Round 9 of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season will continue this Sunday with another huge daily fantasy contest on offer from Draftstars with over $60,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament.
Melbourne arrive at Marvel Stadium on Mother's Day as overwhelming favourites against a West Coast side that has lost their last 5 games and is rapidly establishing itself as a heavy wooden spoon favourite. The Demons nearly produced a stunning comeback against Sydney last week after Kysaiah Pickett and Harvey Langford sparked a dominant final-quarter surge, and will be buoyed by the return of backman Jake Bowey. West Coast lose Elijah Hewett to omission and arrive without several experienced players.
The MCG afternoon game pits a Richmond side fresh of its first win for the season against an Adelaide team that dramatically escaped the Showdown last week and welcomes back Jordan Dawson from personal leave. The Crows are installed as strong $1.14 favourites at the MCG, though Richmond get back Tim Taranto from his concussion protocols — a significant boost for Adem Yze's rebuilding side. Adelaide lose Taylor Walker and Jordon Butts to injury while Dion Prestia is out injured for Richmond.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
AFL $60,000+ Sunday
AFL $5,000+ Sunday High Roller ($150 Entry)
AFL $3,000+ Sunday Mini ($2 Entry)
AFL $2,000+ Sunday 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 – Sunday
AFL Fantasy Round Nine – Sunday: Where to Attack?
Both games present exceptionally clear attacking angles this week as the data points overwhelmingly toward Melbourne and Adelaide stacks.
West Coast have been giving up over 10 points above league average to inside midfielders, the second highest rate in the competition over the last five games. They also leak over 12 points above average to general defenders, nearly 7 above average to general forwards and over 7 above average to key forwards. No surprise that one of the wooden spoon favourites is giving up points across the majority of the positions on the ground. Going back the other way against Melbourne, the clear avenue to attack is through defenders with Melbourne giving up some of the highest fantasy scores in the league across the wings, half back and designated kickers. This makes for the perfect single game stack playing West Coast defenders against Melbourne forwards and midfielders.
In the Richmond vs Adelaide game, Richmond have been giving up over 11 points above average to key forwards — the standout Adelaide attack angle — alongside over 3 points above average to inside midfielders and over 6 above average to wings and half backs.
Game Script – Adelaide key forwards, Melbourne general forwards, Melbourne / Adelaide inside midfielders, West Coast backs
AFL Fantasy Round Nine – Sunday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Caleb Windsor ($9,760) is one of the most exciting fantasy value plays on this slate. The former Pick 7 has been attending 73% of Melbourne's centre bounces across the last two games, a great volume for a player at under $10k, as Steven King has fully committed to his role as the engine room's primary outside runner. West Coast have been giving up over 10 points above league average to inside midfielders and in a game where Melbourne are expected to dominate, the supply flowing through Windsor's corridor should be relentless. His last three scores of 73, 88 and 48 average 70 points with that 48 the clear outlier, and at $9,760 for a player in this role for a team expected to dominate its matchup, he is a lock.
Bayley Fritsch ($10,170) is an upside value play that has an elite matchup on this slate. Melbourne's most reliable forward has kicked three or more goals in five of his last six games against West Coast — a matchup record that is as consistent as any individual trend in the competition. His last three scores of 41, 86 and 62 average 63 points but those numbers understate his ceiling considerably in a matchup this generous — West Coast have been giving up nearly 7 points above average to general forwards and Fritsch has switched roles up in recent weeks pushing further up the ground in high half forward role which should increase his scoring opportunity.
AFL Fantasy Round Nine – Sunday: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Riley Thilthorpe ($12,430) is the standout mid-price play in the Adelaide stack and the data makes it decisive. Richmond have been giving up 11 points above league average to key forwards — the highest rate to that position in the entire competition — and Thilthorpe as Adelaide's primary marking target steps into that matchup as the sole key forward spearhead with Taylor Walker confirmed out. The 201cm former Pick 2 has been struggling early in the season with Adelaide having a run of tough matchups, but should see a return to his form from the prior year as the schedule eases up with matchups like this week against the Tigers. His 2025 average of 83.2 from a full season of healthy football is the benchmark on full supply.
Josh Lindsay ($10,260) and Tom McCarthy ($13,030) are the two West Coast players to target in this matchup and the kick-in data tells the story perfectly. Between them they have accounted for 66 of West Coast's kick-ins this season — making them the joint primary designated kickers for the Eagles and the direct beneficiaries of Melbourne conceding over 7 points above league average to that position. In a game where Melbourne are expected to score freely and repeatedly at Marvel Stadium, the volume of kick-in opportunities flowing to this pair should be substantial throughout all four quarters.
Lindsay has posted 60, 97 and 62 in his last three games for a 73-point average with that 97 showing the ceiling available when his kick-in volume and rebound disposals combine in a big game. McCarthy has been the more consistent performer, posting 98, 63 and 113 in his last three for an 91-point average — that 113 showing the ceiling when the Eagles are possessing the ball across the back line, which can be expected with how this game should go.
AFL Fantasy Round Nine – Sunday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Kysaiah Pickett ($15,920) is the third premium lock on this slate and one of the most in-form players in the competition over the last fortnight. He has posted 96, 131 and 80 in his last three games, showing his enormous upside which is in play as the West Coast matchup is perfectly suited to his goal-kicking and contested inside midfielder role. Melbourne are over 40 point favourites and we can expect them to pile on the scoring in a game where the total points is expected to be over 190.
Max Gawn ($17,010) has been the form ruck of the season, but in recent weeks he has started splitting the role with Max Heath. This has resulted in two of his last three games going under 100 fantasy points for the first time in the year. Generally he would have been my first player locked in on this slate due to the matchup against West Coast who have struggled to hold opposition rucks down for years. But now at this top price point on the slate you need to consider whether there is enough elsewhere to fit him in. Alternatively look at rostering Max Heath ($7,600) as a value play and hope for him to work towards a 60-70 point output against the lowly Eagles.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Sunday
Weather Report for Sunday 10th May
Marvel Stadium (Melbourne) — 15 degrees, roof mitigates any weather risk
MCG (Melbourne) — 17 degrees, clear
AFL Betting Markets Round 9 Sunday
Melbourne ($1.11) vs West Coast ($6.70)
Points: 195.5
Line: Melbourne -41.5
Richmond ($6.40) vs Adelaide ($1.12)
Points: 180.5
Line: Adelaide -39.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Sunday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
