Another three games in the AFL this Sunday to wrap up Round 17 action. First up, two struggling teams will lock horns at the MCG as the Demons will be keen to get some momentum back against a struggling Eagles team. The Saints will then slog it out at Marvel Stadium against the Swans, before the day wraps up at the Gabba as the Lions will host the Crows. All three games have warm favourites so there’s some potential stacking opportunities for AFL fantasy lineups!.
Draftstars continue to offer massive prize pools with the Sunday main contest 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 $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
Melbourne ($1.14) vs West Coast ($5.50)
Line: Melbourne -33.5
Points: 164.5
St Kilda ($4.15) vs Sydney ($1.22)
Line: Sydney -25.5
Points: 164.5
Brisbane ($1.24) vs Adelaide ($3.95)
Line: -26.5
Points: 172.5
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 a strong range of AFL betting markets and offers, including Same Game Multis.
Additionally, we have a full AFL Round 17 Betting Previews for all matches where we provide our best bet for the game as well as a great value Same Game Multi!
Weather
Melbourne - Mostly sunny, 14 degrees
Brisbane - Partly cloudy, 21 degrees.
No issues with the weather this Sunday. Let’s play!
Where to Attack?
Melbourne and West Coast have both been pretty ordinary recently, with both sides missing a lot of key personnel, especially through the midfield where they have both leaked a lot of points to the opposition. How they match up against each other will be interesting to see.
The main position to exploit in that match will be in the ruck where Max Gawn will likely match up against Bailey Williams after Matt Flynn went down injured last week. Gawn had his worst game of the season last week and will be desperate to lead from the front.
The ruck is also in play in the Saints vs Swans match. We love Rowan Marshall but he’s conceded the worst numbers in the league to the opposition ruck this season. Last week, the Saints chopped-in Tom Campbell to that position as Marshall went forward which makes the Saints even more vulnerable. They come up against a beast in Brodie Grundy this week who has been at the opposite end of the spectrum, being extremely hard to score against all season. It looks a great match up for the Swans’ big man.
The Swans defenders will also be licking their chops as the Saints continue to give up enormous numbers to the opposition defenders, including the designated kicker. The Swans have a number of guys who can go big here in this spot.
The Saints have been solid in defence with their low-scoring style producing games that aren’t conducive to forwards from either team.
The Brisbane and Adelaide game looks a lot tighter. Brisbane have been tough to score against across most positions, while the Crows are around the league average.
Game script: Melbourne mids, Melbourne/Sydney rucks, Sydney defenders
VALUE PLAYS
Braeden Campbell ($6,000) / Robbie Fox ($6,000) look the best of the minimum priced options on this slate, but as usual, keep an eye on team announcements to see if they draw the dreaded sub vest. I like Campbell as a distributor but he’s struggled to get much momentum this season with limited game time. Did score a 60 last week and has a 74 from earlier in the season. Fox comes back into the side following injury and if he gets a full game, then he’s likely to hit value, with consistent scores around 10x at this price throughout the season. There’s two other factors in favour of Campbell and Fox. It’s likely one, or both, will get a good role across half-back with Harry Cunningham out through injury. They also get a fantastic match up with the Saints who are one of the leakiest teams to opposition defenders. It all points to a good budget option for your Draftstars lineups.
Andy Moniz-Wakefield ($7,000) / Koltyn Tholstrup ($7,030) are also in play for the Dees where they are matched up against the lowly Eagles. Both youngsters have shown some promise in limited games. Tholstrup has been lively across half-forward with scores of 50 and 72 the last two weeks, and there should be plenty of ball at his end of the ground in this one. Moniz-Wakefield debuted last week with a 57 in a tough match up against the Lions. Looked classy and this should be much easier.
MID PRICED PLAYS
Kysaiah Pickett ($10,470) was awesome last week with a 104 against the Lions. It did include 5 goals which inflated the number a little bit, but he does have a near 70 average and plenty of regular 80+ scores this season. Gets a great match up against the Eagles here where he can roam into the middle and push forward to hit the scoreboard. Pickett is a confidence player, so I really like him to have another big one here.
Nick Blakey ($13,660) should be a popular choice in defence in this one, with the Lizard racking up the stats last week to post a 121 against Freo. Has the ability to go large, with a 132 earlier in the season against Hawthorn, and an 82.1 average this season. Up against the Saints who give up easy points to the opposition designated kicker, Blakey should have plenty of cheap +3’s in this one.
PREMIUM PLAYS
Brodie Grundy ($15,850) is my pick of the rucks. Gawn, Marshall and Grundy are all in play, and while I expect big Maxy to bounce back hard after last week, I have to lean to Grundy at the price. Rowan Marshall has given up massive numbers this season, and so Grundy looks a good option, saving us around $1400 on Gawn. Grundy has a similar ceiling, with a 142 high score, with multiple 120+ scores this season with 5 tons in his last 6 matches, and that’s what we’re looking for here.
Errol Gulden ($16,890) is the most expensive midfielder on the slate, but if you can fit him into your salary cap, you sense he’s ready to go big once again. If you ignore last week against Freo where most of the Swans were well held, Gulden went 154, 127, 151, 119 and 116 the five weeks before that. Those are some staggering numbers. The Saints shouldn’t pose any fears, especially if Gulden works back into the defensive half for some cheap marks. Look for another massive score!
Suggested Draftstars Team
AFL Fantasy Cheat Sheets
