THE HANGOVER: DRAFTSTARS WEEKLY WRAP

A busy week of sport beset us as we ticked into the glorious month of March. March goes with sport like Peanut Butter goes with toast. March madness is just about the craziest, most exciting sporting event there is and the first round of AFL kicks off.

Meanwhile, the NBA rolled forth, the AFLW raged on, the JLT series kicked off and the Aussie cricket team continued their tour of India. It was a big week and this is a big hangover. Get your Hydralite ready and order something greasy for dinner.

The NBA’s Big 400 went off on Saturday with four lucky entries scoring 400 points and taking home over $6,200 each. The astronomical scores were thanks in no small part to a quadruple OT thriller between Atlanta and Chicago. With each team putting up over 160, the DS points were flying out of the door like egg and bacon rolls on a seedy Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, virtually every team maintained equilibrium from last week. All losing or winning streaks were snapped and both the Bucks and Warriors sustained top position in their respective conferences.

The biggest talking point came as the Lakers suffered back-to-back losses, prompting serious questions about their playoff credentials, and LeBron’s GOAT status.

In the AFLW Geelong jumped a game clear of third in Conference B while, in Conference A, Adelaide took top spot from North after a statement win over them. Fellow Conference A finals aspirant, Fremantle, also won to maintain pressure on the top two and set up a probable finals decider between them and the Roos in round seven. But arguably the biggest result of the week was Carlton’s victory over Collingwood which helped them leapfrog the Lions into Conference B’s top two.

Spattered in among the AFLW games, the JLT series did its best to add to the theatre that comes with Australian rules footy in Australia. With player’s positions in the best 22 for the regular season on the line, the matches, despite no sheep stations being played for, were hotly contested.

Carlton, once again, look likely to claim the mantle of best pre-season side but will definitely let its fans down in the regular season.

The jury is still out on the rule changes which have been so far untested at AFL level. For the most part, the changes made for exciting and free-flowing football but there were times where both players and umpires looked confused about certain rulings.

And finally, the first ODI of a five game series between Australia and India played itself out on Saturday evening. After success in the T20 series, Australia carried momentum into the one-dayers but it was India who came out on top in match one. Once again, MS Dhoni proved to be Australia’s nemesis as he combined with man of the match, Kedar Jadhav, to chase down Australia’s meagre 236 run total with just under two overs to spare.

NBA

Trae Young was the main instigator in the four OT thriller. He scored an eye popping 49 points and added eight boards and 16 assists, becoming the first rookie in history to notch those numbers in a single game. His DS output also stood out, returning 86 DS points to his investors.

But it was not just him. Three of the top four DS performers came from that game. Zach LaVine put up 72.25 DS points and Lauri Markkanen had 61.

Fresh off a contract extension, Eric Bledsoe paid back the faith the Bucks showed in him with two match winning performances. Over those two games he has averaged 58.3 DS points and even nailed down a triple double against the Kings. He is priced around $13k and his selectors during last week were rewarded for their research.

Priced under $10k, Bam Adebayo has strung together a nice four game stretch. He has scored over 30 DS points in three of those four with his sole sub 30 performance still managing 26. He has jumped up the Heat’s depth chart following an injury to Hassan Whiteside, logging over 20 minutes of playtime in each of those outings. Even with Whiteside’s impending return, Adebayo should be able to sustain most of his DS point increase.

AFL WOMENS ROUND FIVE

As the AFLW has grown in 2019, so too have the DS scores the wonderful sportspeople who play the game output. This week, six, yes six, players topped the 100 mark with Kiara Bowers reaching the apex with 157 points. That is huge. In fact, Bowers’ 23 possession, 16 tackle game scored more than Jamie Macmillan’s huge 40 possession effort against the Saints. Making her effort all the more impressive is the knowledge 2019 was her return from three ACL injuries and 30 months out of football.

Not to be forgotten, reigning AFLW best and fairest Emma Kearney returned to form against an ominous Adelaide midfield. Given more space to work in, Kearney was prolific in gathering 31 possessions on her way to 129 DS points.

As Geelong fought their way into premiership contention against the Lions, a few lesser known Cats made a name for themselves. Kate Darby was drafted and cut by Carlton before being picked up by Geelong for this season. On shaky ground after an unimpressive start to the season, Darby won the match for the Cats in round five. Her three goals accounted for 50 per cent of goals scored in the game. Combined with her 16 disposals and four marks, Darby racked up 94 DS points and was one of the best value selections of the week.

