Show Notes
Twelve months of waiting. The series is back, and it starts at Tier 8. Rowan takes the rankings chair for the first time. We run you through the 10 players who dropped out of our top 50, including a tier 3 ruck who fell all the way out. Then we break down all seven names in Tier 8, why they’re there and how they shape your build. Caldwell’s 60%+ CBA sample. Darcy Wilson’s forward status. Taranto vs Serong. Bailey Dale finally getting his flowers. And whether you should sell Max Gawn right now if you’re not contending. These ranks assume a 10-team league, 18–20 keepers and a 5-7-1-5 on-field structure. Know your league, then steal what helps.
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Trent Rivers lands at West Coast. Wing, halfback or inside mid? His 2027 AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach value hinges on one call. Rivers averaged 78.9 in SuperCoach and 76.6 in AFL Fantasy in 2026, mostly off a wing in a direct Melbourne side. Across his career he’s posted multiple seasons in the mid 80s. So there’s a scorer in there. The question is whether the Eagles hand him the role to unlock it. I break down why his versatility has been his strength and his ceiling. I look at where he fits with Jack Viney arriving, Harley Reid driving the midfield, and the battle for the halfback playmaker spot. Then there’s the Tom McCarthy domino. Plus, why Melbourne were comfortable letting him go with picks 4 and 14 in hand. My verdict: he’s a low-risk draft pick with real upside. For classic, I’m not jumping unless he locks down that plum halfback role.
Jack Viney lands at West Coast with a full price discount for 2027. Is he a starting squad value mid or just one to watch? Viney didn’t play a home and away game in 2026. That means he gets the full discount off his high 80s average from 2025. On paper, that’s value. But to make him a genuine starting squad pick, he needs to go 90 to 95 at his new club. I break down what Viney brings to the Eagles, how he frees up Elliot Yeo to play a more versatile role, and why Melbourne were already prepared to move on. Then we get to the part that matters for your side: where Viney sits in the 2027 value mid conversation. His selection won’t just come down to his own role. It depends on what other value mids pop up over the preseason. Classic and Draft coaches will see him very differently.
Luke Pedlar is a Port Adelaide player. Here's what the trade means for AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach in 2027. Pedlar has crossed from the Crows to Alberton, and the showdowns just got spicier. He's a first round pick from the 2020 draft who's played 23 games in three seasons and never more than 10 in a year. Injuries have crushed him. The talent hasn't gone anywhere. Port's midfield is wide open with Butters gone. It's Horne-Francis's midfield now, and I run through who fits around him: Rozee, Jase Burgoyne, Richards, Bergman, Berry. Then the real question. Has Pedlar been sold an inside mid role, or the same pressure forward gig he had at Adelaide? For fantasy, he's coming off a mid-40s average with a discount on top and forward status. If he's fit and running through the midfield this preseason, you've got a high-30s to low-40s priced forward who can sit at F4, score 70s and 80s, and make you cash. Two ifs. Both worth watching.
Will McLachlan is a Melbourne Demon. Here's his 2027 AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach verdict, role and rookie price.Will McLachlan has left Brisbane for Melbourne, and he lands in a forward line that's changed shape fast under Steven King. He's a livewire in the air with real forward craft. He's had one small taste of AFL footy and showed glimpses.I break down where he fits next to Latrelle Pickett and Kade Chandler, whether he's best 23 in round one, and why Brisbane's depth of small to medium forwards kept him out. Success has a cost. The Lions are paying it.Then the fantasy footy verdict. He'll be rookie priced in 2027 after a 28 in his one game this year. I don't see a role outside forward 50 yet, and that caps his ceiling. He's a genuine watchlist option for your forward bench. Not a lock. Not a pass.
Keidean Coleman is a Bomber. Is he a 2027 AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach value pick, or will that discount let you down? Essendon needed a kick out of defence badly. They were one of the worst kick-in teams in the comp, then Zach Merrett and Jordan Ridley walked out the door. Coleman’s precision by foot fills that gap on paper. Then there’s the fantasy question. He played 13 games in 2026, so his injury discount won’t be as generous as you might hope. And since that 127-point 2023 Grand Final, he’s gone 80+ just 4 times in 15 games. So is he a scorer who pops in any system, or a solid player who thrived in Brisbane’s? I give you my lean and what I’m watching this preseason.