THE DEES are certainly moving in the right direction. Stars such as Nathan Jones (MID, $593,000), Dom Tyson (MID, $561,000) and even Jack Watts (FWD, $481,000) increasing their averages by over 10 points in 2016 is a testament to that.

They have a plethora of young guns who are contenders for a break-out if you are game enough to take a punt on a mid-pricer such as Christian Petracca (FWD, $409,000) or Angus Brayshaw (FWD/MID, $422,000).

Max Gawn (RUC, $642,000) took his game to a whole new level last season, staking his claim as the premium big man of the competition with an average of 107 from 22 games, a significant increase from his average of 92 from just 13 games in 2015. Paying big bucks for a ruck can be hard to get your head around, but despite the huge salary for the Beard there is value here. Max had some stinkers early in the season with three scores of 61 or less including a massive clanger of 47. The good news is that after round 12 he recorded a lowest score of 95 and averaged 116, which arguably makes him under-priced.

Jordan Lewis (MID, $623,000) is too old, past his best, and won’t score well without the high possession Hawks ... or will he? For this price it is certainly a risky selection in Fantasy Classic but I think he could be a great slider in Elite. There was a feeling that Lewis dropped off last year after his average fell from 111 to 103 in 2016, but when his season is broken down, he had three bad games in the first six rounds before finishing the year with 14 hundreds out of 16, and one of those sub-ton scores was 98. He also had a whopping 150 in the quarter-final with 36 touches and 11 marks just to remind everyone he’s still got it, but his role and their game style will need to be monitored.

Bernie Vince (DEF/MID, $554,000) is solid as a rock and certainly a candidate for a set and forget defender. In the last three years he has averaged 95, 92 and 92 with last year’s average including 11 scores over 90 and four scores over 110. If you don't like running the gauntlet in the backline, he is certainly one to consider if you are taking a guns and rookies approach.

Michael Hibberd (DEF, $428,000) became a Fantasy premium in the Essendon backline during 2014 when he averaged an impressive 89 and backed it up with a solid 80 the following year in what was a difficult environment to perform at his best. In the standout season of 2014, here are some impressive statistics: he did not drop under 95 between round one and five, over the season he managed eight scores between 90 and 100, he also reached triple figures on three occasions. Based on this and the fact the Dees are on the improve, I think he has huge value. 

Mitch Hannan (FWD, $160,000) was the Demons first pick in 2016 … at No.46! He has great foot skills and is very versatile, so will definitely be in the mix for games at some stage throughout the year. Most likely he will be a handy downgrade target at some stage during the season, given he is almost basement price. 

Jack Viney (MID, $611,000) is not forgotten about, because he is never spoken about … despite the fact he is certainly worthy of warrior status. The hard-nosed Dee is coming off a huge breakout when he took his average from 84 in 2014 to 102 in 2016 after a career high 21 games. What impressed me most about Viney was his ability to 'go big' with nine scores over 110 with an impressive ceiling of 134 which he reached on two occasions.

As much as I would love to select former No.2 draft pick Jack Trengove (MID, $336,000) for such a low price, the fact he has played just five games in the past three years indicates we should resist the temptation. At his best, he is a gun and has never averaged below 70 in his career which to this point has been highlighted by an average of 90 in 2011 (his second year). I really hope I am wrong on this one and he smashes it.

Melbourne positions and prices for 2017