With the bye rounds out of the way, we’ve got a full slate of four matches for AFL Round 17 Saturday which is far more exciting for fantasy AFL. We kick things off under the roof at Marvel Stadium with the Bombers welcoming the Suns in what should be an entertaining contest. Down the highway, the Cats are enormous favourites against the baby Tigers, before two night matches wrap up the day’s action. The Lions will host the Power at the Gabba, while the last match of our Marvel double header will see the Saints take on the Hawks. A great day of AFL action, let’s get stuck into it!
As always, this is all about the daily fantasy and this Saturday slate draws another massive $50,000 prize pool at Draftstars in their main contest, plus more qualifiers for the $1 million AFL Star contest! In addition, there are a variety of alternate contests:
AFL $50,000+ Saturday at Draftstars
AFL $5,000+ Saturday High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $3,000+ Saturday 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 17 Saturday
AFL Round 17 Saturday: Where to Attack?
The Bombers have been a great team to attack recently. They are leaking huge points to opposition defenders, in particular to the designated kicker as the second worst in the league to that position. Look to target some Suns defenders.
Gold Coast’s weakness has been in the midfield, where they are surprisingly second in the league (only behind the Kangaroos) in conceding points to opposition inside midfielders over the last ten matches. The main spot to avoid against the Suns has been in the ruck, however it’s worth noting that Jarrod Witts has been managed for this match.
Geelong stacks will be popular as ten goal favourites against the lowly Tigers who leak points massively all over the ground. You can literally take Cats players in any position.
The Lions and Power will be a tighter fantasy contest. The Lions don’t give up much at all across the ground, while the Power’s main weakness is in ruck. Hard to see too many plays from this match.
Similarly, the Hawks have been a tough team to score against in terms of fantasy. The Saints have also been quite solid recently, with their main weakness coming against the opposition general forwards where they are the second worst in the league over the last ten matches.
Game script: Geelong stacks, Gold Coast defenders, Essendon inside mids, Hawthorn forwards
AFL Round 17 Saturday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
George Stevens ($6,000) comes into the Geelong team to make his debut after some solid form in the VFL where he has scores of 89, 103, 119 and 87 over the last month. Stevens is a hard-bodied midfielder who enjoys a tackle which provides a good scoring base, so is worth a gamble at minimum price against the Tigers to provide some salary relief for your lineup. The main concern is the sub-watch. Looking at the team lists, it appears Stevens is a good chance to be the sub, and if that’s the case, the player late swap options aren’t that appealing at that price.
Bodhi Uwland ($9,410) is one of several Suns defenders that look appealing on this slate with a favourable match up against the leaky Bombers. Uwland started on fire last week with a huge first quarter before fading late to end with a 72. Uwland is being used far more to link up out of the backline, and has hit 80+ earlier in the season which is what we’re looking for here. You can pivot to Wil Powell ($9,720) or correlate them together at the same price point for similar potential.
AFL Round 17 Saturday: Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
Jack Martin ($9,900) sneaks into the mid-priced category but offers good value at his price. Martin is enjoying his new role in the Cats across the half-back line where he can utilise his foot skills out of defence. Martin has scores of 84 and 76 in the last fortnight and should have an easy time against the Tigers who leak massive points to opposition defenders.
Brayden Fiorini ($11,080) is arguably the biggest tease in AFL fantasy with enormous numbers at VFL level that don’t always translate into output at the highest level. However it’s worth noting that for the first time this season, Fiorini has snuck into the CBA rotations over the last fortnight at around 25% which has helped to produce scores of 98, 87 and 88 in the last three weeks. Last week, it was great to see Fiorini boost his score with 10 tackles. We know that Fiorini can be a fantasy pig, so at this price against a leaky Essendon midfield, he’s worth a gamble with big upside.
AFL Round 17 Saturday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Jye Caldwell ($15,680) has been in great form for the Bombers and comes up against the Suns who have been very leaky to inside midfielders recently. Caldwell has scores of 109, 122, 110, 128 and 120 recently which is great consistency and a healthy ceiling for a premium pick.
Max Holmes ($15,950) has had a great season and, in conjunction with Bailey Smith ($18,310), has run the opposition off their feet with excellent dash and penetration. Had some close attention last match, but before that had back-to-back scores of 131 and 146. After a week off and with a match up against Richmond, it’s hard to see how they are going to stop these two young stallions. It’s hard to get to Smith at the price, so happy to stick with Holmes.
Heres our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Round 17 Saturday
Weather Report Saturday July 5th 2025
Melbourne - Mostly sunny, 16 degrees.
Geelong- Mostly cloudy, 14 degrees.
Brisbane - Mostly sunny, 22 degrees.
Great weather around the country this Saturday, so there’s no impact on fantasy scoring. Let’s play!
AFL Betting Markets Round 17: Saturday
Essendon ($3.57) vs Gold Coast ($1.30)
Line: Gold Coast -21.5
Points: 171.5
Geelong ($1.02) vs Richmond ($15.00)
Line: Geelong -60.5
Points: 176.5
Brisbane ($1.24) vs Port Adelaide ($4.10)
Line: Brisbane -26.5
Points: 176.5
St Kilda ($3.19) vs Hawthorn ($1.39)
Line: Hawthorn -18.5
Points: 167.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Preview and Betting Tips for each match. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
