Each week we will do a deep dive into a player that had a strong performance in the previous round. The player may not have had the top score of the weekend but a solid outing nonetheless. I’ll look to cover the previous rounds performance, outlook for the season ahead, outlook for 2024 and beyond and my recommendation for this player. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
Player of the Week
Player Name: Clayton Oliver Age: 25 Club: Melbourne Demons Position: Midfielder Round 2 Score: 129 2023 Ave Score: 147 2023 Positional Rank: 1st 2023 Overall Rank: 1st
Round 3 Performance
It comes as no surprise to anyone that Clayton Oliver is finding the footy at will right now, but has he taken his game to another level? In what will be considered a "down" week for Oliver in a fantasy sense, he still put up 11 kicks, 14 handballs, 5 marks, 7 tackles an 2 goals just to top it all off for 129 GameDay Squad Aussie Rules points in round 3! He also led the game in advanced stats such as clearances and scoring involvements, more of this and Oliver might just prove to be the best of the best.
2023 Outlook
Three rounds in and Clayton Oliver is sitting pretty atop the fantasy rankings league-wide right now. His GDS average of 147 points per game ranks #1 amongst not only midfielders but all positions and player across the league. The three scores that got him to that average are: 140 in round 1, 179 in round 2 and 129 GDS fantasy points in round 3. I think there is genuine reason to believe that Oliver will not only be the number one ranked midfielder on the season but possibly the number one ranked player league wide in 2023. There's also an argument to be made that at least for the midfield position, he has the highest scoring floor of anybody! Oliver is as true a set and forget as possible who could hold his average in the mid to high 130's if he keeps going at the rate he is.
GDS Dynasty Ranking
Oliver has been a rock solid fantasy asset for so long that it's easy to forget that he is still just 25-years-old still! He signed a long term deal in this past off-season to hold him down at the Melbourne Demons which will keep him at the club until at least 2030, so there's no reason to believe that Oliver's role will change in a hurry. So, while he's not as young as Andy Brayshaw, Sam Walsh, Bailey Smith, we still have a guy who is capable of averaging mid-130's GDS fantasy points a season for the next 7 years!
Kerm's Call
150 games into Clarry's career and he's arguably the leagues best midfielder. A favourite for this years Brownlow Medal and he's more than capable of winning multiple by the time he calls it quits. We've seen the likes of Rory Laird and Touk Miller show their vulnerability to far this season but Oliver has stood strong, and I expect him to do so for the next 5+ years at the very least.