Best Value Picks by Position: The 2026 SuperCoach Bargain Bin

Every dollar matters. You've got $15.25 million to fill 30 spots and if you're blowing cash on underperformers at any position, you're cooked before Round 1 even starts.

We've crunched the numbers on every player in SuperCoach 2026 and ranked them by value score — points generated per dollar spent. The results reveal clear bargains at every line, and a few positions where the pickings are much slimmer than you'd think.

How We Measure Value

Value Score = (SC Average / Price) x 10,000

Simple. A player averaging 80 at $99,100 scores 8.1 on our value metric. A premium averaging 120 at $600,000 scores 2.0. The cheap player is generating four times the points per dollar.

That doesn't mean you stack your team with bargains — premiums win you leagues. But at the margins, finding the best value at each position is the difference between a top-100 finish and a top-1000 one.

Here's the overall leaderboard before we break it down by position:

Now let's go position by position.

Defenders: The Hardest Line to Fill Cheaply

Only 16 active rookies across the entire defensive line. That's the number you need to burn into your brain. Every other position has more cheap options. If you find a defender generating value, you hold them with a death grip.

The DEF Targets

Lewis Hayes (Essendon, $120,200, avg 64.0, 1 game) — One game. That's it. But what a game it was. 64 SuperCoach points from a single outing at Essendon, a club that's shown willingness to blood young defenders. The value score of 5.3 is absurd for a backman. The risk is obvious — one game is one game. But at $120k on your bench, the downside is negligible.

Cooper Trembath (North Melbourne, $166,500, avg 71.7, 3 games) — Now we're talking real data. Three games averaging 71.7 is legitimate. North Melbourne are in rebuild mode and Trembath is getting consistent senior opportunities. At $167k he's still dirt cheap for a defender putting up those numbers. This is our top DEF value pick. Three games gives us enough to trust the trajectory even if the average dips slightly.

Campbell Gray (Richmond, $174,100, avg 64.3, 3 games) — Another three-gamer at a rebuilding club. Richmond are handing out opportunities to young players like candy, and Gray has taken his with both hands. 64.3 from three games is a stable average that should hold or improve. The Tigers aren't winning games, but Gray is winning SuperCoach points.

The verdict: Defender is the tightest value market. Trembath is the standout with the best combination of sample size and scoring. Hayes is the speculative upside play. Gray is the safe floor option.

Midfielders: Where the Bargains Live

Twenty-six active rookie midfielders. That's nearly double the defenders. The midfield is where value lives in SuperCoach 2026, and the top two value picks in the entire competition are both mids.

The MID Targets

Ewan Mackinlay (Port Adelaide, $99,100, avg 80.0, 1 game) — The king of value. One game, 80 SuperCoach points, a value score of 8.1 that blows everything else away. Port Adelaide are a top-four contender, which historically makes it harder for young mids to break in. But at $99k, even intermittent games generate cash. The best dollar-for-dollar pick in SuperCoach if he plays. That "if" is doing a lot of work, though. Bench only.

Lucca Grego (West Coast, $113,500, avg 59.0, 1 game) — West Coast are the opposite of Port Adelaide — they'll play anyone with a pulse in their midfield. Grego averaged 59 from his single outing last year, and the Eagles' desperate need for youth means more opportunities are coming. At basement price with a rebuilding club guarantee, he's safer than Mackinlay despite the lower average.

George Stevens (Geelong, $120,200, avg 62.0, 2 games) — Two games and a 62 average at the Cats. Geelong are transitioning — not quite rebuilding, not quite contending — which creates sporadic opportunities for young mids. Stevens has shown enough to stay in the conversation, and at $120k the price is still negligible.

The verdict: Mackinlay is the ceiling play, Grego is the floor play. If you're picking one MID value target, it's Grego — West Coast's rebuild gives him the job security that Port Adelaide can't guarantee Mackinlay.

