Tom Mitchell will start next season as the most expensive AFL Fantasy Classic player following a record-breaking season.

The Brownlow Medallist broke his own record for most Fantasy points scored in a season and will cost coaches keen to start with the ball magnet $938,000.

While it is a significant chunk of the $12,800,000 salary cap, Mitchell averaged 129.2 points and is a reliable captain option to score the all-important double points.

The $200K salary cap increase from last season mirrors the cap the list managers of the 18 clubs are required to navigate.

How it works

Players are priced according to their 2018 output. In simple terms, their average from the previous season is multiplied by the 'magic number'.

There are some exceptions.

If a player takes part in fewer than 10 games, a discount will apply in the form of 3 per cent per game. Discounted players are priced according to the higher of their last two seasons' averages. If they miss a full season, the discount can be up to 30 per cent – the price will be calculated on the player's previous season average.

Sam Docherty (DEF, $593,000) missed all of 2018 after rupturing his ACL early in last year's pre-season. The newly appointed Carlton co-captain has received a 30 per cent discount, pricing him well below the 116.8 he averaged in 2017.

The price of the cheapest players available remains at $170,000, with the top 50 draftees having a premium added to their price.

Docherty's new team mate, No. 1 pick Sam Walsh (MID, $270,000) is the highest-priced draftee. Second pick Jack Lukosius (FWD, $268,000) is valued $2K less. That trend continues until the 52st selection, and all subsequent picks are basement priced.

We will reveal all prices and positions, as provided by Champion Data, over the coming weeks ahead of the launch of AFL Fantasy in late January.

Top defenders

Elliot Yeo and Angus Brayshaw were two must-have Fantasy defenders last season. They will be only available as midfielders in 2019.

Their absence opens up the battle for the best players down back. Rory Laird (DEF, $782,000) is an early favourite following an outstanding season that saw him score more than 110 on nine occasions.

Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $726,000) added defensive status in round six last year and will begin the new season as a straight defender. While his scoring was excellent for a defender, he may get a boost with a midfield spot opening up at the Giants and the return of Zac Williams.

The new kick-in rule, where the player bringing the ball back into play after a behind is no longer required to kick the ball to himself, may see some players gain a bump in scoring. Monitoring who is taking the kick-in and what strategy teams employ when transitioning the ball from defence will be extremely important during the JLT Community Series.

Top midfielders

In a bit of a surprise, Jack Macrae (MID, $890,000) enjoyed his best Fantasy season to date with an average of 122.6 from his 19 games. A second quarter hamstring injury in round 13 for a score of 44 brought his average down in what was a remarkable season for the 24-year-old.

Macrae finished with a score of 190 in round 23, which was one of his eight scores of 130 or more.

The Bulldog leads a brigade of young stars making their name as premium Fantasy midfielders. Patrick Cripps (MID, $793,000) and Clayton Oliver (MID, $792,000) will be staples of our midfields over the next few years as will the pair of Giants, Stephen Coniglio (MID, $801,000) and Josh Kelly (MID, $787,000).

Twenty-five players listed as MID only averaged 100 points or more last season. Keen Draft coaches will be making careful considerations where they rank their big point scorers as they prepare for their league's Draft ahead of round one.

Top rucks

The affectionately named ruck pig, Brodie Grundy (RUC, $871,000) outperformed expectations in 2018.

There were doubts whether his scoring would match his 106 average from the previous season, as Mason Cox appeared likely to hamper his numbers. Coaches in that mindset, including us, couldn't have been more wrong as the duo played together in 20 games and Grundy improved his average by 14 points.

Brayden Preuss (RUC, $342,000) was traded to the Demons in October and the same questions are being asked about whether Max Gawn (RUC, $808,000) can match his career best average in the new year.

Top forwards

The biggest name of the dual-position players was Patrick Dangerfield (MID/FWD, $771,000) being available as a forward for the new season. He was awarded with forward status at round 18 this year after his role saw him play 37 per cent as a forward, just 2 per cent over the threshold to be named as a DPP.

Essendon's Devon Smith (MID/FWD, $774,000) tackled his way to becoming the highest scoring forward of 2018. Josh Dunkley (MID/FWD, $695,000) enjoyed a stellar back-half of the season that saw the Dog average 112.4 playing as a midfielder from round 15.