Four games of AFL on Super Saturday in Round 21 and another juicy prize pool to win in AFL fantasy at Draftstars. In terms of a spectacle, the first three matches aren’t too inspiring, but luckily they are the warm up act for the main event in the evening!
The Dees will face the Eagles to kick things off at Marvel Stadium from 1:20pm. Two twilight games will see the Suns welcome the Tigers to the Gold Coast, while the Bombers will look to be competitive against the Swans. Fortunately the day has been saved by a 2023 Grand Final replay between premiership contenders, the Magpies and Lions, at the home of football.
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 21 Saturday
AFL Round 21 Saturday: Where to Attack?
On a slate where there are three massive favourites, there’s plenty of options to attack!
First up, it’s no surprise that the team on the bottom of the ladder give up big points to opposition midfielders and forwards. The Eagles have also been poor in the ruck all season and have dropped Matt Flynn this week, leaving the ruck duties to Bailey Williams against Max Gawn. Good luck with that!
The Suns should have a big win against the Tigers, and you can basically target against the Tigers in any position on the ground. They are particularly leaky to opposition defenders and wingers but they are simply terrible everywhere!
The Swans should be in for a good time against an injury-ravaged Essendon, with the Dons conceding massive fantasy points recently. Todd Goldstein has struggled in the ruck with the Dons now more than 10 points above league average in points conceded to that position. They are also in the top three for points conceded to inside midfielders. But it gets worse. They have been leaking enormous points to defenders and the designated kicker and this is definitely an area to exploit with the Swans renowned for chipping around in their back half. The only concern with this is the weather in Sydney which may make marking more difficult.
If there’s any area to target against the Swans it's the general forwards where they surprisingly are the league worst at over 10 points above league average.
The only game without any obvious exploits is the Pies against the Lions which you can expect from two teams at the pointy end of the ladder.
Game script: Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney stacks
AFL Round 21 Saturday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Connor Budarick ($9,000) rewarded our faith last week with another nice score of 89 and he hasn’t copped a big price rise here. He didn’t have the role in the backline like we had hoped, and seemed to float more across a wing, but he was still very good and hopefully that form continues in a great matchup against the Tigers. Touk Miller does come back in which will shuffle the deck a little bit, but still backing Budarick to hit value.
Ben Long ($9,290) was excellent last week with 4 goals and a very nice fantasy score of 92 against the Lions. Should enjoy a very favourable matchup against the poor Tigers backline and he did score a 99 against them earlier in the year. Can be hit or miss play which can win you a slate, or just as easily, see you miss the cash. Hopefully plenty of goals for the Suns!
AFL Round 21 Saturday: Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
Bailey Humphrey ($11,180) was sensational last week with a 114 on the back of 19 touches, 8 tackles and 3 goals against the Lions. Surely he can match that against the Tigers! Definitely another hit or miss play, consistency hasn’t been Humphrey’s strength, but the Suns do have a lot of faith in him as a mid-forward which should be a great role in this match up.
Jake Lloyd ($12,660) has been pretty good since he was dropped from the Swans side with four 90+ scores in his last five matches. This feels like a bit of a Jake Lloyd game. He’ll enjoy pushing forward and getting plenty of chances at goal, while connecting with the back half for some cheap marks. I like his chances for a solid 100+ score.
AFL Round 21 Saturday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Max Gawn ($17,420) / Brodie Grundy ($18,450) are likely to be the two highest scoring players on the slate, but you’re going to have to find some good value picks to be able to afford them.
Gawn has the gun matchup against the Eagles without Matt Flynn, and after the devastating loss to the Saints last week, you’d think Maxy would be fired up for a big game. Scored a staggering 158 against the Eagles earlier in the year.
Grundy has been the form player of the competition recently with 11 tons in a row and eight scores of 120+ in his last nine matches. Wet conditions may provide a lot of stoppages which should suit Grundy, the only consideration is the inclusion of Peter Ladhams who may take some of the ruck duties, especially if the Swans get out to a big lead.
Heres our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Round 21 Saturday
Weather Report Saturday August 2nd 2025
Melbourne - Sunny, 14 degrees.
Gold Coast - Partly cloudy, 19 degrees.
Sydney - Rain, 16 degrees.
Things look fine in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast, however there is going to be some rain around in Sydney. Look for plenty of stoppages there which should suit ruckmen and inside midfielders, while making life tougher for marking targets and forwards.
AFL Betting Markets Round 21 Saturday
Melbourne ($1.08) vs West Coast ($8.00)
Line: Melbourne -42.5
Points: 171.5
Gold Coast ($1.04) vs Richmond ($12.50)
Line: Gold Coast -50.5
Points: 167.5
Sydney ($1.04) vs Essendon ($11.00)
Line: Sydney -44.5
Points: 149.5
Collingwood ($1.64) vs Brisbane ($2.27)
Collingwood -7.5
Points: 165.5
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!
