A midfielder averaging 90 is nothing special, but in a year like this, a back averaging 90 is gold. Such is the power of Dual Position Players (DPP). This year, player positions well be re-assessed after rounds 6, 12 and 18. Most of the changes will be to fantasy irrelevant players. However, there will be a few players who were marginally relevant that now become required players for AFL Fantasy coaches – see David Mundy from 2015.
The decision on who gets DPP is based on where the player gets the majority of their possessions. The ‘Heat Maps’ available as in the premium section of the AFL Live App can give a good indication of this (side note: if you are a Telstra Post Paid or Pre-Paid customer, you can get this content for free, and stream every match live to your mobile device – see details). The heat maps aren’t the only factor taken into account. They will look at where the player starts at centre bounces, how much time they spend back or forward, and also make a decision if they think the player will continue in this role for the rest of the season.
There can also be a bit of strategy in this. If you think a player may get DPP status, do you try to get him in a bit earlier, when his price may be a bit cheaper? It is a good plan, but you run the risk of burning a trade if he doesn’t get DPP status. It is also a massive game changer in AFL Fantasy Elite. There are typically plenty of mid-fielders who average around 100 on the waiver wire. If one of your mids gains DPP and you can put them forward or back, it allows you to dump a player averaging 70-80 and pick up another mid.
Looking back on my Round 6 DPP article, it is interesting to note that whilst heat maps are taken into account, they aren’t the overriding factor. Take a look at what I wrote about Robbie Gray, who was awarded DPP status for Round 6.
Robbie Gray (Mid $500,000)
This is the first time in his career that Robbie Gray hasn’t had FWD eligibility. Whilst he is spending a lot of time forward, he is still getting most of his kicks out of the midfield. Not this round, but keep an eye on him for later in the season.
DPP Chance – 20%
So please use this information to help to make an informed decision, but just be aware that the heat maps are only one component in a player gaining Dual Position status.
Let’s have a look at players who have already added DPP status, in either Ultimate Footy or AFL Fantasy
Ultimate Footy Round 4 DPP Changes
Lachie Henderson (Fwd) – Add Mid
Shaun Burgoyne (Def) – Add Mid
Ryan Davis (Mid) – Add Fwd
Kamdyn McIntosh (Mid) – Add Def
Jackson Merrett (Fwd) – Add Mid
George Hewett (Mid) – Add Fwd
AFL Fantasy Round 6 DPP Changes
George Hewett (Mid) – Add Fwd
Callum Mills (Mid) – Add Def
Clay Cameron (Def) – Add Fwd
Ryan Davis (Mid) – Add Fwd
Nick Graham (Mid) – Add Fwd
Jamie McMillan (Def) – Add Mid
Will Langford (Mid) – Add Fwd
Aaron Young (Mid) – Add Fwd
Kamdyn McIntosh (Mid) – Add Def
Bernie Vince (Mid) – Add Def
James Kelly (Mid) – Add Def
Robbie Gray (Mid) – Add Fwd
Ultimate Footy Round 7 DPP Changes
Callum Mills (Mid) – Add Def
Jack Billings (Fwd) – Add Mid
Aaron Young (Mid) – Add Fwd
Rohan Bewick (Fwd) – Add Def
Caleb Daniel (Fwd) – Add Mid
Dylan Buckley (Def) – Add Fwd
Cam Guthrie (Mid) – Add Def
Adam Cooney (Fwd) – Add Mid
Marcus Bontempelli (Mid) – Add Fwd
Ryan Lester (Mid) – Add Fwd
Ultimate Footy Round 10 DPP Changes
Lachie Weller (Mid) – Add Fwd
Paul Stewart (Fwd) – Add Def
Josh Smith (Mid) – Add Def
Orazio Fantasia (Def) – Add Fwd
Ben Keays (Mid) – Add Fwd
Patrick Ambrose (Fwd) – Add Def
Jayden Hunt (Fwd) – Add Def
Jarman Impey (Def) – Add Fwd
Tom Bugg (Def) – Add Mid
Jackson Trengove (Def) – Add Ruck
As AFL Fantasy and Ultimate Footy use much of the same data to award DPP status, let’s start with players who have gained DPP status in Ultimate Footy, but not AFL Fantasy. Well, the relevant ones anyway.
