I've only been SCing for the last 2 years and know I still have a lot to learn, but can anyone explain to me the love that I'm seeing for the following players?
Zieball
Impey
Daniher
Brown
I know they're cheap(ish) but they're the prices they are for a reason. There's 2 KPF's who are notorious for low scoring, if you look at last years scores then you'd be melting at scores that were lower than rookies, add in durability issues and the fact that they'd have to average over 80 to make 150k. Impey has a history of scoring less than a 1st year rookie small forward in a bottom team and would also have to average over 80 to make 150k. Same with Zieball, hasn't been relevant for a while and I don't trust a 'so-called' role change to defence.
To me they're all options to grab if they show low BE's or consistency, but I, for one, wont be starting any of them.
I think you're looking at it completely wrong on the money making and also underrating what a full preseason means. The JS these guys possess is also a huge factor, guys can't make any money if they're not playing.
Money making isn't about average, it's about scoring spikes. A couple of hundreds in a 3 week span and they will make more than enough money for their starting price. The big 120+ scores can move guys into big time cash generation.
As for the players, my thoughts:
Daniher - Averaged 85 for a season the last time he was fit and most thought he'd go higher the next year. Brisbane's medical staff are in a different ball park to the Bombers they're that much better and a full preseason is huge for a guy who struggled to do back to back training sessions under the Bombers. More importantly he can score explosively with his play style, as evidenced by the 100 on return last year. Also looks set to be the backup ruck, a role that oozes points. Fitness at round one is the only question mark at his price for me.
Impey - Not as sold here but he's cheap and proven to be able to average 70 and also score spike to a decent extent. He hasn't got as much explosive scoring so he's going to be more of a slow burn. Still, if a 125k rookie offers decent JS I'd take the 100k and move him on personally.
Brown - Very much in the Daniher with a bit less peak ability thrown in. Decent side who should supply him and like Daniher he's absolutely capable of very big scores. Had 3 130+ scores in 2019. He also tends to get on hot streaks. That's perfect for cash generation. He's also very capable of averaging 80, having a slightly above rookie priced player who can do that while spiking into the 120+ scores to really generate cash is invaluable. Realistically you need a couple of rookies you can hold and play towards the byes, the premium on him would be worth it for that.
Ziebell - He goes to an even higher level because he's been a keeper level scorer before. He's absurdly capable of huge scores in the role he played the last few years, he's averaged mid 80s or better for the best part of a decade. Throw in the potential move to an even more lucrative role in which you'd have to think he'd take kick-ins as probably the best kick in the side and would be the primary distributor and, plausibly, interceptor also and he falls to the, if he's fit for round 1, type of selection.
None of that means that things can't go wrong or that these guys work out but realistically at the end of the day their JS puts them comfortably ahead of all rookies despite any durability issues (which realistically only Daniher has, the others all just had a bad season after being durable previously), that most of the top picks this year are KP types only further pushes that out for mine. Realistically for 300k each less I reckon you've got 3 guys capable of averaging within 15 points of most of the premiums this year.
Ultimately you have to take risks somewhere and given the volatility of the premiums this year I think that makes sense to be the forwards, that we've got so many genuinely decent options just adds to that as being a viable strategy imo.