AFL Round 22 rolls on with a fascinating four-game Saturday slate that features a healthy mix of projected blowouts and one game that looks set to go right down to the wire.
We kick things off at the MCG where Melbourne hosts ladder leaders Fremantle in one of the matches of the round. The Dockers continue to set the benchmark across the competition and head to Melbourne as deserved favourites, but the Demons have shown enough at times this season to suggest they can make this a very competitive contest at the G.
Attention then turns to the SCG where Sydney takes on Port Adelaide. The Swans have been one of the form teams of the second half of the season and will be expected to control proceedings, but Port are capable of pushing them all the way.
The third game of the afternoon sees Geelong host Essendon at GMHBA Stadium. The Cats are the shortest-priced favourites of the entire round and loom as one of the most popular teams to stack, although the potential for a one-sided contest will be something fantasy coaches need to weigh up.
Saturday night wraps up at Adelaide Oval where Adelaide face Richmond. The Crows enter as another heavy favourite and, like Geelong earlier in the day, should provide no shortage of premium fantasy options if the game plays out as the bookmakers expect.
From a Draftstars perspective, this slate presents an interesting balancing act. There are a few genuine blowout candidates that could produce monster scores for the favourites, while Melbourne versus Fremantle shapes as the most competitive contest of the afternoon. Let's break down the Round 22 Saturday slate.
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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
AFL $2,000+ Saturday Micro (50c Entry) at Draftstars
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!
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AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 22 Saturday
AFL Fantasy Round 22 Saturday: Where to Attack?
Melbourne and Fremantle are both in the top three toughest in the league for opposition rucks and inside midfielders, but there’s avenues to attack this game on the outside. Melbourne have been very good this season but they do give up some of the most points in the league to general forwards, wings, defenders and the designated kicker. It should be a good contest but there’s plenty of opportunity to find some Dockers in your lineups!
The other three games are particularly one-sided which opens some stacking opportunities.
The Swans are big favourites against the Power but there’s not too many holes to exploit. The Power are generally better than average across the board, with the only real area of weakness to the designated kicker. The Swans give up above average points to general forwards but are particularly tough for inside midfielders, rucks, wings and the designated kicker.
The Cats will be popular as they are huge favourites at home against the cellar dwellers. The Bombers are giving up fantasy points at an alarming rate and over the last ten matches they have been worse than league average in every position on the ground. They are the league worst to inside midfielders and in the top three worst to opposition general forwards. Meow. The Cats only weakness is in the ruck where they continue to concede a staggering 23.87 points worse than league average over the last ten rounds. They have been very good at restricting key forwards.
Finally Crows stacks are in play against a Richmond side that concede plenty of fantasy points in all positions. The Tigers are in the top three worst to key forwards, inside mids, general defenders and the designated kicker which opens the door to Crows all over the park. Adelaide don’t give up too many fantasy points and they are particularly tough on opposition wingers and the designated kicker.
Game Script: Dockers wings/defenders, Cats stacks, Bombers ruck, Crows stacks
AFL Fantasy Round 22 Saturday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Vigo Visentini ($6,000) comes into the Essendon side as the number one ruck with Nick Bryan out injured. Anytime you can get a number one ruck at minimum price, it’s worth consideration. In Visentini’s favour is that he draws the best ruck match up in the league in Geelong who concede a whopping 23.87 points above average over the last ten matches. Further to that, the Cats are without their number one ruck in Mitch Edwards this week, so they’ll be running a very makeshift combination of Sam De Koning ($8,650) and Mark Blicavs ($8,130). Visentini’s form in the VFL has been modest, but his last two weeks produced fantasy scores of 104 and 85, and he recorded a 63 on debut against the Dockers last year when given the keys to the ruck role. So it all points to a very worthwhile value play. Obviously Peter Wright ($10,080) is also in play as the Bombers secondary ruck option, but after kicking six goals last week, they may want him playing closer to home.
AFL Fantasy Round 22 Saturday: Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
Shannon Neale ($10,840) should be in for a big day out against the Bombers on Saturday with the Cats over 10 goal favourites. Neale has been improving in his role as the key target for the Cats after the injury to Jeremy Cameron. His last two weeks have produced scores of 82 and 71, but you have the feeling he’s ready to tear a game apart. Great opportunity to do that here. Also with Mitch Edwards out, there’s a chance he’ll do a little ruck work which should add to his potential scoring.
Riley Thilthorpe ($11,990) looked to be back to his best last week with 10 marks, 5 goals and 127 fantasy points against the Bombers. While Thilthorpe hasn’t had the best season, he has another easy kill here against the Tigers who simply have no one capable of going with him. I like Thilthorpe to go large again!
James Worpel ($12,550) isn’t a glamorous pick but he’s been very consistent since coming back into the Cats side. Over the last three weeks, Worpel has produced scores of 102, 80 and 90 and he gets the gun match up in the league here against the Bombers who give up more points to inside midfielders than any other team. Worpel is playing every match to hold his spot in the team, so expect him to cash in with a nice ton here.
AFL Fantasy Round 22 Saturday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Izak Rankine ($15,540) is my pick of the premiums on this slate. Rankine has been in excellent form with scores of 138, 92, 103 and 121 in the last month. He looks to be moving exceptionally well and seems hungry for the contest. He’ll enjoy a soft matchup against the Tigers where he can likely run around and collect possessions at will. I lean to Rankine as not only are you getting prime form and a gun match up, but you’re saving a couple thousand in salary compared to some of the other premiums on this slate.
Here's our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Saturday
Weather Report for Saturday 8th August
Melbourne - Light rain, 17 degrees
Sydney - Light rain, 16 degrees
Adelaide - Light rain, 14 degrees
Some rain around the country on Saturday, but shouldn’t be anything too much to drastically change our fantasy plans.
AFL Betting Markets Saturday Round 22
Odds provided with thanks to NextBet!
Melbourne ($2.49) vs Fremantle ($1.54)
Line: Fremantle -10.5
Points: 173.5
Sydney ($1.10) vs Port Adelaide ($7.00)
Line: Sydney -39.5
Points: 176.5
Geelong ($1.01) vs Essendon ($19.00)
Line: Geelong -64.5
Points: 183.5
Adelaide ($1.02) vs Richmond ($17.00)
Line: Adelaide -55.5
Points: 157.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Previews and Betting Tips for each match. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
