Round 7 of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season gets underway this Thursday 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.
The Western Bulldogs will host the Sydney Swans at Marvel Stadium this Thursday night with what's a must-win for both sides but for completely different reasons. The Bulldogs were decimated by Geelong last Friday night, going down by 75 points in a game that turned into a nightmare before the final siren. The damage extends far beyond the scoreboard, with Sam Darcy confirmed as suffering a season-ending ACL tear, Tom Liberatore out with concussion and Marcus Bontempelli suffering a hyperextension of the knee and being tested throughout the week. On the bright side for fantasy players, a team that is the walking wounded always opens up fantasy options. Sydney on the other hand, arrive at Marvel Stadium as 32.5-point favourites carrying the momentum of a 5-1 record.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
AFL $60,000+ Bulldogs vs Swans
AFL $5,000+ Bulldogs vs Swans High Roller ($150 Entry)
AFL $3,000+ Bulldogs vs Swans Mini ($2 Entry)
AFL $2,000+ Bulldogs vs Swans 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!
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 Seven: Western Bulldogs vs Sydney
AFL Fantasy Round Seven - Thursday: Where to Attack?
This is one of the clearer single game stacking opportunities of the 2026 season from a daily fantasy perspective. The combination of Sydney's elite midfield operating against a Bulldogs side missing their ruckman, and potentially two of their best midfielders, with Liberatore confirmed out and Bontempelli questionable (despite being named), and their primary ruck-forward in Darcy also out creates the most extreme structural mismatch.
Sydney have been one of the hardest teams to score against all season across all positions, which is no surprise given they are currently sitting on top of the ladder. Even in a typical matchup you would be hard pressed to find avenues to attack them through. They give us the fewest points in the league to midfielders and key forwards, the third least to rucks and the second least to designated kickers. Given the outs for the Bulldogs as well, let's just move on.
The Western Bulldogs already have some key vulnerabilities before we consider the injuries. This season they are giving up the second most points in the league to key forwards at over 7 points per game above league average. This is a trend that has continued for years and all of us that stacked up the Cats tall forwards (especially Cameron) last week were laughing all the way to the bank. They have generally been hard to score against through the midfield, but this could change, especially if Bontempelli doesn’t get up for the game. Through this season they have also been giving up one of the highest amounts across the back line with 14 points above league average to wings and half backs, 8 points above average to general defenders and 13 above to designated kickers.
Game Script – Sydney key forwards, midfielders, backs and ruck (stack the lot)
AFL Fantasy Round Seven - Thursday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Charlie Curnow ($9,130) is the standout value play on this slate when you factor in what is shaping as the most exposed key defensive matchup he has faced all season. The two-time Coleman Medallist arrives at Marvel Stadium against a Bulldogs backline that has been decimated — James O'Donnell and Rory Lobb, the two key defenders who matched up on him in the pre-season match simulation, are both confirmed unavailable this week. The Dogs already struggle in this area giving up over 7 points per game above league average to key forwards over the last five games. Curnow has had big games against the Dogs in the past, kicking seven goals against them in 2019 and four in the pre-season match sim. His last three scores of 55, 44 and 71 reflect a player still finding his rhythm at his new club after being traded from Carlton, but his ceiling is impossible to dispute at 100+ at a $9k price point. The point of difference play here would be to pay less for Joel Amartey ($8,910) who offers similar upside or to fade the Swans play all together and go with Aaron Naughton ($9,180) who will be the sole target for the Dogs with Darcy out.
Jai Serong ($9,130) has been one of the genuine revelations for the Swans in 2026 and his price is yet to catch up with what he has been delivering. Traded from Hawthorn where he spent three seasons starved of senior opportunity, he has played every game at his new club and is thriving on the wing. His scores of 59, 73 and 105 in his last three games demonstrate his genuine upside to help win tournaments at this price point and I love this matchup with the Swans being over 5 goal favourites.
AFL Fantasy Round Seven - Thursday: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Nick Blakey ($12,820) is the Swans number one designated kicker taking 7.5 kick ins per game over the last two weeks. The Western Bulldogs have been giving up over 13 points above league average to the designated kicker position — one of the worst concession rates in the competition — and on matchup alone that makes Blakey a top play in this single game slate. He is coming off a 120 point game last week against the Giants and that level of upside should be in play again this week.
Ryley Sanders ($11,040) has quietly been one of the Bulldogs' most productive fantasy performers through 2026, posting 79, 93 and 109 in his last three games and that scoring has been underpinned by a centre bounce attendance above 50% across that stretch as he has grown into a primary on-ball role. With the potential outs for the Dogs, that CBA load could increase further.
AFL Fantasy Round Seven - Thursday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Brodie Grundy ($18,400) is the standout individual play on this entire slate. He has been in extraordinary form through 2026, posting 130, 130 and 137 in his last three games for an average of 132 points, and faces a Western Bulldogs ruck lineup that will be led by debutant Lachlan Smith. The mismatch is almost without precedent — one of the competition's best ruckmen going up against a player making his AFL debut who has never contested a senior ruck contest. Grundy's hitout count, clearance work and ground-ball pressure will all be elite in this matchup and in a dominant game script his scoring ceiling is firmly in the 150+ range. He is the clearest individual lock on the slate and he is priced to match. Lock and load.
Justin McInerney ($13,350) is having the best season of his career and is arguably the most underrated daily fantasy play on this slate. The Sydney wingman has moved to the inside this year and has been an absolute revelation with scores of 96, 94 and 96 in his last three games. With the opposition teams pouring so much defensive attention into Heeney, Warner and co. it allows McInerney to get off the chain. McInerney’s centre bounce attendance has increased significantly since Round 1 as his role has evolved into a genuine primary midfielder rather than the wing-flank hybrid, and with that I love starting my midfield Sydney stacks with him.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Fantasy Round 7 Thursday
AFL Betting Markets Round 7 Thursday
Western Bulldogs ($4.95) vs Sydney ($1.18)
Points: 188.5
Line: Sydney -32.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Thursday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down the game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
