Round 24 of the AFL season is here and we've reached the final Saturday slate of the 2026 AFL home-and-away season, with four games to attack and plenty still on the line heading into September.
We kick things off at Marvel Stadium where Carlton takes on minor premier Fremantle. The Dockers have been one of the toughest fantasy match-ups in the competition all season, while the Blues have tightened up significantly over the last ten weeks, so we'll need to be selective with this match.
We then head across to the MCG where Melbournefaces the Western Bulldogs in what shapes as one of the more appealing fantasy contests of the day. With plenty of high-end fantasy scorers on both sides, there are several different ways this game could feature heavily in our lineups.
Saturday night gives us two games to work with. Geelong hosts Richmond down at GMHBA Stadium, where the Cats are expected to win comfortably, while Adelaide and the GWS Giants meet at Adelaide Oval in a game that should be much more competitive.
With four very different match-ups, the final Saturday slate gives us plenty to think about. We have one massive favourite in Geelong, a notoriously difficult Fremantle match-up to navigate, and two games that could provide some of the best fantasy scoring environments of the day.
Let's get stuck into the AFL Round 24 Saturday slate!
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AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 24 Saturday
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Saturday: Where to Attack?
First up, the Blues will tackle the Dockers in an interesting matchup but not one I really want to dive into from a fantasy perspective. The Dockers are among the most restrictive in the league to the opposition forwards and rucks, while the Blues also give a hard time to opposition forwards as well as general defenders and the designated kicker. There’s really no holes to target, so any plays here would be based on pricing.
Melbourne against the Western Bulldogs is a much more attractive matchup for fantasy scoring. The Bulldogs continue to be very leaky towards the opposition, giving up the most points in the league to general forwards, general defenders, outside defenders and wings and the designated kicker. Their main ruckman has also been ruled out so there’s plenty of areas to attack against the Dogs.
The Dees also give up above-average points in the back half, but they are a tough matchup for inside mids and in the ruck.
The stacks will be in force when Geelong face Richmond as 12-goal favourites. The Tigers are already thinking about Bali, while a Geelong win would secure a Top 6 spot, with a chance to rise even further. The Tigers give up some of the league’s most points to opposition inside mids, general defenders and the designated kicker. Cats stacks will be a popular play.
The Cats main weakness is in the ruck where they are a league-worst 21 points above average to the opposition ruck over the last ten matches.
Adelaide and the Giants finish off the slate, but this is another tricky fantasy matchup. The Crows are among the toughest in the league to score against for inside midfielders, wings and outside defenders, and the designated kicker. GWS are also better than average in most areas of the ground, with their only real weakness to inside mids.
Game script: Melbourne stacks, Geelong stacks, Richmond ruck, Adelaide inside mids
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Saturday: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Oisin Mullin ($8,470) is the best tagger in the game at the moment, and he’ll probably have no choice but to go to Tim Taranto ($14,120) this week. However this should be a comfortable game for the Cats, so is there opportunity for Mullin to let go of the leash a little this week. With no Worpel in the middle, the Cats will be looking for a bit more output from others, and Mullin’s recent numbers stack up alright with scores of 60, 66 and 81 in the last three weeks. Against a very soft Tigers midfield, Mullin will be where the ball is, and can easily pump out another 80 for us. I’m not a great fan of anyone cheaper than Mullin on this slate, so he’s in my side this week!
Bailey Fritsch ($9,500) has been pretty consistent over the last six weeks with a low of 69 and high of 92 during that time, and bags over goals in most weeks. The Bulldogs do give up the highest points in the league to general forwards, so although Fritsch sometimes plays like a lead-up key forward, he can also be more mobile which might see him on the end of a few more touches if he can get up the ground.
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Saturday: Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
Shaun Mannagh ($12,940) is looking hungry at the moment on the back of a 100 fantasy score last week against the Roos that included a season-high 36% CBAs. With James Worpel out injured, and no midfield replacement, it’s hard to see why that midfield time won’t remain. Mannagh has also hit the scoreboard with goals in his last six matches to help his fantasy scoring. Gets the juicy matchup against the Tigers and he should be eager to cash in.
Toby Nankervis ($13,430) gets the gun match up in the league for rucks against Geelong who haemorrhage more than 21 points above the league average to the opposition ruck over the last ten matches. With Nankervis averaging 80 points for the season, he’s projected for 100+ which would be ideal at this price point. Nank was also called out during the week in the media for some lazy efforts so you’d think he’d be determined to prove a point here in his final match of the season.
Jake Bowey ($13,770) is one of the first I’ve picked this week as he draws the Western Bulldogs who have been giving up enormous points in the back half. Bowey has shown good, consistent scoring this season with a 91 average and a ceiling of 129. He links up well for the Dees as the key distributor so I expect him to get plenty of cheap disposals in this one.
AFL Fantasy Round 24 Saturday: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Izak Rankine ($15,980) is the hottest player in the league at the moment with scores of 138, 92, 103, 121, 138 and 164 over the last six weeks which is incredible fantasy scoring, especially against the ladder leaders in Fremantle last week. As much as I’d rather look at a couple of the other games, Rankine’s numbers are hard to ignore and he’s nearly $2500 cheaper than Bailey Smith ($18,390).
Here's our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Saturday
Weather Report for Saturday 22nd August
Melbourne - Partly sunny, 16 degrees
Adelaide - Light rain, 16 degrees
The light rain forecast for Adelaide should be in the morning and won’t affect conditions, so looking forward to great conditions around the country on Saturday!
AFL Betting Markets Saturday Round 24
Odds provided with thanks to NextBet!
Carlton ($2.34) vs Fremantle ($1.61)
Line: Fremantle -8.5
Points: 183.5
Melbourne ($1.43) vs Western Bulldogs ($2.85)
Line: Melbourne -15.5
Points: 183.5
Geelong ($1.005) vs Richmond ($26.00)
Line: -72.5
Points: 186.5
Adelaide ($1.23) vs GWS Giants ($4.20)
Line: Adelaide -26.5
Points: 179.5
Odds correct at time of writing and subject to change.
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Previews and Betting Tips for each match. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
