AFL SuperCoach Stock Market: Bye round edition

The final bye round is upon us and the dreaded period of the SuperCoach season is almost over, which will breathe a sigh of relief for owners across the competition.

Unfortunately, carnage is always a factor in the SuperCoach landscape and with fresh news that popular ruck Max Gawn will be out for a few weeks as well as Bailey Smith suspended and popular rookies making their way out of sides, it seems the carnage is well upon us.

Trades are now dwindling down and not many obvious downgrade targets are available this week, but there are always plenty of premium options available, so it may be a case of waiting off with trades if you already have 18 to field this week, or just picking off injured premiums or upgrading out of favour rookies for the time being.

With that being said, let's look ahead to Round 13 and see who to buy, hold and sell, as well as low breakevens and projected price rises.

BUY

Harry Himmelberg ($435,700) (FWD)

The Giants forward has now turned into a reliable defender due to his sublime kicking ability out of the defensive 50.

Since Mark McVeigh took over as coach, Himmelberg has gone down back and pumped out scores of 80, 126 and 187 to give him an enormously low breakeven of -61 and a projected price rise of $63.8k.

A few owners may be hesitant as it is only a small sample size and his big score last week did come against North Melbourne, but his efficient kicking, rebound 50's and ability to take marks make him a player who can score heavily in SuperCoach in his new role.

Wouldn't be surprised if he gets given dual position status in defence as well which would make him even more valuable, but seeing as he is about to jump up to the $500k mark, he is a cheap steal at the moment and owners should be tempted to buy.

Tim English ($609,000) (RUC/FWD)

The versatile Bulldogs ruckman is turning in a career best season so far, even if it has been interrupted with illness and injury.

In the eight games that English has played in 2022, he has averaged 121.1 SuperCoach points per game including three games over 138 points, so he can score heavily due to his ability to get touches around the ground as well as hitouts.

The syndesmosis injury to Max Gawn means owners need another ruckman to trade to, and English will be a very popular option this week.

His dual-position status gives extra value as he can swing into owners' forward lines if need be.

English was in the buy section of the stock market two weeks ago and this is a reminder to get him in your side right now.

Marcus Bontempelli ($583,700) (FWD/MID)

Another Bulldog that should be on owners' radar and usually has been in past seasons is the 'Bont'.

The Dogs' star midfielder has enjoyed more forward time this year and that has resulted in dual position status making him a valuable pick, especially since he is fresh off the bye.

The Bont has quietly gone under the radar this season due to some injury issues, but it hasn't affected his SuperCoach scoring, with the gun averaging 110.8 points on the season and has only dropped below 100 twice in 11 games.

The 26-year-old has started to play more in the midfield in recent weeks and that makes him a massive target for SuperCoach owners as a midfielder of his calibre getting selected as a forward in SuperCoach is an absolute treat for owners, so get him in your side as quickly as possible.

HOLD

Dustin Martin ($466,400) (MID/FWD)

The Tigers gun will miss this week's clash with Carlton due to illness, and whilst he hasn't been in great form, he's still worth holding for the near future just because of the player that everyone knows he is when he is fully fit, and he usually ramps up his performance as finals time nears.

Currently averaging 89.5 points per game on the season, Dusty is yet to show the type of performance that would have him being one of the top forward premiums in SuperCoach, but that's down to illness and time away from the game.

Hopefully Dusty's absence is only one week and he can return to form against Geelong in the following round.

Hold for now.

Will Brodie ($565,000) (MID/FWD)

Will Brodie has been a revelation for SuperCoach owners who invested in him this season.

Coming across from Gold Coast, Brodie has exceeded expectations, averaging 105.1 points per game on the season and increasing $340k in value.

The 23-year-old only scored 82 on the weekend, the first game with Nat Fyfe back in the side, and owners seem to be scared off with Brodie with close to 2,000 owners already trading out the young gun this week.

It's more of a watch this space situation with Brodie as many believe that Fyfe returning will push him out of the midfield, but Brodie still attended 79% of centre bounces on the weekend compared to Nat Fyfe's 48%.

That number may change in the coming weeks but Brodie is still a quality option and should still be in the owners' side when the bye rounds conclude.

Isaac Heeney ($449,400) (FWD/MID)

The athletic Swans forward has been a shell of himself in the past month or so compared to the start of the season, and it's easy to see why owners would move him on.

Averaged 122.4 in the first five games of the season, but has only gone over 100 once in the past seven games, with his average dipping to 100.5 points per game.

Heeney featured in the hold section of the stock market a couple of weeks ago and he's worth holding again as Sydney are fresh off the bye and Heeney and hopefully rejuvenate himself into his early season form.

On a positive note, three of his past four scores have been in the 90s so he's trending in the right direction and owners will hope that Heeney can repay the faith from this week moving forward.

SELL

Max Gawn ($608,700) (RUC)

Unfortunately, the big Demons ruckman has gone down with a syndesmosis injury and is out for the next 3-5 weeks at least, and that's a bit too long to hold so it's time to sadly part ways with the best ruckman in the game.

Tim English and Jarrod Witts will be popular replacements for the Demons skipper this week.

Bailey Smith ($553,700) (FWD/MID)

The young Bulldogs star has had a horror fortnight, with suspensions for a headbutt and an illicit drug scandal meaning he'll be out for the foreseeable future.

Smith had been a popular trade in a few weeks ago due to his ball winning ability, racking up 41 and 34 touches in Rounds 9 and 10, but his recent decisions give owners no choice but to get rid of Smith.

On a positive note, he is still at a solid price so he can easily be traded across to either a premium forward or midfielder.

Maurice Rioli ($188,100) (MID/FWD)

The exciting Tigers forward averaged 82 points in his first two games, including three goals in his first game of the season, but has since found his way out of the side due to inconsistent form and inability to find the footy.