The AFL season is getting towards the business end as the penultimate Super Saturday of the season arrives for Round 23. We’re back to four games this Saturday and a couple of interesting matches with finals implications.
The Suns and the Giants meet first at an early 12:35pm start time in one of the most important “Expansion Cup” matches in history. The Suns are eyeing off a top 4 spot, while a loss for the Giants might see them miss finals altogether. The Blues and the Power will battle at Marvel Stadium, while across town the Hawks will need to win against the Dees in the twilight match. It all sets up for a blockbuster Saturday night clash with the Magpies desperate to turn their form around as they collide with the ladder-leading Crows. A great day of footy!
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
It's also worth us mentioning that the Draftstars Target jackpot is definitely in play for this slate with the target reduced to just 920 and the jackpot up over $20,000. It’s definitely worth taking a shot for a $1 entry!
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 23 Saturday
AFL Round 23 Saturday: Where to Attack?
Four big matches this Satuday and not a lot of obvious plays, with many of the weaker teams not in action today. You’ll have to be selective about your plays.
There’s not many leaks in the Suns and Giants in recent times. The Suns are slightly above league average in points conceded to general forwards and inside mids, but otherwise are pretty tight. The only area the Giants are giving up points is in the ruck which is also a strong area for the Suns, so this may be worth considering.
The Blues have been conceding one of the league’s highest points to key forwards. Remember, they were competitive against the Suns last week, but Ben King was still able to kick a bag of 6 goals. There’s not a lot of other holes in this game, but the Power do concede above average points to general defenders.
The Hawks have been particularly tough to score against for key forwards, inside midfielders and wingers where they are among the top three toughest in the league. In fact, the only area they have been exploitable recently has been in the ruck where they will face the best ruckman in the game in Max Gawn.
Adelaide and Collingwood are arguably the two best teams in the league, so it’s no surprise that they don’t give up fantasy points easily at all.
Game Scripts: Giants mids, Suns ruck, Power key forwards, Blues defenders, Dees ruck
AFL Round 23 Saturday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Lachie Cowan ($9,720) has put together a solid six weeks of football with scores of 89, 80, 71, 56, 76 and 88 in that time. Cowan has been getting busy in the Blues backline as a key run and distribute player, and that’s a favourable matchup this week against the Power.
AFL Round 23 Saturday: Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
Mitch Georgiades ($10,470) has had a sensational season with 53 goals to be 4th on the Coleman Medal and in consideration for an All-Australian blazer. We’re looking for key forwards against the Blues and all avenues go through Georgiades who is their main target. Kicked 5 against the Blues earlier in the season, so we’re hoping he can kick another bag today.
Toby Greene ($12,310) is a great price for someone of his talent and ceiling. Greene came back from suspension to score a nice 128 last week. Sure, it was just against the Roos, but he also has a 113 from earlier in the season against the Suns. Capable of having massive games, you’d think Greene is going to be desperate to let his football do the talking this week as he leads the Giants in the most important match of their season.
AFL Round 23 Saturday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Finn Callaghan ($15,160) has had a great season with a near 100 average and a healthy 124 last week against the Roos. Previously scored a 113 against the Suns so should enjoy the favourable matchup. The Giants often look to use his run and spread out of defence so pretty solid play. You could pivot to the cheaper Tom Green ($14,500) who hasn’t been producing the huge numbers that we usually expect but did have a 119 against the Suns earlier this season and could be a good point of difference.
Max Gawn ($16,460) is the clear premium choice for me on this slate. Lloyd Meek hasn’t been terrible the last few weeks but he’s going to have a much tougher time against big Max who will be keen to finish the season on a high note. With a season average of 112.3, and a favourable matchup, we’re looking for another 120+ score here.
Heres our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Round 23 Saturday
Weather Report Saturday August 16th 2025
Gold Coast - Sunny, 23 degrees.
Melbourne - Light rain, 12 degrees.
Adelaide - Light rain, 13 degrees.
There could be some light rain around in Melbourne and Adelaide, but doesn't look like enough to affect fantasy scoring at all. Sunny conditions on the Gold Coast. As always, keep an eye on the radar closer to the match and adjust accordingly.
AFL Betting Markets Round 23 Saturday
Gold Coast ($1.45) vs GWS Giants ($2.77)
Line: Gold Coast -14.5
Points: 178.5
Carlton ($1.46) vs Port Adelaide ($2.72)
Line: Carlton -13.5
Points: 172.5
Hawthorn ($1.27) vs Melbourne ($3.78)
Line: Hawthorn -22.5
Points: 164.5
Adelaide ($1.42) vs Collingwood ($2.89)
Line: Adelaide -14.5
Points: 164.5
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!
