Round 4 of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season continues this Friday with another huge daily fantasy contest on offer from Draftstars with over $60,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament.
Good Friday delivers two intriguing matchups for fantasy players. The afternoon game sees North Melbourne host Carlton at Marvel Stadium in the traditional Good Friday clash — a game that shapes as a genuine coin flip with the Roos coming in as slight underdogs despite their superior form this season. Carlton continue to be one of the more baffling teams in the competition, leading at half time in all three games so far only to repeatedly fade badly in the second half. North meanwhile have been competitive with wins over Port Adelaide and Essendon, led by fantasy messaiah Harry Sheezel. The key storyline for fantasy purposes is the absence of Tristan Xerri who has been handed a three-week suspension for a grubby act against Essendon last week, which reshapes the ruck landscape considerably for this game.
The night game at Adelaide Oval sees Adelaide host Fremantle in what is a genuine 50/50 contest, with the Crows welcoming back captain Jordan Dawson and Taylor Walker from injury. Fremantle are looking very strong at home but in this matchup will have an opporunity to stamp themselves as a legitmiate contender with an away game against solid competition, while the Crows will be looking to steady themselves after a loss last week.
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AFL $60,000+ Friday
AFL $5,000+ Friday High Roller ($150 Entry)
AFL $3,000+ Friday Mini ($2 Entry)
AFL $2,000+ Friday 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!
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AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 4 Friday
AFL Fantasy Round 4 Friday: Where to Attack?
We continue to lean on the back half of 2025 for our matchup analysis while blending in what we have seen through the first three rounds of 2026.
The headline fantasy story for this slate is Xerri's absence for North Melbourne. He is their primary ruckman and has been averaging 105 points per game this season with scores of 55, 152 and 96 through three rounds. Without him, Carlton's ruck setup of Pittonet and Reidy suddenly becomes a much more viable avenue to attack, and North will need to cobble together a ruck solution with Callum Coleman-Jones the likely beneficiary of extra time.
From a matchup perspective, Carlton gave up above average points to inside midfielders over the last 10 games which sets up North Melbourne's midfield — particularly Davies-Uniacke and Sheezel — as the primary offensive targets in this game. They are also letting general forwards run riot to the tune of just under 7 points per game above league average which is the second most in the league over that period. Going the other way, North Melbourne conceded above average points to forwards while restricting opposition defenders to some of the lowest scores in the league, primarily because they love to hold all the possession for themselves.
For the Adelaide vs Fremantle game, it is no surprise that the Crows, as last years minor premiers, have been relatively stingy in conceding fantasy points going back to 2025, with only inside midfielders being just above league average. Fremantle on the other hand have avenues to attack with backs, inside midfielders and general backs being above league average, while they have held key forwards to the third lowest scores in the league.
Game Script: North Melbourne half backs, wings and midfielders / Adelaide forwards
AFL Fantasy Round 4 Friday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Callum Coleman-Jones ($8,250) is the most interesting value play on this slate given Xerri's suspension. He is North Melbourne's backup ruck and steps into a much larger role this week as the primary hit-out option against Pittonet. His last three scores of 37, 29 and 35 reflect the limited role he has had as the backup ruckman but with Xerri out he should see a significant uplift in centre bounce attendance and hit-out duties. Carlton gave up above average scores to opposition rucks across the back half of 2025 and Coleman-Jones at this price in that role is a compelling value play. Any return in the 70 point range would be excellent value and his role in this game should allow for that opportunity.
AFL Fantasy Round 4 Friday: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Josh Rachele ($12,800) has been one of the form players of the competition through the first three rounds, posting 114, 70 and 98 for an average of 94 points. He is attending over 50% of Adelaide's centre bounces and splitting time between the inside midfield and forward, which gives him a high ceiling in any game script. At just under $13k he is nicely priced for what he is producing and should be a popular inclusion in Adelaide stacks.
