Round 12 of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season gets underway this Friday night with another huge daily fantasy contest on offer from Draftstars with over $50,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament.
The MCG Friday night slot serves up what looks to be a lopsided matchup on paper, but given very recent form could be a competitive match. Carlton will host Geelong at the MCG with the Blues who are fighting to avoid the spoon coming in off back to back wins after having their head coach fired. Geelong on the other hand look to get themselves into the top 2 on the ladder by extending their winning streak to five in a row. The Cats are averaging over 109 points per game over the last five games and are one of the form teams of the competition. Bailey Smith's move to Geelong continues to transform this club's ceiling, with the All-Australian's last three scores of 97, 157 and 127 averaging a staggering 127 points and giving Chris Scott a weapon unlike anything they've had in years. Geelong are installed as 23.5-point favourites over Carlton who are sitting at just 3 wins on the season but with back-to-back wins behind them under Fraser there has been an injection of genuine belief into the group.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
AFL $50,000+ Blues vs Cats
AFL $5,000+ Blues vs Cats High Roller ($150 Entry)
AFL $3,000+ Blues vs Cats Mini ($2 Entry)
AFL $2,000+ Blues vs Cats Micro (50c Entry)
Also this season the AFL Star is back for 2026 with a massive $1 million prize pool! Win your way into the Final by winning a Golden Ticket in a range of qualifiers running every weekend!
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 Blues vs Cats
AFL Fantasy Round Twelve - Thursday: Where to Attack?
The defence vs position data from the last ten games provides some clear opportunities to attack. Given the two teams' season form, it is no surprise that Geelong stacks will be the leaning point, noting that they are almost 4 goal favourites in the contest.
The Blues have been giving up the third most points in the league to wings and attacking half backs at over 8 points per game above the league average. This will make for the perfect Cats lineup given they love to the get the ball on the outside through their half backs and wings with Holmes and Smith taking the bulk of these disposals. This will transition the ball to the forward line, and Carlton have also been giving up above average points to both key forwards and general forwards this season.
On the flip side Geelong are relatively stingy. They have been giving up above average points to rucks at over 8 points per game above the league standard, and the only other position to consider is wings and half backs where they are giving up just over 3 points above league average. Although the data doesn’t necessarily point it out, I would like to mix through Carlton inside midfielders as well given this contested area has been one of their strengths on the season, especially if they can run right through to the end of the game.
Game Script – Geelong half backs/wings, forwards. Carlton inside midfielders
AFL Fantasy Round Twelve - Friday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Shannon Neale ($9,530) is an interesting tournament dart. Operating as Geelong's secondary ruck and tall forward, he benefits from picking up contests and crumbs in the forward pocket from what should be a dominant Cats performance. His last three scores of 42, 88 and 92 average 74 points with the 42 the clear outlier — back-to-back scores of 88 and 92 show the ceiling when opportunities come his way. Carlton are giving up above average scores to key forwards and Geelong a strong favourites. At $9,530 with a clear ceiling in the 90s and an elite structural matchup, he is a solid value inclusion in any Geelong stack.
Oisin Mullin ($9,190) has been one of the quietly consistent value plays lately, posting 70+ in five of his last six games for a player priced well below what that output suggests. His last five scores of 44, 89, 70, 76 and 73 average 70.4 points and on a single-game slate that is a very reliable floor at under $9,200 — you only need 65-70 points to be satisfied with the return and he has been delivering that almost every week. Carlton's midfield has been conceding above average points to inside midfielders this season and Mullin's running role through Geelong's engine room gives him a consistent supply of contested ball, tackles and clearance assists that generate his scoring almost regardless of the game script. In a game where Geelong are heavy favourites and expected to dominate possession, his floor is arguably even safer than usual. At $9,190 with a 70+ return in five of his last six, he is a dependable mid-range filler that frees up salary to spend on the premiums that win contests.
AFL Fantasy Round Twelve - Friday: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Lawson Humphries ($12,860) has emerged as one of the must-play half-backs on this slate given his elite form and the structural matchup advantage. His last three scores of 124, 75 and 104 average 101 points — an extraordinary run — and his last ten average of 87.4 points reflects consistent premium-level production. Humphries operates across Geelong's defensive half and is one of the primary distributors of the ball from stoppages, generating metres gained, disposal counts and intercept marks at an elite rate. Carlton's defensive half-back structure has been giving up above average points to the wing and half-back position, which aligns perfectly with Humphries' role. At $12,860 for a player averaging over 100 points in his last three outings, he is significantly underpriced.
AFL Fantasy Round Twelve - Friday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Max Holmes ($15,970) is the premium play for those willing to spend up in the Geelong half-back ranks. His last three scores of 110, 91 and 99 average 100 points and his last ten average of 104 points makes him one of the most consistent high-scoring half-backs in the competition. Holmes has been sharing kick-in duties with a host of other Geelong backs, while also splitting time in the midfield including attending over 60% of the Cats centre bounces last week. This makes for one of the more perfect role splits you could think of spending his time across the two most fruitful positions for fantasy scoring. This is an elite matchup for Holmes and is one of the my locks of the slate.
Patrick Cripps ($13,360) is the standout mid-price Carlton play and one of the more interesting contrarian options on this slate. The Blues captain has been excellent through 2026, posting 104, 111 and 100 in his last three for an outstanding 105-point average. The game script will be tough for Carlton, but Cripps has the quality to accumulate regardless of the scoreline and his matchup history against the Cats is among the best of any individual player against any specific opponent in this competition. I love playing contested midfielders against the Cats who generally like to setup their play from the half back line rather than winning the centre contest.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Friday
Weather Report for Friday 29th May
MCG (Melbourne) — 11 degrees, partly cloudy. No significant weather concerns for this contest.
AFL Betting Markets Round 12 Friday
Carlton ($3.85) vs Geelong ($1.27)
Line: Geelong -23.5
Total: 179.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Friday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down the game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
