A self-confessed AFL Fantasy tragic, Brad Crouch will share his insights and AFL Fantasy tips regularly on afc.com.au this season.

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In his first column, Crouchy identifies the players on his pre-season watch list …

I love picking an AFL Fantasy side and playing against my mates. It can get pretty competitive between us, but it’s always good fun.

It’s about this time of year, during the NAB Challenge, that I start thinking about my team. This year there are 18 games in 18 days, so I’ll watch a fair bit of footy and see who catches my eye.

There are always a couple of players who stand out. They might be young, improving players, guys who have had big pre-seasons, or others coming back from injury.

Here are some of the players I’ve pencilled in for my 2014 AFL Fantasy team:

DEFENDERS
Jarrad McVeigh, DEFENDER/MIDFIELDER, $529,900 (Sydney Swans): McVeigh is the most expensive defender this year, but he’s worth the money. He gets a heap of the ball in defence and plays a bit through the midfield as well. He also kicks the ball a lot rather than handballing, which helps his scores. He’ll give you a bit of flexibility as a dual-position player this year too.

Sam Mitchell, DEFENDER/MIDFIELDER, $517,700 (Hawthorn): Sammy Mitchell also has a hefty price tag, but you just have to pick him in your defence. He’s a great player; ultra-consistent and just racks up possessions. Another dual-position player, Mitchell will be one of the first selected in my team.

Heath Shaw, DEFENDER, $441,300 (Greater Western Sydney): Shaw’s a lock for me. I think he’ll play a little bit up the ground, maybe on a wing, at his new club. He’s guaranteed plenty of game time with a lot of developing young GWS players around him. I think he’ll step up big time in 2014 and improve on his Fantasy scores of last season.

Matthew Suckling, DEFENDER, $314,400 (Hawthorn): It’s always a bit risky picking guys coming off long-term injuries, but you have to take a few risks in Fantasy to reap the rewards. I’ve taken a punt on Suckling. He’s played some NAB Challenge footy, so it looks like he’ll be right to go early in the season. With the role Suckling plays, as a loose man across half-back, I don’t think he’ll take too long to get back up to speed. The Hawks boys will feed him the pill, so he can set them up from defence with his neat foot skills.

MIDFIELDERS
Dayne Beams, MIDFIELDER, $498,800 (Collingwood): Beams’ price is down a bit because he was injured a lot last season, but in 2012 he got a lot of the ball and posted some massive scores. It sounds like he’s had a big pre-season and he played really well in Collingwood’s first NAB Challenge game. I think he’ll become a premium midfielder and will be a pretty popular pick this year.

Scott Pendlebury, MIDFIELDER, $611,200 (Collingwood): I’ve picked Pendlebury ahead of Gary Ablett and Dane Swan at this stage – you can’t have them all! I think Pendlebury will step up with the captaincy. He looks really fit and strong and ready to hit the ground running in Round One.

Jack Martin, MIDFIELDER, $268,300 (Gold Coast): It’ll be Martin’s first AFL season, but he’s had two years to prepare after being picked up as a 17-year-old in the ‘mini-draft’. The Suns are pretty excited about him. Some people are even saying he’ll be better than Jaeger O’Meara. If Martin is better than O’Meara, I’ll have him in my AFL Fantasy team all year.

Dale Thomas, MIDFIELDER, $346,400 (Carlton): Thomas is coming off a serious ankle injury and a modified pre-season program, but he’s still a quality player and should get a good run through the midfield at Carlton. We know the coach (Mick Malthouse) loves him and I think he’s capable of scoring like an elite midfielder. He’s due for a big year.

Rucks
Aaron Sandilands, RUCKMAN, $244,500 (Fremantle): Sandilands missed a lot of footy last year, but I still can’t believe how cheap he is. As long as he’s out on the ground, he’s going to post decent scores because he’s going to win a lot of taps. Sandilands also takes marks and can kick goals resting up forward. He played in Freo’s first NAB Challenge game and looks to have overcome his injuries.

Todd Goldstein, RUCKMAN, $487,100 (North Melbourne): Goldstein plays a high percentage of game time, which means he picks up a lot of ruck taps too. He also runs well and can take a strong mark. I really rate him as a player and think he’s worth a look as your premium ruckman.

Billy Longer, RUCKMAN, $194,400 (St Kilda): I think the trade from Brisbane to St Kilda will do Longer the world of good. ‘Big Boy (Ben) McEvoy’ has gone to Hawthorn, so the No.1 ruck spot will be up for grabs at the Saints. Longer should get plenty of game time and as a young ruckman will only improve. He’s worth a punt at that price.

Matthew Lobbe, RUCKMAN, $439,300 (Port Adelaide): Lobbe is another ruckman I’ll be looking at in the lead-up to Round One. His last few seasons have been pretty consistent and I think he’s ready to take the next step. I rate him as a good around-the-ground ruckman. He runs well, tackles and can also kick a goal resting up forward, so the interchange cap should suit him.

FORWARDS
Lance Franklin, FORWARD, $426,500 (Sydney Swans): The Swans have a really strong midfield and will generate a lot of scoring opportunities for their forwards. I think Buddy will play up the ground a bit more, so he might not kick quite as many goals – he’ll still kick a lot – but he’ll pick up a heap of the ball. He tackles and competes, so he’s a good option as a premium forward.

Cyril Rioli, FORWARD, $398,600 (Hawthorn): Cyril’s price is down a bit this year because he’s had a couple of injury-interrupted seasons. When he plays, he’s very good. I think he’s due for a big one.

Nathan Bock, FORWARD, $135,900 (Gold Coast): Bock will be pretty tempting for a lot of Fantasy coaches this year because he’s priced cheaper than the draftees. It sounds like he’ll be back early in the season, so he’s worth a spot on the bench at least. He’s a quality player and will be keen to have a big year after missing so much footy with a broken leg.

Jesse Hogan, FORWARD, $265,600 (Melbourne): Like Jack Martin, Hogan’s had the benefit of a year in the AFL system and I think he’ll slot into the Melbourne team straight away. As a developing key forward, he might not have a massive impact every week but he’s going to play and is a super talent.

Patrick Dangerfield, FORWARD/MIDFIELDER (Adelaide): I think Patty will step up again after being named joint vice-captain with Rory Sloane. He’s still only 23-years-old, so he’s only going to improve, which is scary for opposition teams. Danger is an elite midfielder, so being able to pick him as a forward is just too good to pass up.