver in deep leagues or leagues where the waiver wire order resets at the conclusion of each round regardless.
Corey Wagner
Josh Sinn
Josh Weddle
Blake Hardwick
Harris Andrews (short term only)
Watchlist: Nick Haynes
Midfielders
Please note players in Bold are worth a waiver wire even in shallow leagues for AFL Fantasy Draft.
All players not in Bold are only worth a waiver in deep leagues or leagues where the waiver wire order resets at the conclusion of each round.
Tom Atkins
Kamdyn McIntosh
Steele Sidebottom
Sam Clohesy
James Peatling
Watchlist: Harvey Langford, Stephen Coniglio, Harley Reid, Mark Blicavs, Patrick Dangerfield, Conor Nash, Ned Long, Levi Ashcroft
Rucks
Please note all players are not in Bold which means they are only worth a waiver in deep leagues or leagues where the waiver wire order resets at the conclusion of each round.
Nick Bryan
Bailey Williams
Watchlist: Darcy Fort (if Big O misses again)
Forwards
Please note players in Bold are worth a waiver wire even in shallow leagues for AFL Fantasy Draft.
All players not in Bold are only worth a waiver in deep leagues or leagues where the waiver wire order resets at the conclusion of each round.
Ryan Maric
Bailey Humphrey
Lachie Schultz
Anthony Caminiti
Shaun Mannagh (if named)
Watchlist: Sam Davidson, Mitch Owens, Jade Gresham, Hugo Garcia, Daniel Curtin, Nate Caddy
Get Ahead of the Game
Use this guide to make waiver moves that will maximise your AFL Fantasy Draft team's scoring potential heading into Round 4.
Making smart waiver wire decisions early in the season is key to staying competitive in AFL Fantasy Draft leagues. By incorporating high-upside pickups like Ryan Maric or Tom Atkins, you can gain an immediate edge over your opponents and set the tone for the rest of the season.
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