Lachie Henderson (Fwd – $362,000) – Add Mid
A few coaches may have Henderson in Elite, and this would provide a bit of extra flexibility. Whilst he gained Mid status in Ultimate footy, I could see him gaining Defender status in AFL Fantasy based on his heat map.
DPP Chance – 70%
Shaun Burgoyne (Def – $370,000) – Add Mid
Has pushed up into the midfield with injuries to Hodge and other engine room players. More of an option in Elite, so some position flexibility would be handy.
DPP Chance – 80%
Caleb Daniel (Fwd – $392,000) – Add Mid
The helmeted Bulldog has been running through the midfield after playing mainly as a forward pocket last year.
DPP Chance – 60%
Cam Guthrie (Mid – $449,000) – Add Def
Guthrie’s heat map shows that he gets 90% of his possessions from the forward 50 back. He has taken big steps this year, but his role in the team can change from tagger, to midfielder, to half back flanker depending on what his team needs.
DPP Chance – 50%
Adam Cooney (Fwd – $454,000) – Add Mid
With the majority of Essendon’s first choice midfield out for the season, Cooney has been required to turn back the clock and provide size and experience to help the young Bomber team out. This means his battle hardened body has been used in the midfield to win the hard ball, and this should be reflected with a DPP change this round.
DPP Chance – 80%
Marcus Bontempelli (Mid – $472,000) – Add Fwd
Started the season playing the majority in the forward line, but in recent weeks has moved back into the engine room, and this has provided a jump in fantasy output from the Bont. Averaging just 70 points per game over the first 6 rounds, he has now increased his season average to 84 points per game. His last 4 weeks have provided coaches with an average score of 106 points per game, including last weeks game against Collingwood where he copped a tag from Levi Greenwood and still managed to score 91 points. If this continues, and he gets DPP, he will be a lock for your forward line. The big question will be if the AFL Fantasy gods just look at his last few weeks, and decide that he is still purely a midfielder. I am not too confident in this one.
DPP Chance 20%
Lachie Weller (Mid – $289,000) – Add Fwd
Looks to be a star of the future. Has been playing well in a terrible Fremantle side, but this hasn’t necessarily been reflected in his scores. He has been spending a lot of time in the forward 50, and his role seems pretty set this year.
DPP Chance – 85%
Josh Smith (Mid – $298,000) – Add Def
Still in many teams as a cash cow, this could save him from the chopping block for another couple of weeks, much as it did with Callum Mills in the Round 6 DPP changes. Has proven he can score big in the midfield, but with all Collingwood’s star midfield now fit and firing (with the exception of Swan), he has moved back to defence. His scoring has been impacted because of this, but he is still a solid option in defence at this point of the season. Lock this one in.
DPP Chance – 100%
Orazio Fantasia (Def – $335,000) – Add Fwd
Started as a sweeping player off half back, which is when coaches jumped on board with scores of 100, 120 and 93 in rounds 3-5. It seems like Woosha was just waiting for his AFL Fantasy ownership to increase, before deciding that he needed Fantasia in the forward line. Since his move forward, he has average a paltry 54 points per game from round 6 onwards. This one is a lock also.
DPP Chance – 100%
Ben Keays (Mid – $250,000) – Add Fwd
One of the main reasons for DPP changes throughout the season is to allow for rookies who are playing in a different position than they did in juniors. Given that when they were playing at the lower level, they were likely the best player on their team, they would have spent a lot of time in the midfield. Once they step up to AFL ranks, their smaller bodies and endurance means they typically spend a lot of their early years forward or back whilst they put on muscle and build a tank. Their AFL Fantasy position status needs to be adjusted accordingly, which is why you see a lot of rookies gain DPP status after their first few games.
Keays is no exception, and will gain Fwd status.
DPP Chance – 100%
Jackson Trengove (Def – $321,000) – Add Ruck
Trengove has been playing the #1 ruck role for Port since Lobbe has been out. Dougal Howard coming back into the team on the weekend didn’t seem to have too much of an affect. With Jonas out suspended, he still played the majority of his time in the ruck. With Jack Homsch now out for a couple of weeks, he may now be required in the backline. There is enough history however that he should still gain Ruck status.
