AFL Full Round Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Opening Round 2025
Last updated: Mar 7, 2025, 8:32AM | Published: Mar 7, 2025, 3:06AM
Draftstars Australia's AFL Opening Round DFS contest starts at 7:40pm AEDT on March 7, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for AFL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' AFL contests and enhance your Supercoach team for Opening Round.
Featured AFL Games
Draftstars' AFL Full Round slate consists of these match-ups:
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to produce some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the latest AFL fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more AFL fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you find the best selections on Friday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Lachie Whitfield (GWS, DEF) | $17,660 | 108.3 | 6.1 |
| Value | Conor Stone (GWS, DEF) | $6,000 | 56.4 | 9.4 |
| Fade | Stephen Coniglio (GWS, MID) | $12,500 | 67.8 | 5.4 |
| Cheapie | Corey Warner (SYD, MID/FWD) | $6,000 | 55.7 | 9.3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options highlight the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
DEF (Defender)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Lachie Whitfield (GWS) | $17,660 | 108.3 | 6.1 |
| Value | Conor Stone (GWS) | $6,000 | 56.4 | 9.4 |
| Fade | Harry Perryman (COLL) | $12,980 | 76 | 5.9 |
| Cheapie | Reef McInnes (COLL) | $6,000 | 47.4 | 7.9 |
MID (Midfielder)
| Selection | Salary | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nick Daicos (COLL) | $15,380 | 107.7 | 7 |
| Value | Corey Warner (SYD) | $6,000 | 55.7 | 9.3 |
| Fade | Stephen Coniglio (GWS) | $12,500 | 67.8 | 5.4 |
| Cheapie | Edward Allan (COLL) | $6,560 | 59.8 | 9.1 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Isaac Heeney (SYD) | $15,930 | 103.1 | 6.5 |
| Value | Corey Warner (SYD) | $6,000 | 55.7 | 9.3 |
| Fade | Jack Ginnivan (HAW) | $11,250 | 67.9 | 6 |
| Cheapie | Lachlan Keeffe (GWS) | $6,830 | 54.4 | 8 |
RK (Ruckman)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Darcy Cameron (COLL) | $15,150 | 99.5 | 6.6 |
| Value | Lachlan Keeffe (GWS) | $6,830 | 54.4 | 8 |
| Fade | Lloyd Meek (HAW) | $14,170 | 87.1 | 6.1 |
| Cheapie | Daniel McStay (COLL) | $8,310 | 54.3 | 6.5 |
Conclusion
In AFL DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your AFL Opening Round teams, consider starting with a value player like Conor Stone. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Lachie Whitfield is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, check out our cheapie options, including Corey Warner.
On the other hand, according to our model, Stephen Coniglio is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if building out multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' AFL Full Round slate closes at 7:40pm AEDT on Friday. ENTER NOW!
As with all AFL DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven AFL fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the AFL Opening Round slate. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your AFL DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised AFL Full Round line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
