Round 6 of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season 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.
This Friday we get a double header with the opening game at GMHBA Stadium where Geelong host the Western Bulldogs in what was shaping as the blockbuster of the round before injury began to eat into the Bulldogs' squad. Mark Blicavs will celebrate his milestone 300th AFL game in front of his home crowd, with Patrick Dangerfield also very likely to return from a calf injury. The Bulldogs arrive in Geelong having been belted by 40 points by Hawthorn last week and with further selection headaches. Ed Richards and Tim English are unlikely to be in the lineup and Connor Budarick is out 3-5 weeks with a hamstring. Tom Liberatore is expected back from his own hamstring issue which is the one piece of good news for Luke Beveridge. Geelong start as 11.5-point favourites at their fortress GMHBA Stadium, where they have won six straight.
The second game is the Battle of the Bridge as the ladder-leading Sydney Swans host the GWS Giants at the SCG in the first Sydney Derby of 2026. The Giants head into the clash on a five-day turnaround and with a fresh injury hit after Stephen Coniglio and Aaron Cadman — who kicked four goals in his return last week — were both injured against Richmond and will miss. With Sam Taylor still 4-5 weeks away, the Giants are significantly undermanned and face a Sydney side that has been the most dominant team in the competition through five rounds at 4-1 with a percentage of 175.5. Brodie Grundy looms as a massive matchup problem for ruckman Nick Madden who played his first game of the season last week while Isaac Heeney continues his extraordinary form run. Sydney are installed as 24.5-point favourites.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
AFL $60,000+ Friday at Draftstars
AFL $5,000+ Friday High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $3,000+ Friday Mini ($2 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $2,000+ Friday 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!
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 Six – Friday Slate
AFL Fantasy Round Six - Friday: Where to Attack?
Ok, this is two tough games to work through on this slate. We are also working on smaller sample sizes with 5 games of 2026 being completed.
In the first matchup Geelong are giving up above average points to inside midifelders and a massive 15 points per game above league average in the ruck but nothing at any other positions. Meanwhile, the Western Bulldogs are conceding one of the lowest marks to inside midfielders in the league this season, but are giving up one of the highest amounts in the league to general defenders and designated kickers at over 14 points and 15 points above league average respectively. Also in classic Bulldogs form, they continue to give up above average scoring to key forwards. The Bulldogs will continue to be even more stretched in this region with English out as they look to cover the ruck role with Lobb at times.
In the second game, Sydney are conceding the fewest fantasy points in the league this season, restricting every position except for general forwards who are 0.66 points above league average (bonanza!). I would be avoiding loading up any Giants on this slate. GWS on the other side are giving up above average points to key forwards, general forwards, and inside midfielders, and a in addition a whopping 10 points per game above league average to wings/attacking half backs.
Game Script – Geelong half backs and key forwards, Sydney midfielders
AFL Fantasy Round Six - Friday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Connor O'Sullivan ($9,160) has been one of the quieter value plays of the 2026 season, posting scores of 94, 62 and 92 across his three games from a half-back and wing role that generates rebound possessions and intercept marks. His last three average of 83 points is significantly above his salary and in a game where Geelong are expected to control territory and push the Bulldogs back into defensive positions, O'Sullivan's role generating rebound plays should be well supplied. At under $9.2k he is a reliable floor play in any Geelong stack.
Rory Lobb ($7,660) is the most straightforward role-based value play on the Friday night slate and arguably one of the best on the entire round. With Tim English confirmed out through an MCL knee injury and debutant Louis Emmett having been completely overwhelmed by Hawthorn's Ned Reeves and Lloyd Meek last week — the Bulldogs were beaten 64-17 in hitouts as Emmett struggled badly against the physical demands of an AFL ruck contest — the door is wide open for Lobb to step in as the Bulldogs' primary ruckman at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night. He already pinch-hit in the ruck against Hawthorn and he has done the role multiple times in English's absences across his time at the Bulldogs and was GWS's primary ruckman in 2018, giving him a depth of experience in the position that Emmett simply does not yet possess. The matchup is a genuine asset here too, as noted above the Cats have been getting absolutely obliterated in ruck fantasy scoring this season.
AFL Fantasy Round Six - Friday: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Jeremy Cameron ($12,060) will be licking his lips ahead of this weeks match against the Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have continued their long time trend in 2026 of giving up above average points to key forwards and we have seen how this ends against the Cats in their last meeting wher Cameron kicked six goals at GMHBA Stadium — a dominant individual performance that earned nine coaches votes. I am expecting a ceiling game this week, partically with the Bulldogs being further stretched for talls. If you want to spend less on a key forward, or look to stack up both of them, roster Shannon Neale ($9,060). He has posted a season high of 77 points this season, but last year flashed his 100 point upside and last time he faced the Western Bulldogs (the same game that Cameron kicked 6 goals) he notched up 5 goals himself. A great key forward stacking option presents itself right here.
AFL Fantasy Round Six - Friday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Max Holmes ($15,980) has been in the form of his life through 2026, posting 107, 108 and 111 in his last three games for an average of 109 points — and last week's performance against West Coast included Holmes stepping into the kick-in role. Against the Bulldogs on Friday night that kick-in role becomes a gold mine. The Dogs have given up the most points to the designated kicker position in 2026 — ranking first in the competition for points scored from kick-ins at 12.4 per game by their opponents, well clear of every other team.
Isaac Heeney ($15,620) has picked up exactly where he left off in 2025 and is one of the most dangerous fantasy scorers in the competition right now. Heeney is coming off two of the best back to back games you will see all season where he posted 126 points against West Coast and then backed it up with a 145 point domination of Gold Coast with 33 touches and 2 goals. This has been a plus matchup this season with the Giants struggling to hold opposition midfielders and giving up above average fantasy points.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Fantasy Round Six - Friday
Weather Report for Friday 16th April
GMHBA Stadium (Geelong) — 16 degrees, partly cloudy
SCG (Sydney) — 22 degrees, clear conditions
AFL Betting Markets Round Six - Friday
Geelong ($1.54) vs Western Bulldogs ($2.50)
Points: 185.5
Line: Geelong -11.5
Sydney ($1.25) vs GWS ($4.00)
Points: 179.5
Line: Sydney -24.5
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!
