The GIANTS were a Fantasy favourite in its early years, with an abundance of cash cows. Now, reaching maturity, last season's runner-up is loved by coaches for its premium scorers.

Not many players pleased their owners in 2019 more than Tim Taranto (MID, $835,000).

In his third season, he improved his average from an already impressive 90.9 to 112.5. This included seven scores of 130 or more to see him ranked as the fourth-highest-scoring player of the year.

Taranto was a bargain last season as was Zac Williams (DEF, $688,000). The defender finished $283k up on his starting price which was helped by the 106 he averaged in the final 10 games.

Josh Kelly (MID, $860,000) is the most expensive GIANT. In the past three seasons he's averaged 112.9, 108.4 and 115.9 with some whopping scores posted. From round nine last season he scored 120, 135, 140, 128 and 148 in a beast-like performance up until the bye. Unfortunately, he has only managed to play 15 and 14 games in each of the past two seasons.

Only four players played all 22 games (Taranto, Heath Shaw, Sam Reid and Brent Daniels). Many of their top Fantasy performers missed multiple games which frustrated many coaches, especially Draft owners.

With some luck on the injury front, maybe they can knock off Collingwood as the best Fantasy team in the competition.

Lock them in

There's some value in new captain Stephen Coniglio (MID, $769,000). Last year he was looking likely to improve on his 110.4 average from 2018 until he injured his knee in the opening minutes of the round 17 clash with Richmond. He didn't register a stat and therefore his 111 average up until that point was adjusted to 103.7, which places him under-priced considering his epic form in the lead-up. Coniglio has proven to be a captain option with his high ceiling. His top scores from last season were 192, 161 and 146.

Track their pre-season

Sam Jacobs (RUC, $514,000) has been a solid Fantasy performer throughout his career, regularly ranking as a top-five ruckman. Injury struck early last year and Reilly O'Brien took over from the 31-year-old as the preferred big man at the Crows. If he takes the reigns from Shane Mumford, Jacobs will be a popular mid-priced option as his discount has him priced at the equivalent of 69. If he can average more than 85, as he has done six times, then he is a steal.

Dual-position tempter

The top available defender on average last season, Lachie Whitfield (MID/FWD, $844,000), has a different dual-position status next to his name. The 6-6-6 starting positions saw him play as a half-forward and thus, gain FWD status. Whitfield was injured twice last season on scores of 39 and 74. Apart from those, his lowest return was 95, a game where he was tagged in round 19. The rest were all in triple figures including a monster 190 against the Blues.

Draft sleeper

Nick Haynes (DEF, $589,000) averaged a career-high 79.4 in 2019. He finished the home and away season averaging 91 for his final six games. High mark counts helped his output which continued into the finals, with a whopping 15 marks taken in the Grand Final for 119 points. He also scored 118 in the preliminary final in against the Magpies.

Bargain basement

Pick four in last year's draft was Lachie Ash (DEF/MID, $264,000). The NAB AFL Under-18 All Australian averaged 23 disposals as co-captain of the Vic Country team at the Under-18 Championships. He averaged 96 Fantasy points for the Murray Bushrangers in the NAB League. If Tom Green (MID, $252,000) gets a run, we can expect decent Fantasy numbers after averaging 105 in the NAB League. Keep an eye on Xavier O'Halloran (MID, $170,000), who may make his debut this year. He spent last season in the NEAFL where he averaged 74 after being picked up at selection No.22 in the 2017 draft.

Forgotten warrior

Up until last year, Callan Ward (MID, $539,000) had been an incredibly durable player. Since joining the GIANTS, he has missed just five games in seven years. An ACL injury sustained in the first quarter of his first 2019 game put the former captain on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Ward's Fantasy numbers in his time as a GIANT have been consistent. He has returned averages of 97, 94, 99, 100, 96 and 97. Due to a hefty discount, he is priced at the equivalent of a 73 average which makes him cheaper than he's been for more than a decade.

Buyer beware

It's pretty harsh to include Toby Greene (FWD, $730,000) here considering his incredible finish to the season. A role through the midfield saw him average 129 in his final six games. Prior to that he was averaging fewer than 80 points per game. The midfield time is the key to Greene's Fantasy scoring and with a fully fit engine room, he is unlikely to reach the heights of the second half of 2019.