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Forwards: Thin and Risky

The forward line is where SuperCoach dreams go to die. The average SC score is just 55.4 — the lowest of any position. Finding value here is like finding water in the desert. When you find it, drink deep.

The FWD Targets

Jordan Croft (Western Bulldogs, $120,200, avg 64.5, 2 games) — The best forward value in the comp and it's not close. 64.5 from two games puts Croft well above the position average of 55.4. At the Bulldogs — a club with genuine finals aspirations — that average has structural support. The Dogs play an attacking style that inflates forward scoring, and Croft is benefiting. Value score of 5.4 is second only to Mackinlay across all positions.

Lachlan Gulbin (Gold Coast, $99,100, avg 49.0, 1 game) — Basement price at a club that plays kids. The Suns' track record is your insurance policy. 49 from one game is below the position average, but at $99k, Gulbin only needs to hold a spot for 3-4 weeks to generate meaningful cash. The Suns' forward line is in transition, which opens doors.

The verdict: Croft is the clear FWD value pick. Two games of evidence, an attacking team system, and a value score that stacks up against midfielders. Gulbin is the cheap gamble if you need a second forward rookie.

Ruck: The Position That Breaks the Rules

Six. Six active ruck rookies in the entire competition. The ruck is the smallest position pool by a mile, and finding value here is like winning the lottery. But the position average of 80.1 is the highest in the game — rucks score big because they're always involved.

The RUC Targets

Vigo Visentini (Essendon, $120,200, avg 56.0, 2 games) — A ruck at $120k. Full stop. That's the analysis. In a position with only 6 active rookies, Visentini's mere existence at this price is valuable. Two games averaging 56 is below the position average, but Essendon's ruck stocks are thin behind Todd Goldstein (who is 35 and counting down the games). When Goldstein rests or gets injured, Visentini gets extended game time. At $120k, he's essentially free money if he plays.

Nick Madden (GWS, $203,400, avg 86.0, 3 games) — Here's where it gets interesting. Madden is more expensive at $203k, but his average of 86.0 from three games is above the position average. That's a ruck performing at an established level from a tiny sample. The value score of 4.2 ranks inside the top 10 overall. GWS need a long-term ruck solution, and Madden is pushing hard for that role. If you want the safest ruck value pick, this is him. Three games, above-average scoring, clear path to more game time.

The verdict: Both are must-considers. Visentini is the cheap insurance policy. Madden is the genuine scoring option with upside to become a top-8 ruck. If your structure allows $203k on a ruck bench spot, Madden is the pick. If you need the savings, Visentini at $120k still works.

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The Budget Dream Team

If you took the single best value pick at every position and built your bench around them, here's what it looks like:

Total cost: $922,200 for seven players averaging a combined value score of 5.3. That's less than two premium midfielders and gives you a bench that actually scores.

The combined savings versus picking mid-priced alternatives at each spot? Roughly $1.5 million you can redirect into your premium spine. That's the difference between Nick Daicos and a bloke averaging 70.

The Fine Print

A few caveats we need to be upfront about:

Sample size matters. Four of our top 10 value picks have played one game. One game is not a trend — it's an audition. Use these players on your bench where a zero doesn't kill your week.

Value score rewards cheapness. A player averaging 40 at $80k scores higher than a player averaging 100 at $400k. The metric is about efficiency, not output. You still need premiums doing the heavy lifting.

Job security is everything. The best value pick in the world is worthless if he's playing VFL by Round 3. Cross-reference every pick here with preseason team news. A named player at a rebuilding club is worth more than a gun stuck behind a stacked midfield.

The Bottom Line

The value is in the extremes. Cheap rookies generating cash. Expensive premiums generating points. The middle ground — $200k to $400k — is where value goes to die.

Fill your bench with the picks above, invest the savings into your premium spine, and let the cash generation engine do its thing. By Round 8, those $99k rookies will be $300k upgrade chips.

The bargain bin is open. Shop smart.

Data sourced from SuperCoach 2026 pre-season pricing. Value scores calculated February 16, 2026.