And last but not least, Brooke Lochland made her return to AFLW in round five after an injury prolonged absence. The 2018 goal machine was the best value pick for the Sunday contest and was selected by 44 per cent of users. At just $5k, her 48 DS point output was crucial to the lay of the land on Sunday. You can expect Lochland to just get better from here too, she should be considered a certain starting low-price option for the final two rounds.

JLT SERIES WEEK ONE

With the commencement of the JLT series, Draftstars opened up $24k+ of prizes for users to capitalise on, starting with $10k+ over Thursday and Friday night.

In a surprise to absolutely nobody, Patty Crips was a standout in Carlton’s victory over the Bombers. At his usual workman self, he bustled his way to 33 disposals and snagged two majors en route to 115 DS points, the top score from Thursday.

Following on from his Grand Final heroics, Dom Sheed seemed the next coming of Christ as he helped himself to 39 disposals and a goal. His efforts earned him 136 DS points. Could Sheed take his game to the next level in 2019 after the confidence of a match winning performance in a GF?

The Roos/Saints contest told us very little about how those sides will go in 2019. It did tell us Jared Polec and Dom Tyson would be handy recruits for the Roos, however. And it certainly reminded us of the DS, and overall, potential of Paul Ahern. Playing just 51 per cent of game time, Ahern racked up 26 disposals on his way to 87 DS points.

Adelaide’s Brad Crouch also reminded the footballing world of how good he might just be after an injury riddled 2018. His 114 DS points were the most in the Crows’ matchup with Port but his strength around the contest and clearance winning ability signalled a return to elite status in 2019.

Despite losing stars left right and centre, the Giants are still destined for big things in 2019. Offsetting the loss of Dylan Shiel to the Bombers will be the continuing emergence of Tim Taranto. After showing his potential in 2018, Taranto looks set to explode in 2019 with increased responsibility. It takes something special to outshine a 35 touch Stephen Coniglio game but Taranto did just that against the Swans, racking up 34 touches and 140 DS points of his own.

One of the most maligned footballers in the country is also a fantasy (and DS pig). Jarryd Lyons just scores points. He always has and always will. Now at his third club, Lyons seems to have found a coaching staff who has faith in him. Should he continue the form that saw him pick up 26 touches and a goal against the Hawks, that faith will be rewarded in spades.

The Demons’ Angus Brayshaw has shown no signs of slowing down after a meteoric rise in DS calculations at the end of 2018. Since a coming of age game in round 10 last year against Adelaide, Brayshaw has averaged over 118 DS points per contest. His 150 in JLT week one might signal a permanent jump to the tippy top echelon of the AFL in 2019.

Is Libba back? My God I hope so. The man has been more favoured for his personality than his playing ability over the past couple of seasons but hopefully this year he will be back to his ball winning and DS scoring best. Fresh from the tattoo parlour, Libba managed 102 DS points for his 27 disposal, four tackle and one goal game.

via GIFER

The Pies look primed to back up their surprise 2018 campaign. Fuelled by the return of Dayne Beams (from Brisbane) and Jamie Elliott (from 256 soft tissue injuries), Collingwood won their JLT game against Freo. Beams showed he has taken no backward step from last year with a trademark 25 possession, one goal game (though he will average closer to 30 and two throughout 2019).

ODI SERIES- AUSTRALIA V INDIA

Huge batting totals were not on the agenda in the first ODI on Saturday. Posting just 236, Australia were in trouble very early.

If not for inspired bowling and good bottom order batting from the in-form Nathan Coulter Nile (83 DS points, 2/46, 28 (27)), this game would have been just about over before it started.

Once again, MS Dhoni did it for the Indians. His record in second innings chases is second to none and his 59 off 72 got it done once again. His knock was good enough for 93 DS points.

But it was the $8,500 priced Kedar Jadhav who was the contest winner. Selected by 49 per cent of users, Jadhav returned 115 DS points. His score came on the back of economic bowling (1/31 off seven overs) and a top-scoring innings of 81.

User grazerking successfully selected the top six scoring DS players for the contest and ran out an easy winner.

Written by Brin Duggan

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