The bye weeks are over and we’re back to a full complement of AFL matches this weekend which means a tasty three games of action for us to enjoy this Sunday.
The Saints will host the Power at Marvel Stadium to kick off the day with the Power desperate to turn their form around. The Tigers and Blues may be second versus second-last but it’s always a classic regardless of position on the ladder. Finally we’ll head west for the battle of the big birds as the Eagles take on the Hawks.
Draftstars continue to offer massive prize pools with the Sunday main being worth $50,000 along with their usual variety of alternate contests:
- AFL $50,000+ Sunday
- AFL $5,000+ Sunday High Roller ($150 Entry)
- AFL $2,000+ Sunday Fiver
- AFL $3,000+ Sunday Mini ($2 Entry)
The AFL Star contest is back for 2024 and Draftstars are offering the biggest prize pool in Australian DFS history with a $1 million guaranteed final with $250,000 top prize! There are qualifiers and satellites running for every AFL match, while there will also be a sprinkling of qualifiers across other sports such as NRL and NBA.
Meanwhile the 1000 AFL Target contests are set to return to Draftstars for the first time since 2018. Enter the contest and hit the 1000-point barrier with your team to scoop the jackpot!
Betting Markets
St Kilda ($1.79) vs Port Adelaide ($2.07)
Line: St Kilda -2.5
Points: 159.5
Richmond ($6.70) vs Carlton ($1.11)
Line: Carlton -39.5
Points: 170.5
West Coast ($2.64) vs Hawthorn ($1.49)
Line: Hawthorn -13.5
Points: 163.5
If you’re looking to bet on the AFL this season, then you can bet with PlayUp by using the same account that you have at Draftstars. PlayUp are Australian owned and offer an strong range of AFL betting markets and offers, including Same Game Multis.
Additionally, we have a full Brisbane vs Melbourne Betting Preview for the game where we provide our best bet for the game as well as a great value Same Game Multi!
Weather
Melbourne - Showers, 12 degrees.
Perth - Mostly sunny, 19 degrees.
We’re all clear in Perth and no worries under the roof at Marvel, however it might be a little damp at the MCG. Shouldn’t disrupt things too much but slippery conditions might suit the inside mids a little more.
Where to Attack?
There’s a number of avenues to attack this Sunday slate. The Saints are an obvious target as they give up league-leading points in a number of areas. One of those is in the ruck where Rowan Marshall is a beast, but he doesn’t really defend his opponent at all. However he’s up against Jordan Sweet in the ruck this week who also has struggled to contain his opponents. Sweet’s last two opponents have scored 125 (McInerney) and 120 (Xerri) so this could be a loose match for both players.
The Saints also continue to press back to concede easy possession to their opposition defenders. This trend has been consistent in the Ross Lyons era so load up on Power defenders in this one.
Alternatively, the Tigers have also conceded huge numbers to the opposition defenders this season. This extends to the outside mids on the wing. The Blues have a number of guys who like to possess the ball in the back half that might be worth considering for your lineups.
Richmond have given up points at both ends of the ground with opposition forwards also having a good time. That’s not surprising from the team second last on the ladder. They come up against the twin towers of McKay and Curnow with the Blues near 40-point favourites, so stacking Blues forwards should be a popular play.
Finally, it’s worth noting how West Coast have struggled in the midfield in recent weeks. This is perhaps largely because they have been missing Reid and Kelly who are both expected to return to harden them up in the middle this week. Hawthorn inside mids might be worth a look.
Game script: Blues forwards, Hawks inside mids, Blues defenders, Power defenders
VALUE PLAYS
Alex Cincotta ($6,000) has been revitalised in a tagging role with some big scalps in recent weeks. The tagging role gets Cincotta close to the ball and in the thick of the action, and if he can match his 7 tackles from last week, then he’s going to smash value at a minimum price.
Josh Sinn ($6,000) might be a good option if you want to pay down for your defenders. Sinn is a classy young player who has gone 56, 40 and 45 in his first three games. Not exactly huge numbers, but gets the best match up in the league against the Saints for some cheap marks and linking up from the back half which should suit his style.
MID PRICED PLAYS
Harry McKay ($12,630) / Charlie Curnow ($12,860) are both viable options on this slate. The twin towers at Carlton are always hard to stop, but the Richmond defence has been especially hopeless this season, so it’s highly likely one, or both, will get off the chain. Curnow is leading the Coleman but interestingly hasn’t hit a ton in fantasy scoring all season, with his 92 last week his best for the year. That’s why I tend to lean to McKay who gets more up the ground to collect more marks, with three tons and three other 90+ scores this season.
Dylan Moore ($13,120) is always a good option as he has a massive ceiling that can win you a slate. He’s not always consistent but had a season-high 132 three weeks ago, and that would be a fantastic return here. Always has a good base of tackles, so just needs to hit the scoreboard for us.
PREMIUM PLAYS
Nic Newman ($14,760) looks primed for a massive game here against the Tigers who give up enormous numbers to the opposition defenders. Newman has averaged just under 100 over his last six games, but is still capable of some massive scores with a 144 earlier in the year against Collingwood. Also made a 107 against Richmond earlier this season.
Dan Houston ($15,940) is the other premium defender who could have a massive game. Gets the best match up in the league against the Saints and with two 130+ scores in his last five matches, the ceiling is there to go large again. Scored 97 against the Saints earlier in the year but we’d like to see him go a bit higher than that at this price.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
AFL Fantasy Cheat Sheets
