EVERY year, plenty of people will tell you to avoid mid-priced players as you lock in your SuperCoach team.

The “guns and rookies” strategy has worked wonders for many SuperCoaches, while those pinning their hopes on a mid-priced player emerging as a premium selection are often left wondering what they were thinking.

But for every rule, there’s an exception. And the SuperCoach exception was Clayton Oliver.

After his 13 games in 2016 produced an average of 70.3, Oliver started last season with a price tag of $382,500. Awkward.

By Round 5 his price had climbed $100,000 and he finished the season with an average of 111.5, the seventh-best of any player in the game.

That kind of jump is rare but, clearly, not impossible. Josh Kelly (87 to 114) and Jarrod Witts (50 to 94) made big leaps forward last year, and Marcus Bontempelli was the 2015 version of Oliver when his average jumped from 79 to 103.

At the end of the year we’ll look back and wish we had picked someone cheap who ends up a SuperCoach stud. Of course, knowing that info now would be a big help.

Here’s a look at some players capable of following in Oliver’s footsteps in 2018:

THE LEADING CONTENDERS

LACHIE WELLER (GOLD COAST) $394,300 MID
Can Weller go boom in his first season on the Gold Coast and justify the No. 2 draft pick the Suns parted with in last year’s trade period? Fremantle was reluctant to let him return to Queensland for good reason after he played 44 games in the past two years. While he has not been a prolific SuperCoach points accumulator so far, he has been consistent. Weller had 16 scores between 60-80 last year and will be slated for a more prominent role as part of the Suns’ engine room.

ANDREW MCGRATH (ESSENDON) $388,400 DEF
It’s hard not to get excited about the way McGrath arrived on the scene last year, and he was a deserving winner of the Rising Star award. Playing predominantly as a shutdown small defender, the No. 1 draft pick still managed an average of 70.7 in his first AFL season. McGrath is set for greater midfield time in 2018 and has the talent to become a premium scorer in his second campaign.

JAEGER O’MEARA (HAWTHORN) $315,800 MID
Who else got excited by reports Jaeger was brilliant in the Hawks’ intraclub hitout? O’Meara, once touted as having the potential to be the best footballer to ever play the game, seemingly only needs a clean bill of health to emerge as a bona fide star. That’s a big proviso, but he averaged over 90 in 2013 and 2014 so it wouldn’t take a big spike to become a premium scorer for a bargain price.

THE SMOKIES

JACK GRAHAM (RICHMOND) $268,800 MID
He’s played five games, won a premiership and become a life member of Richmond. In the brief glimpse we’ve had of Graham, he has showcased his ability as a tackling machine and became an important part of Richmond’s tenacious forward line. His SuperCoach score never dipped below 60 and he posted 108 from 16 disposals and three goals in the Grand Final. At under-18 level he averaged 117 SuperCoach points and won the Larke Medal as the best player in the national junior championships. If he can break into the Tigers’ midfield on a regular basis, he won’t be this cheap for long.

ANGUS BRAYSHAW (MELBOURNE) $316,700 DEF/MID
Due to concussion issues, we are yet to see the best of Brayshaw at AFL level. The No. 3 draft pick was sidelined for most of 2017, playing only five games. The option of picking him in defence makes him appealing as a SuperCoach selection and he had three scores above 80 last season. Was quiet in JLT1 but showed his potential with a 99 against the Saints.

MATTHEW KENNEDY (CARLTON) $356,000 MID
Most will be assessing Kennedy in the way they did Oliver last year, in that they like what they have seen but are put off by the price tag. The former GWS onballer is certain to earn plenty of time in Carlton’s engine room after the departure of Bryce Gibbs. From an average 64.8 points per game to numbers which would mirror Oliver’s would be a steep rise, however.

MASON WOOD (NORTH MELBOURNE) $352,400 FWD
Wood’s durability is a question mark, but you can’t knock his talent. The speedy forward’s best SuperCoach season to date was 2016 when he averaged 82 across eight matches. But the most games he has played in one season has been 10 and his average dipped back to 64.1 in 2017. If he can stay on the park, a breakout year could be on the cards.