AFL Opening Round continues this Friday night and Draftstars once again delivers for Daily Fantasy players with another huge contest featuring over $75,000 guaranteed in prize money in the main tournament.
For this matchup we see the Gold Coast Suns host the Geelong Cats at People First Stadium, which shapes as an exciting game and interesting DFS slate with plenty of fantasy scoring potential. Both teams feature several high-end midfielders capable of producing elite fantasy scores and the matchup between the Suns’ contested midfielders and Geelong’s experienced engine room should create plenty of fantasy opportunities. Gold Coast in particular will be looking to take another step forward this season after finishing strongly last year, while Geelong continue to rely on their experienced core to drive scoring through the midfield and half back.
As always this is all about the daily fantasy and this massive Friday night game draws a huge $75,000 prize pool in it’s main contest. In addition, there are a variety of alternate contests:
AFL $75,000+ Suns vs Cats at Draftstars
AFL $5,000+ Suns vs Cats High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $3,000+ Suns vs Cats 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: Opening Round Gold Coast vs Geelong
AFL Fantasy Opening Round Friday Night: Where to Attack?
With the new season just beginning we will again rely on trends from the final 10 games of the 2025 season, which can still provide valuable insight into matchup opportunities.
One area that stands out is the potential for midfield fantasy scoring on both sides of this matchup. Surprisingly, the Gold Coast conceded above average scoring to their opponents last season despite having a very strong fantasy scoring team in the middle themsevles. During the picks we will consider the impact that having no Brownlow medalist Matt Rowell in the lineup for this game will have on the Suns players scoring.
The area to attack the Cats is via the back line. Geelong gave up over 4 points per game above league average to the designated kicker over the back half of last season (third highest in the league) and above average scores to both general defenders and wings. The Suns love to setup their play through their running half backs and will open up a great stack opportunity.
Game Script – Mix of midfielders, Gold Cost forwards and backs
AFL Fantasy Opening Round Friday Night: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Alex Davies ($9,580) shapes as one of the more interesting value plays on this slate with Matt Rowell unavailable, which should open up additional centre bounce opportunities in the Gold Coast midfield. During the Suns preseason game Davies attended 21 of their centre bounces and he has shown ability to hit a ceiling score of upwards of 110 fantasy points in the right role.
Ethan Read ($7,320) will have an interesting role to start the season. He has been trialled on the wing through the summer, which will provide opportunity to pay back his low price point. Furthermore, Witts will need chop outs in the ruck especially with the new rules so n a single game slate this makes for a solid value play.
AFL Fantasy Opening Round Friday Night: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Will Powell ($12,590) is another Sun who saw plenty of midfield opportunity during the preseason also attending 21 centre bounces in Gold Coast’s preseason match. The role change was intentional with Powell expected to rotate through the midfield prior to Rowell’s injury. Now with Rowell out there will be plenty of rotations to go round and Powell has showed plenty of fantasy scoring potential in the past as a back.
Tanner Bruhn ($11,970) is one of the more intriguing mid-priced options on this slate coming back into the side after a controversial year off in completely new role across half back for Geelong. We got a clear look at this role during the Cats’ preseason game where Bruhn produced 108 fantasy points, finding plenty of the ball while distributing from the back half. At his salary, Bruhn does not need to replicate that preseason score to provide value anything in 90+ fantasy point range would already represent a strong return, and if Geelong look to move the ball through their half-back line consistently, he has every opportunity to approach that level again.
AFL Fantasy Opening Round Friday Night: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
John Noble ($13,730) is one of the more appealing defender options on this slate given both his role in the Suns backline and the favourable matchup against the Cats. Noble became the Gold Coast’s designated kick-in taker in 2025, which is one of the most fantasy-friendly jobs for a defender. Noble was taking anywhere from 4-8 kick ins down the back half of last season and as we noted earlier Geelong were conceding the third most points in the league to opposition designated kickers. In addition, Noble has topped 95 points from four of his last five games at home.
Jarrod Witts ($13,610) is in an elite matchup on this slate. Geelong conceded roughly +5 fantasy points above league average to opposition rucks across the final 10 games of the 2025 season, indicating that rucks were consistently able to exceed their typical fantasy production. That type of matchup is important for a player like Witts whose scoring is driven by high hit-out totals and clearance involvement around stoppages.
Here is our Suggested Draftstars Lineup
Weather Report for Friday 6th March
29 degrees with showers in the morning
AFL Betting Markets
Odds: Gold Coast ($1.43) vs Geelong ($2.85)
Points: 166.5
Line: Gold Coast -14.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Friday Preview and Betting Tips for the match. Our experts break down the game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
