With 17 top-10 draft picks in their squad, it was inevitable that Greater Western Sydney would make the jump from bottom dwellers to finalists at some point, but few would have expected them to announce it by beating the reigning premiers.

While their stunning 10-point win over the Hawks deservedly garnered most of the attention, it was perhaps bettered by a steam-rolling performance by St Kilda over the high-flying Bulldogs. The Saints overcame a 55-point deficit to win by seven, and their relentless waves of pressure brought with them plenty of fantasy potential.

The Saints were led by a player who is undoubtedly playing the best footy of his career. David Armitage picked up a colossal 45 possessions on his way to 144 fantasy points, and his determination and effort were undoubtedly a major factor in St Kilda turning the tide when all looked lost. He was more than ably assisted by Jack Steven, who continued his fine start to the year with 32 possessions and 142. After an injury-interrupted 2014, he is another who is ready to take the next step into the fantasy elite. As good as Armitage and Steven were, however, the fantasy headlines went to another Jack – Jack Billings.

After being taken with pick three in the 2013 national draft, the signs for fantasy coaches were positive early on in his debut year. Despite St Kilda coach Alan Richardson saying the young forward wouldn't play senior football early, his strong VFL form had forced him into a starting role by round five. Strong performances against Essendon (88 points), Hawthorn (83) and West Coast (119) marked him well and truly as a talent for the future, but his form dipped as the year went on, and was eventually cut short by a hamstring injury in round 20.

In 2015, in a pre-season with six more kilograms on his frame, Billings was hotly tipped for a more prominent role in the St Kilda side, but another hamstring injury saw him miss the NAB Challenge, and also slip off many fantasy coaches' radars. He made an understated return in round two, but didn't miss a beat afterwards before exploding onto the scene on Saturday. His final term summed up the St Kilda efforts as he almost single-handedly won the game with 10 disposals and three crucial goals, and his last-quarter effort earned him exactly half of his career-high 122 fantasy points.

Billings' average over the last three rounds is 102.7 – the third-highest of all forwards to have played three games, and while it may be hard for him to keep up that pace, there is no doubt he is a player who is destined for stardom. The future suddenly looks a lot brighter in St Kilda.

Article supplied by Footy Prophet – football analysis with a fantasy focus. Footy Prophet is fantasy football.