Round 19 of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season continues this Friday night at the SCG as Sydney host Adelaide. Draftstars are offering $50,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament - let's grab some of it!
The Swans come into this one desperate to bounce back after their loss to Fremantle last week — their fourth defeat of the season — and have responded by making four changes to their lineup, welcoming back defender Riley Bice and big man Logan McDonald as they try to shore up a side that has been one of the competition’s best all year. They’re still favourites at home, priced as 14.5-point favourites, and with the SCG being one of the toughest venues in the comp to win at, Adelaide will need to produce something special to cause the upset. But don’t sleep on the Crows — they have been in red hot form and have made just two changes of their own, the main one being Rory Laird going out with an injury. That is a significant blow for Adelaide’s backline, but will open up some fantasy opportunities reshaping things in a big way down back, with Laird having been one of the competition’s most consistent half-back scorers. Tex Walker also gets a rest this week. Sydney come in as favourites but this has the feel of a game that could go either way and the contest will be tight.
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AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 19 Sydney vs Adelaide
AFL Fantasy Round 19 Friday: Where to Attack?
Both these teams are among the hardest in the competition to score against, so right away you need to manage your expectations here and look for the best of a genuinely tough situation. Adelaide are the tightest team in the comp for opposing fantasy scorers, giving up close to the lowest scores in the league to general forwards, inside midfielders, wings/half backs and designated kickers. On top of this, there isn’t one position on the ground that they don’t hold teams to below averages scores.
On the flip side, Sydney are holding teams to just below average to all positions apart from inside midfielders where they are giving up just 0.47 points per game above league average (it’s a small edge but on this slate we have to consider anything we can get). In terms of where to attack, I will be looking more to game scripting, especially with the Swans at home and 14 point favourites.
In addition, as noted at the top, the biggest fantasy storyline is the Rory Laird injury and what it means for the rest of the Crows backs. An obvious play will be to load up on the Swans forwards and mids and then play the Crows backs as a game script and pickup some value where Laird’s possessions and scoring are picked up by Crows who wouldn’t usually get that opportunity.
Game Script – Adelaide backs, Sydney midfielders and forwards
AFL Fantasy Round 19 Friday – Our Value Fantasy Picks
James Jordan ($9,080) is in play as these challenging matchups always make it tough to find value. I will continue to go back to Jordan on these single game slates with him tagging through the midfield. He has attended over 50% of the Swans centre bounces the last two games and I expect him to tag a midfielder (likely Rankine) again this week. This has resulted in recent scores of 70, 63 and 74 from his last three games - nothing world beating but a solid floor at this price point in this slate.
An alternate option at a similar price point is James Rowbottom ($9,890). While his midfield time has been reduced, he is still attending around 25% CBAs and if Jordan ends up tagging more up forward because the Crows send their player there, I expect Rowbottom to slide back into the inside more.
Luke Nankervis ($8,690) will get every opportunity on this slate to pickup the possessions that will usually be consumed by Rory Laird. Nankervis has had a break out season this year and has solidified his spot in the back six. He has shown upside of 103 points just four weeks back and produced a solid 76 two games ago. It is more of gamble play, but with Larid usually getting well over 20 disposals a game, these will certainly go to other Crows and I will use Nankervis in my stacks to spend up elsewhere.
AFL Fantasy Round 19 Friday – Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
James Peatling ($12,570) provides a nice mid-priced option from the Crows, with the Swans giving up just above league average to the position this season. Peatling has been in solid form with back-to-back 90+ point games and will not garner much defensive attention, rather he will be likely to get a semi job on one of the Swans guns. The SCG ground will suit his style of play and it is between him and Sam Berry ($13,510) who I would like to play here.
AFL Fantasy Round 19 Friday – Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Errol Gulden ($14,850) rounds out the Sydney premium conversation and at his price, I want him in any lineup that is serious about ceiling. He’s posted 100, 91 and 84 across his last three after coming back from injury and is clearly building back toward his best, with a 127 and 107 in his two most recent games against Adelaide confirming exactly what the ceiling looks like when he’s firing. Adelaide will be a tough defensive opponent but Gulden’s ability to find the ball across the ground and generate scoring from multiple avenues means he doesn’t need a soft matchup to hit triple figures.
Brodie Grundy ($15,080) is worth consideration. The ruck, like most areas on the ground in this game, is a tough choice. Grundy had a difficult game last week against Fremantle and I always love playing a superstar off a bad game to get the bounce back. Furthermore, Grundy is back home at the ground he loves playing on in the SCG. His last five games here has seen just one game go under 128 points, which is just an incredible record, and in his last three games against the Crows he has managed two games over 124 points. So the ceiling is right there for him.
AFL Fantasy Round 19 Friday – Our Fades
Izak Rankine ($14,140) is a fade alert with James Jordan expected to go to him this week. When healthy this year, Rankine has been one of the best players in the league, dominating both up forward and through the midfield. But we saw earlier in the year what happens when a tagger gets to him, as Mullin for the Cats held him to a season low 21 points. I think the Swans will look at Rankine as arguably the Crows most damaging player and apply the defensive tag accordingly.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Fantasy Round 19 Friday
Weather Report for Friday 17th July 2026
SCG (Sydney) — 14 degrees, clear. Good conditions for Friday night football at the SCG.
AFL Betting Markets Round 19 Friday
Sydney ($1.49) vs Adelaide ($2.64)
Line: Sydney -14.5
Points: 177.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Friday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down the game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
