Round 9 in the AFL continues this Friday night with another huge daily fantasy contest on offer from Draftstars with over $60,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament.
We get another two game slate this Friday, kicking things off at the Gabba where Brisbane host Carlton in what shapes up to be the most one-sided matchup on this slate from a statistical perspective. Brisbane are overwhelming favourites, averaging 107 points per game in 2026 and having kicked 100 or more six times this season, against a Carlton side on a six-game losing streak averaging just 79 points and conceding 515 points after half time for the year. This leaves the Lions as 43 point favoutires and a mega game stack option for daily fantasy.
Then over at the Adelaide Oval we have a genuine toss-up between Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs with the market having the Power as 0.5 point favourites. Both sides have been injury-ravaged this season and both are carried by their elite midfield stars. The Bulldogs confirmed Marcus Bontempelli is carrying a knee injury but is expected to play, while Tim English made his long-awaited return from his MCL injury last week. For Port, Josh Carr is unlikely to make many major changes after an excellent three-week run.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
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 Nine – Friday Slate
AFL Fantasy Round Nine - Friday: Where to Attack?
The data for the Brisbane vs Carlton game is extraordinary and points overwhelmingly in one direction. Carlton have three very clear areas that they are giving up huge points too, starting at the ruck where they have conceded over 21 points per game above league average over the last five games. Then we move to the forward line, where general forwards have been scoring at the second highest mark in the league against them at over 11 points above average, and finally the wings and half backs where they are conceding the most in the league at over 17 points above average. On the flip side, Brisbane continue to be one of the hardest teams in the league to notch up fantasy points against, conceding below average scoring across each position over that same time period.
From the Port Adelaide vs Western Bulldogs game, the Bulldogs have been giving up points to the back line and forward line. They've conceded over 11 points above average to the designated kicker and up forward they are giving up over 4 points above league average to both the key and general forwards. As is typically to their past trends they do restrict opponents through the midfield where they have been restricting players to 4 points below league average. Critically, Port Adelaide have also been one of the toughest teams to score against over the last five games. With all positions conceding below league average apart from inside midfielders and designated kickers which are pretty much neutral.
Game Script – Full all out Brisbane game stack on this slate
AFL Fantasy Round Nine - Friday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Charlie Cameron ($9,880) is the standout value play in the Brisbane stack this week. Carlton have been giving up over 11 points above average to general forwards at 83% frequency and Cameron in a Brisbane dominant game script at the Gabba is a recipe for a big goal-kicking performance. He posted 101 last week and his last three scores of 71, 101 and 74 average 82 points — a floor well above his price. In a game Brisbane are expected to win by over 40 points with relentless forward entries, his ceiling at under $9.9k is outstanding.
Christian Moraes ($8,840) is the boom-or-bust tournament play of the round for the second consecutive week. The 19 year old has cemented himself as one of Port's most exciting young midfielders in 2026, winning the Gavin Wanganeen Award as the club's best under-21 player last season and building on that consistently this year. His last three scores of 74, 96 and 46 average 72 points, despite not recording a TOG higher than 60% in those three games. If he gets unleashed for a full game, his ceiling at this price point is enormous.
AFL Fantasy Round Nine - Friday: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Jason Horne-Francis ($13,870) is the best mid price play on the slate as his price has simply not caught up with what he has been delivering. The Port Adelaide midfielder has been on a heater posting 120 and 126 in two of his last three games as he has fully shed the forward-only role that restricted his scoring early in the season while recovering from foot surgery. He is now operating as Port's co-primary midfielder alongside Butters, driving their midfield with a combination of contested ball, clearances and goal-kicking that generates scoring from every category simultaneously. In a genuine coin-flip game at Adelaide Oval where the midfield battle decides the result, JHF running free through the centre bounces and getting forward to hit the score board should bring another big score.
AFL Fantasy Round Nine - Friday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Dayne Zorko ($16,500) returned from his calf injury last week and stepped straight back into the designated kicker role for Brisbane off half back. This has to be one of the positional best matchups on the slate. The Brisbane captain has been in sensational form when available in 2026, posting 123, 116 and 95 in his last three games for a 111-point average, and those scores came against markedly tougher opposition than Carlton are currently presenting. Carlton have been conceding over 17 points per game above league average to wings and half backs and their midfield structure has been decimated all season, presenting Zorko with a completely unimpeded corridor to accumulate disposals, clearances and goal assists from first bounce. He is the lock of the round and just stack him up with other Brisbane players you expect to get in the possession chains.
Will Ashcroft ($16,340) has been one of the top fantasy scorers in the competition through 2026, posting 121, 131 and 100 in his last three games for an average of 117 points — an extraordinary run of form that reflects a player at the peak of his powers. I expect in this game with the Lions such heavy favourites, the Blues capacity to suppress Brisbane's young gun through the middle will be limited. He is my first picked in the middle for big Brisbane stacks.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for Friday
Weather Report for Friday 8th May 2026
The Gabba (Brisbane) — 21 degrees, clear
Adelaide Oval — 17 degrees, clear
AFL Betting Markets Round 9 Friday
Brisbane ($1.09) vs Carlton ($7.50)
Points: 186.5
Line: Brisbane -43.5
Port Adelaide ($1.89) vs Western Bulldogs ($1.95)
Points: 179.5 8
Line: Port Adelaide -0.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Friday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
