AFL Fantasy Draft Track Watch 17/02/26
We’re now officially in the stage of preseason where things start to matter.
Practice matches are giving us clearer role definition, coaches are letting more slip in media, and injuries are unfortunately beginning to shape early draft boards.
As always, everything below is being factored directly into the 2026 AFL Fantasy Draft Rankings, which are now live.
Let's get into it, with the updates from the track this week.
Lachlan McAndrew is getting a genuine opportunity to challenge Reilly O’Brien for the No.1 ruck role this preseason.
Even Taylor Walker told SEN it’s “really healthy competition” and that they’ll learn more over the next couple of weeks.
If this turns into a timeshare, it dents ROB significantly. If McAndrew wins the job outright, he doesnt shoot into draft relevancy
Josh Dunkley and Jarrod Berry are back to full fitness and primed to go.
The buzz around Lachie Neale and Dayne Zorko is louder than ever for the veterans preseasons.
Keidean Coleman split time between half-forward, wing and back flank during match sim so it seems role flexibility is good, but it may cap his ceiling.
Encouragingly, Jaspa Fletcher returned to his role across half-back. That’s where his scoring potential lives.
Matt Carroll’s impressive preseason has hit a speed bump with a hamstring injury.
There’s been some very exciting footage of Jagga Smith from match simulation. He looks completely draft relevant this year.
It does appear Ollie Hollands will be stuck out on a wing. That’s bad news for Hollands’ ceiling and good news for Zac Williams, whose role in defence looks stable.
With Nick Daicos away on State duties, Josh Daicos and Angus Anderson did what they liked through the midfield.
Houston has integrated himself back in to main training and is definitely looking a bit underdone due to his hip injury but importantly was training as the main distributor out of the back line.
Jordan Ridley is back in full training, excellent news at this time of year.
Even with Zach Merrett out during match simulation, Andrew McGrath was stationed in defence. Any hope of a part-time midfield switch can probably be put to rest. He looks set to lead in his first season as captain from half-back.
Archie Roberts continues to rise in our rankings. He looks clean by foot, composed, and teammates are actively looking to involve him. That’s exactly what we want to see at this time of the year.
Judd McVee is hoping to complement Jordan Clark as a rebounding half-back. That’s fantasy-friendly in theory.
Sam Switkowski hinted that Reid’s midfield exposure is part of a bigger long-term plan rather than a 2026 plan. That tempers expectations for Reid slightly for this year.
Another setback for Jeremy Cameron, who hurt his quad. He’s coming into the season severely underdone and can fade within his tier.
Sam De Koning took over main ruck duties during the practice match with Hawthorn. Watch this closely.
Assistant coach James Rahilly admitted it’s tough to read into James Worpel’s strong game with Max Holmes and Bailey Smith still to return.
Touk Miller was used in defence during match sim (even taking kick outs). He appears to be set for a bit of a Mr Fix-It role this year. A candidate for dual position though which has him on our radars.
Daniel Rioli is playing off a wing, unlikely to be a comeback year from there, even though he owes a lot of Draft teams due to his performance last year.
Ethan Read looks set to play a Mark Blicavs-style role for Gold Coast this year.
Matt Rowell is set to miss the start of the season due to a finger injury. That elevates Alex Davies as an early streaming option.
The GWS midfield is dropping like flies.
It started with Tom Green’s ACL, and the obvious beneficiary is Clayton Oliver. But the flow-on effects to Stephen Coniglio, Xavier O’Halloran, and Harry Rowston could benefit multiple draft sides.
Finn Callaghan looks to have hurt his hip, we can put a line through him for the preseason matches and maybe even round 0.
Toby Greene is set to spend the “bulk of his time” through the midfield this year. This has clearly become more of a likely reality given the injuries, but it is worth noting, in his last six games with more than 40% CBAs, Toby has only averaged 73 AFL Fantasy points.
Sam Mitchell has started the mind games, suggesting Connor Macdonald may play primarily forward, contrary to what we saw in practice match setups.
James Sicily played limited minutes and had his shoulder strapped.
Jarman Impey impressed again and continues to build off a huge offseason. One to watch as a draft sleeper.
Ned Reeves may return in a two-ruck setup alongside Lloyd Meek, with Mitchell noting the new rule suits Reeves. That makes Meek less secure than we’d hoped.
Caleb Windsor is relishing the new game plan. One to watch as a late draft pickup.
Xavier Lindsay continued to push his draft case with another strong showing in the absence of Christian Salem. If you draft Salem, Lindsay is a strong handcuff in deeper leagues.
Finn O’Sullivan has been absolutely pumped up by Harry Sheezel and assistant coach Xavier Clarke. Likely to rotate between half-back and midfield.
Caleb Daniel was stealing kick-ins off Colby McKercher, but McKercher still looked like the primary distributor in match simulation.
The buzz around Joe Berry continues to grow. He’ll play forward but could be a sneaky draft slider.
Josh Carr said the following in regard to Zak Butters: “He’ll have moments where he’ll go to half-back at times this year and there’s roles that are a little bit different for him.”
Stuart Dew gave hope that Will Brodie can coexist in the same midfield as Ollie Wines and William Drew. Interestingly, Drew looks the most likely of that trio to spend time forward.
Jordon Sweet looked very good in match simulation. The Port ruck situation is officially messy.
Tim Taranto noted he’ll spend more time forward this year. That could impact midfield ceiling.
From match simulation, it’s hard to go past Sam Banks as a legitimate defensive option. There’ll be plenty of ball in Richmond’s back half, and Banks looks central to their setup.
Another week, another injury for Max King.
This strengthens the case for Rowan Marshall potentially gaining early dual-position status if he’s forced forward more often.
Assistant coach Ben Mattews hyped up Errol Gulden as a potential inside midfielder. That’s further validation of him as a Tier 1 option.
Callum Mills is back in full training and looks great across half-back.
Based on match simulation setups, James Rowbottom still appears ahead of Angus Sheldrick in the midfield rotation.
Jack Graham appears to have hurt his hamstring in the intraclub, a big watch for the Eagles midfield.
Liam Duggan was also spotted walking laps this week.
Elliot Yeo continues to play limited minutes off half-back, but West Coast are one injury away from pushing him into the midfield again.
Another setback for Adam Treloar this week, this time with his calf.
This further hurts his chances of reclaiming consistent midfield minutes, even once he’s fully fit.
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