Round 18 of the 2026 AFL season kicks off this Thursday night at Optus Stadium with one of the most eagerly anticipated single-game slates of the season as Fremantle host Sydney. Draftstars are offering $50,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament.
This is a clash between the two best teams in the competition in 2026 and with both sides still battling for top position on the ladder, the stakes could not be higher. Fremantle are 14-2 and sit on top of the ladder, having lost only to Geelong in Round 1 and last week, a shock loss to the Giants. Sydney are 13-3 and will be desperate to prove themselves in a marquee matchup after taking a huge loss to defending premiers Brisbane two weeks ago. The confirmed team changes significantly reshape the fantasy landscape. Fremantle lose Hayden Young to injury, removing one of their primary mids and utilities creating a scoring vacancy. More significantly, Sean Darcy has been dropped with Mason Cox named as his replacement — a change that fundamentally alters the ruck matchup with Darcy seriously eating into Luke Jackson's scoring in recent weeks. For Sydney, Tom Papley returns from a calf injury in place of Corey Warner, restoring their most potent small forward back into the lineup for a game that Sydney have identified as pivotal to their premiership campaign.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
AFL $50,000+ Thursday at Draftstars
AFL $5,000+ Thursday High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $3,000+ Thursday Mini ($2 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $2,000+ Thursday 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 18 Fremantle vs Sydney
AFL Fantasy Round 18 Thursday: Where to Attack?
It is absolutely no shock to see that these two sides are giving up the fewest fantasy points in the league this season given they are sitting clearly ahead of the rest of the competition on the ladder.
Fremantle give up the fewest points to inside midfielders, general forwards, rucks, wings and half backs… so good luck with that. Sydney on the other hand, give up slightly below average points to every position. So right away the lean is Fremantle as the best of a bad situation. Throw on top they are playing at home at Optus Stadium and come in as just over 2 goal favourites, I right away go to stacking up the Dockers mids and forwards off game script. One step further, I don’t like the Swans ability to stand up in these type of games. Over and over they have shown they fall apart when things matter the most and I will be heavily leaning on the Dockers players as a result in this matchup.
Game Script – Fremantle forwards and midfielders, Sydney backs
AFL Fantasy Round 18 Thursday – Our Value Fantasy Picks
Isaiah Dudley ($6,000) priced at the minimum on a very difficult slate, Dudley has been in ripping form this season both with his tackling inside the forward 50 and hitting the scoreboard. His last three games have seen an average of 53 points with two games over 57 and I am expecting that will be enough at this price point to help you win given the other options on the board.
James Jordon ($8,850) is the value differential play on this slate and the tagging role is the entire case. Jordon has been Sydney's primary defensive midfield assignment across 2026, and Caleb Serong as Fremantle's clearance engine is the obvious target for that role on Thursday night. The key insight with a tagger is counterintuitive — by chasing Serong at every centre bounce, Jordon effectively inherits a 50-70% CBA attendance rate of his own, generating the contested possessions, tackles and hardball-gets that drive his scoring independently of how many disposals he accumulates on the outside. When the tag is on a genuine ball magnet like Serong, he is always in the contest, always generating the grunt work that produces fantasy points. Alternatively, look to James Rowbottom ($9,980) who may be required more in the midfield this week against a tough opponent and brings a bigger upside with a 99 point game two games ago.
AFL Fantasy Round 18 Thursday – Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Josh Treacy ($10,330) is Fremantle's number one key forward and with the Dockers installed as 12.5-point favourites, the game script strongly supports his involvement. He has posted a five game average of 74 points at Optus Stadium, but it is his ceiling score there of 116 that most interests me. There is always the opportunity for Treacey to return a score that breaks the slate at his price and the second most recent game against the Swans he posted a 91 point game.
AFL Fantasy Round 18 Thursday – Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Luke Jackson ($15,190) is my premium ruck play of this slate and the honest assessment requires acknowledging both sides of the ledger before landing firmly on the bullish case. Sydney's ruck concession sits at around league average despite Grundy playing one of the best seasons of his career, essentially a neutral matchup. Jackson after looking like the best ruck in the league to start the year saw his scores fall away in the last few weeks as Darcy took over 40% of the ruck contests and played more ruck around the ground. While he has been replaced with Cox, over the season Cox has only attended around 20-30% of the ruck contests and had less impact on Jackon’s scoring. I expect a big bounce back from Jackson to his earlier season form in this one.
Andrew Brayshaw ($14,780) is the form midfielder for the Dockers and I will start my Freo stacks there. His last three game average of 121 highlights this with 131 and 132 in back-to-back bringing back fantasy memories of earlier in his career. His Optus Stadium venue history is equally compelling, averaging 108 over his last five games at the ground. Despite this recent form he is still priced nicely under $15k and if Freo get on top like expected it will be through his strong link play. On the other hand my BIG FADE: Caleb Serong ($13,850) - stating the obvious here really, but despite notching up a 102 point game last week it was the first time Serong had hit three figures in over a month and he has been copping a tag every other week. With James Jordan squashing everyone for Sydney I expect him to go straight to Serong in this matchup.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Fantasy Round 18 Thursday
Weather Report for Thursday, 9th July
Optus Stadium (Perth) — 13 degrees, clear. Perfect conditions under lights for the Thursday night blockbuster.
AFL Betting Markets Round 18 Thursday
Fremantle ($1.49) vs Sydney ($2.65)
Points: 176.5
Line: Fremantle -12.5
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!
