Bring on another massive Thursday night of Draftstars with over $50,000 guaranteed in prize money to be won in their main contest and more tickets into the $1 million AFL Star!
AFL Round 12’s feature matchup is this Thursday night is between Brisbane and Essendon up north at the Gabba. Brisbane have had a stella season as the reigning premiers sitting in second spot just two points behind Collingwood. They are coming off a massive bounce back win against Hawthorn that really cemented the fact they are going to be very hard to top this year. Essendon on the other hand are coming off a big win against Richmond that has left them deadlocked in a four way tie with teams sitting from 7th to 10th.
As always this is all about the daily fantasy and this massive Thursday night game draws another massive $50,000 prize pool at Draftstars in their main contest. In addition, there are a variety of alternate contests:
AFL $50,000+ Lions vs Bombers at Draftstars
AFL $5,000+ Lions vs Bombers High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $3,000+ Lions vs Bombers Mini ($2 Entry) at Draftstars
If you're new to the Daily Fantasy Sports scene and want to join in on the fun, simply join Draftstars via this link!
AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 12 – Brisbane vs Essendon
AFL Lions vs Bombers: Where to Attack?
Essendon have been giving up the third most points in the league to inside midfielders this season, which is the starting point for our Brisbane stack opportunities in this matchup. Brisbane are over 40 point favourites at home here so we can also stack up their forward line, even though Essendon have done a solid job restricting general forwards to a below average fantasy score this year (they are giving up over 2 points per game above league average to key forwards).
Brisbane, no shock, have been extremely stingy across the field this season. That is typical when you are one of the top teams in the league but if I was looking to target via game script I would suggest that Essendon backs will have plenty of possession opportunity and they have loved to accumulate the football this season.
Game Script – Brisbane forward and midfielders / Essendon backs
AFL Lions vs Bombers: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Sub Watch: Deven Robertson ($6,000) / Zak Johnson ($6,000) / Elijah Tsatas ($6,970)
The sub announcement will be key in this slate for our value plays. These three players are all sitting around the minimum price range but if they are starting the game they will have the opportunity to return value. Deven Robertson has shown ability to rack up fantasy points in the past in the right role, but unfortunately he is unlikely to see a great deal of inside midfielder time on this slate. However, given the Lions are expected to win big he could still see plenty of opportunities as a high half forward and potentially on the wing.
Elijah Tsatas, when he plays, has been seeing plenty of inside midfield time this season. He has continued to post huge scores in the VFL and from his three senior games this year posted scores of 71 and 56, which would likely be solid returns at this price point. It is noted that this would be a very tough game for him against one of the best midfields in the league.
Zak Johnson will make his AFL debut and will have a fantasy friendly role for the Bombers across half back in this matchup. His VFL scores have been consistently above 85 points this season with a ceiling of 120+.
Cam Rayner ($8,690) / Eric Hopwood ($9,000)
Love these two as Brisbane forward stack options in this matchup. Hipwood has shown ability to hit into the 80+ point range on multiple occasions this season and this is even more likely in games where the Lions are significant favourites. As noted above the Bombers have been having trouble with key forwards.
Cam Rayner will get limited midfield opportunity (averaging 15% attendance at centre bounces this season) as well as playing forward. Both good roles in this matchup and like Rayner has shown above to top the 80 point mark multiple times this season.
AFL Lions vs Bombers: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Darcy Fort ($10,920) is the ruck of choice in this matchup for mine. Fort will sole ruck against Todd Goldstein who's well past his prime now. The Bombers have been giving up over 6 points per game above league average over the last 10 games, which is the 5th highest mark in the season during that stretch. Fort has also shown higher upside this year than Goldstein for a similar price.
AFL Lions vs Bombers: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Dayne Zorko ($16,410) is looking like the Benjamin Button of the AFL right now as he just keeps on keeping on. He has not gone under 100 fantasy points for 6 weeks and absolutely loves an easy kill in his role off half back. Essendon have been giving up over 3 points per game above league average to opposition designated kicks.
Hugh McCluggage ($15,190) is the mid I love to pick out in the Lions big wins, especially at the Gabba. He has shown huge upside there with three scores over 119 on the Gabba last season. Also he is great link up player, which fits nicely if you are planning to stack up the Lions on this slate.
Here's our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for Brisbane vs Essendon
Weather Report for Thursday 28th May
23 degrees and partly cloudy. No impact on fantasy scoring, lets play!
AFL Betting Markets Round 12: Brisbane vs Essendon
Brisbane ($1.08) vs Essendon ($8.50)
Points: 174.5
Line: Brisbane -43.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Previews and Betting Tips for each match. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
