Another big Super Saturday of AFL action awaits with five juicy games for us to get stuck into on this slate.
First up, we’ll see the Cats head to Hobart to take on the Kangaroos who should be more than competitive on a ground they are very familiar with. Two late afternoon games will see the 'Q clash' between Brisbane and Gold Coast, while Essendon will be desperate to change their momentum against the Saints. Melbourne will host the Giants on a cold Saturday evening at the MCG, before the Western Derby between Fremantle and West Coast finishes off a busy day!
Draftstars continue to offer massive prize pools with the Saturday main contest worth $50,000 along with their usual variety of alternate contests:
- AFL $50,000+ Saturday
- AFL $5,000+ Saturday High Roller ($150 Entry)
- AFL $2,000+ Saturday 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 have seen the targets slashed as Draftstars looks to give away the Jackpot which is now heading close to $20,000. For just $1 you can enter, and if your team can hit the 950-point target then you'll share in the top prize!
Betting Markets
North Melbourne ($3.75) vs Geelong ($1.26)
Line: Geelong -23.5
Points: 174.5
Gold Coast ($2.10) vs Brisbane ($1.72)
Line: Brisbane -5.5
Points: 176.5
St Kilda ($2.18) vs Essendon ($1.66)
Line: Essendon -6.5
Points: 160.5
Melbourne ($1.88) vs GWS Giants ($1.92)
Line: Melbourne -0.5
Points: 157.5
Fremantle ($1.13) vs West Coast ($5.75)
Line: Fremantle -37.5
Points: 162.5
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 previews for every match in Round 20 where we provide our best bet for the game as well as a great value Same Game Multi!
Weather
Hobart - Cloudy, 11 degrees.
Gold Coast - Mostly sunny, 24 degrees.
Melbourne - Showers, 12 degrees.
Perth - Partly cloudy, 21 degrees.
Weather may only play a factor in the match between Melbourne and GWS at the MCG on Saturday night. There’s showers expected throughout the day, so it seems likely that it will be slippery which may mean more stoppages and more tackles for inside midfielders.
Where to Attack?
It’s a little counter-intuitive to think it could be a good matchup for the team that’s been among the worst in history against the team that won the flag just two years ago, but that’s where we find ourselves as the Kangaroos face Geelong. The Cats have conceded some of the league’s highest points in a number of positions this season including the ruck, inside mids and forwards. The Roos should play Blundstone Oval well and capitalise from a fantasy viewpoint.
Of course, the biggest trend of the last few seasons is defenders against St Kilda with the Saints continuing to just give up free possession. The Bombers defenders have been priced up in this one is the only concern but they should have a fill up.
Both Melbourne and West Coast continue to struggle in defence and concede big numbers to the opposition forwards. Both were thrashed last week and Fremantle have the biggest line advantage of the slate as over six-goal favourites, so look to build in their forwards who should hit the scoreboard hard.
Game Scripts: Kangaroos ruck and inside mids, Essendon defenders, GWS/Fremantle forwards
VALUE PLAYS
Jaidyn Stephenson ($7,580) is in play this week and here’s why. One of the most important concepts of DFS is understanding roles - that is, what position they will play and what influence they can have on a match. And if roles change then that can create opportunity as a new role might see an upswing in scoring. That’s what we’re looking for with the inconsistent Jaidyn Stephenson. Last week in the VFL, Stephenson had 30 disposals, 11 marks and 114 fantasy points in a halfback role. He has 115 and a 98 in the last month as well. Now, if you look at the Kangaroos team list, you’ll see Zac Fisher and Colby McKercher both out of the side. Both play that halfback distributor role. If we put two and two together, it seems likely that the incoming Stephenson will be given the opportunity to rekindle his career with a halfback role in this match. It’s not the greatest matchup for halfbacks but it’s a favourable role for fantasy scoring. Even if Darcy Tucker ($11,070) or Tom Powell ($10,080) also go back, it’s hard to see why Stephenson won’t be given an opportunity back there and at a value price, he seems a great play.
Ben McKay ($8,710) has to be considered this week with the best matchup in the league against the Saints who give up massive points to the opposition defenders. McKay is the cheapest Bombers defender available and his recent form has been really good with scores of 70, 82 and 82 over his last three weeks which would be a good return at this price.
MID PRICED PLAYS
Sam Draper ($9,860) is a good pay down option in the ruck this week as he gets a good matchup against Rowan Marshall of St Kilda. Draper has been great in recent weeks when given the number one ruck responsibility with scores of 83, 91 and 74 over his last three weeks. I really like how Draper has been pushing forward to provide a marking option and if he can kick straight and hit the scoreboard then it’s a real bonus.
Josh Tracey ($12,340) has been irresistible in recent weeks with some commentators even calling for him to be considered for All Australian selection. That might be a stretch, but Tracey has definitely improved a lot this season, and was fantastic last week with 112 fantasy points against Melbourne, and 109 three weeks ago against Richmond. His price is creeping up, but coming up against the lowly Eagles, he looks the main threat up forward for Freo and a big chance to go large once again. Luke Jackson ($12,670) is also in play at the same price point.
PREMIUM PLAYS
Luke Davies-Uniacke ($14,840) looks hard to stop this Saturday with the Kangaroos expected to have a big advantage through the midfield against Geelong. The good thing about LDU this season has been his consistency with only one score under 88 in his last 10. If we had to be critical, he hasn’t had that massive ceiling game, with a high of just 114 this season. LDU needs to start hitting the scoreboard with only 8 goals for the season, to elevate his game to elite levels. We’re looking for that slate-breaking ceiling game this week.
Tristan Xerri ($16,450) has been enormous for the Roos this season as their number one big man as he continues to throw his weight around the packs and crunch his opposition physically. His tackles have been a real feature and a massive boost to his fantasy scoring with 10 tackles and 43 hitouts helping him to a score of 124 against Carlton last week. Comes up against makeshift ruckman Sam De Koning this week who might get absolutely monstered. Expecting another big ton-plus score from big X.
Suggested Draftstars Team
AFL Fantasy Cheat Sheet