Izak Rankine ($10,550) is one of the more compelling value plays on this slate when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture. He averaged 87.2 fantasy points last season — one of only four players in the entire competition to average at least 20 disposals and one goal per game — making him one of the premier fantasy scoring options in the league at his best. His price has been driven down to under $11k off the back of a 21-point game against Geelong last week, which was a direct product of Geelong deploying Oisin Mullin to tag him out of the contest. Strip that out and his previous two scores of 66 and 78 reflect a player who was still working his way back into full midfield rotation after serving his suspension — he attended just 32% of Adelaide's centre bounces in his first game back. Now back on home deck at Adelaide Oval where he thrives, with Dawson and Walker both returning to open up space and no expected opposing tagger, expect his CBA load to lift significantly and his scoring to return toward his 87-point average.
Finn O'Sullivan ($11,210) is a player whose stock is rising quickly in 2026 and last week's career-high 98 fantasy points against Essendon was a statement performance that showed what he is capable of when given full inside midfield opportunity. The second-year Kangaroo is firmly entrenched in North Melbourne's midfield rotation averaging 72% attendance at centre bounces so far this season. With Carlton conceding above average points to inside midfielders over the last 10 games of 2025 this is a very favourable matchup for his profile. Notably this is also a particularly compelling matchup given the history of these two clubs in this fixture — it's played under the Marvel Stadium roof removing any weather risk and Carlton's inability to sustain effort across four quarters means the game should open up nicely for a player of O'Sullivan's running capacity. At $11,210 he is well priced for the role he plays and the ceiling he has demonstrated.
AFL Fantasy Round 4 Friday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Colby McKercher ($14,800) is a player whose fantasy output is entirely role-dependent and last week we got the clearest signal yet that his best role is back. Shifted back to half back against Essendon in Round 3, he promptly racked up 35 touches and 116 fantasy points — a performance that confirmed what his backers have always known about the ceiling of this position for him. Through the first two games of the season he had been used in a more rotational capacity which suppressed his output to scores of 65 and 40, but that half-back role is where he piled up big possession numbers through the back half of 2025, averaging over 87 points across the season. The matchup against Carlton this week is a good one — the Blues gave up above average points to opposition wings and attacking half backs through the back half of 2025, making them a natural target for a player of McKercher's profile. Carlton are also a team that has been turning the ball over regularly this season which generates exactly the type of intercept and transition opportunities that a half-back accumulator like McKercher thrives on. With the role clarity now firmly established and the matchup cooperating, he is a strong premium play on this slate.
Luke Davies-Uniacke ($15,170) is one of North Melbourne's premier fantasy options and has been one of the most consistent premium scorers in the competition through the opening three rounds of 2026, posting 125, 97 and 94 for an average of 105 points. He is North's primary CBA attendee by a significant margin and that dominant inside midfield role is entirely reflected in his scoring output. His 2025 average of 91 points already made him a genuine premium but his start to this season suggests he is operating at an even higher level, and the matchup against Carlton this week is one to get excited about. The Blues have given up above average points to inside midfielders over the last 10 games of 2025 and their inability to sustain defensive pressure across four quarters only amplifies that opportunity. Davies-Uniacke also has a strong head-to-head record against Carlton — he averaged 30+ disposals in his last three matches against the Blues — and with North playing under the Marvel Stadium roof in a game where the Roos are expected to be highly competitive, he has every chance to approach or exceed that 125-point ceiling again this week. In a two-game slate where you are looking for a premium anchor, he is a lock.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Fantasy Round 4 Friday
Weather Report for Friday 3rd April
Marvel Stadium – Indoors, no weather concerns
Adelaide Oval – 22 degrees and partly cloudy
AFL Betting Markets Round 4 Friday
North Melbourne ($2.22) vs Carlton ($1.67)
Points: 177.5
Line: Carlton -7.5
Adelaide ($1.82) vs Fremantle ($2.02)
Points: 175.5
Line: Adelaide -2.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Friday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down each game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
