With salary caps set at $10 million and $13 million across the SuperCoach and AFL Fantasy platforms respectively, filling every position with a premium player is simply not possible.
In order to field a team that both keeps you under the cap and allows you to be competitive, selecting a smattering of rookies is essential.
Obviously, these young names won't make up the bulk of your weekly totals, but should you select the right ones early, your bottom line and your win/loss column will look healthy.
Although we don't know whether any of these names will break through the banner in round one just yet, their pre-season track work has piqued our interest.
These are each club's rated rookies that look primed for early debuts.
Brisbane
Blake Coleman (FWD)
SuperCoach price - $117,300
AFL Fantasy price - $224,000
Although Brisbane's best 22 appears set in stone, Blake Coleman's name has been bandied about in terms of an early debut.
The younger brother of fellow Lion Keidean, the former academy player is known for his speed, strong overhead marking skills and his ability to hit the scoreboard.
Pick No. 24 - @BrisbaneLions have matched Collingwood's bid for Blake Coleman (Brisbane Academy).
Enjoy his slick highlights โฌ๏ธ#AFLDraft pic.twitter.com/rj3MWABOex
— AFL (@AFL) December 9, 2020
Although only averaging 10.2 disposals in his five NAB league appearances in 2019, Coleman did manage a mean of 60 Supercoach points across these contests.