I’m going to be honest with you community; I’ve gone through every piece of literature written about James Bartel and his impressive football career over the last week. I’ve read articles written by Jock from four years ago, I’ve read analysis from community members, I’ve read Dex Files, I’ve read my own articles, I’ve watched videos, hell I’ve even read articles about a house he sold once! The common element in all of these pieces of media is this; he’s a good bloke and an even better fantasy football selection.

Now I know that I always go for the old blokes when it comes to fantasy footy, but why wouldn’t I? Players like Corey Enright, Bob Murphy, Boomer Harvey and Nick Riewoldt have all been consistent performers over the years, guys that you can lock in and not really worry about again, they’re old but get the job done. Jimmy Bartel tops this list, he tops this list when it comes to consistency and he tops this list when it comes to fantasy averages.

I’m not dumb, I can hear you all saying “Bartel was rubbish last year, too old, you’re insane, too pricey, you have a bad moustache etc.” but let me respond with this, Bartel still averaged 87.2 Supercoach points and 89.2 AFL Fantasy points in what many would consider to be a terrible year.

The reason he has the putrid smell of a disappointing 2015 campaign is because we are so used to him playing every week and playing well. Yes it’s true he missed half the season and yes it’s true that he’s very, very long in the tooth but in typical Lekdog fashion, prepare to have some numbers thrown at you.

In the Single J Top 10 Countdown Jock Reynolds declared this man the new Corey Enright; I think he’s always been a Corey Enright type and here’s why…

2005 was Bartel’s lowest averaging year on record (outside of 2015) averaging 96.4 Supercoach points. Guess what? That means he had a DECADE of averaging higher than 96.4. In fact in the last eleven seasons Bartel has an average of 104.5 Supercoach points and 20 games per season (that’s including his 11 games in 2015), he is consistency incarnate. I’ll say this about his 2015 season just to give him a fair shake of the sauce bottle, if we remove his round 3 Supercoach score of 5 from the stats sheet his average jumps to an impressive 95.4 for the year.

I’m no fool, Bartel is past his prime but my rule is defenders need to be cheaper than $500K and average more than 90, Bartel has already achieved one of those requirements and should do the other.

The case for:  

• I love my consistent players and Bartel is one of those. Should excel off halfback this year with stints through the midfield.
• Geelong has an improved list this year and additions like Dangerfield and Henderson should compliment Bartel’s play style.
• Age is just a number baby, he’s done it before and there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again despite being almost 33 years old.
• At $470K Bartel is priced to average around 87 Supercoach points, if we look at his non-injury affected average of 95.4 in 2015, there is actually scope for Bartel to increase in value slightly.

The case against:

• Number of games. There are concerns that Bartel will be rested against weaker teams. I personally see Enright being rested before Bartel and I don’t think he’ll want to be rested if he’s playing well with the new boys.
• Won’t set the world on fire. Bartel won’t be setting any new records, whilst he is still capable of racking them up (41 possesions against north Melbourne in 2015) he isn’t going to break out like an Elliot Yeo or Kade Kolodjashnij might.
• Other options. There are a fair few cheaper options that might outscore or at least equal what Jimmy Bartel will produce in 2016. Yeo, KK, Smith, Malceski are all examples of players who will cost less and potentially score more. By selecting Bartel you are paying an insurance premium of around $20K.

The Verdict

• CoachKings – Should be a midpricer and if he’s gelling with the new Geelong structure then I think he’s a very safe option.
• Supercoach/AFL Fantasy – I love the older blokes, especially when they are consistent. Now if I’m being offered a player who effectively averaged 95 in 2015, has Midfield and Defensive eligibility and has been one of the most consistent fantasy footballers for over a decade all for a discounted price of $470K, I’m taking him to the bank every time in Supercoach. For AFL Fantasy he’s actually too expensive for me, a definite upgrade target after his bye.

Over to you – will you select old man Bartel in your 2016 fantasy teams?