DPP Chance – 90%
———
Ultimate Footy have come out and said that they are taking a very conservative approach to DPP this year, which has meant guys like Gray and Vince, who were given DPP status in Round 6 in AFL Fantasy, have not been given DPP status in Ultimate Footy. AFL Fantasy look to be a bit less conservative (see Robbie Gray example above), so we might see one or two more relevant players gain DPP status this round.
Now, let’s also look back at last year. AFL Fantasy added 18 DPP players after Round 5, 2015 (this year was 12) and a further 18 were added after Round 11, 2015. Looking back, the second round of changes in 2015 were largely irrelevant, with Toby Greene (who was not playing well anyway) and Jarrad McVeigh the only ones you would have seriously considered bringing in at that point in the season from a salary cap game perspective.
Based on this, I would be surprised if there were more than one ‘premium’ players given DPP in this round.
Below are a few players of interest to look at who may get Dual Position status. If you would like to see the heat map for someone not on this list, hit me up on Twitter – @OTLSArchie and I will find it for you.
Brandon Ellis (Mid $501,000)
Ellis’ heat maps show that he gets a lot of possessions across half back. This hasn’t changed much all season, and as he wasn’t given DPP status for Round 6, I can’t see it happening now either. It looks like the guys at AFL Fantasy HQ are making a definite distinction between midfielders who get their possessions in the backline, and former mids who are now playing across half back. This will be the case for a few other players also.
DPP Chance – 30%
Lachie Hunter (Mid $527,000)
The Bulldogs have been a fantasy goldmine this year, and Hunter has been one of the players that a lot of coaches jumped on given a juicy starting price of $433,000. Whilst the Heat Map shows a lot of defensive half possessions, a lot of them are out on the wings. He is highly unlikely to get DEF.
DPP Chance – 20%
Nick Riewoldt (Fwd $601,000)
The man that time forgot. Supposedly in the twighlight of his career, Roo has been magnificent this year as a tall marking wingman. A role very similar to the one Matthew Richardson played in his last couple of years at Richmond. You can see from the heatmap that he is working up the ground a lot and getting his possessions on the wings. With the emergence of Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey and Paddy McCartin, he is no longer relied upon to kick goals and be a forward target.
DPP Chance – 85%
Michael Walters (Fwd $482,000)
Ahh Ross Lyon. Each year you find new ways to torment Fantasy coaches. Last year it was resting half your team in Fantasy Grand Final week. This year, it is moving players into different roles (including moving some to a role at Peel Thunder), talking them up, then moving them back to their original position. Michael Walters is a perfect example of this. After starting the season in his familiar forward role, Ross put him into the midfield and this resulted in scores of 97, 141, 101 and 125 in rounds 5-8. If he continued in that role, he would have been a lock. However after talking him up in the media as a midfielder, Lyon moved Walters back to the forward line in rounds 9 and 10 for scores of 61 and 74 respectively. Keep a close eye on him this weekend. If he continues to play forward, he is unlikely to gain mid status.
DPP Chance – 40%
Taylor Adams (Mid $526,000)
Just like Scott Pendlebury early in the year, Adams has been given the role across half back in recent weeks. Looking at the heat map, he is a strong chance to get DPP, with very few possessions forward of Centre Half Forward. Another week of data would have been handy to look at, however he apparently took a crowbar to his hamstring and ripped it off the bone. He will be out for at least 4 weeks, but if he gains back status, he will be the highest traded in player the week he returns.
DPP Chance – 35%
Josh Kelly (Mid $466,000)
One of the strongest parts of the Giants team at the moment is the strength of their midfield. They have a number of players that can move into the middle, so that means typical midfielders need to find other roles within the team. Josh Kelly is one such player that is now playing more in the backline. Unfortunately for Fantasy players, it is not enough to get DPP status.
DPP Chance – 10%
David Mundy (Mid – $554,000)
Another victim of the Ross Lyon position Merry-Go-Round, Mundy has been touted by his coach in the media as a back-line player. Once again though, injuries and Ross means that Mundy is unlikely to get Back status this time around. Still a chance to get it in Round 18 though, but that is depending on Ross Lyon.
DPP Chance – 20%
Written by Jayden “Archie” Keeler (@OTLSArchie)
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