AFL Saturday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Round 1, 2025
Last updated: Mar 12, 2025, 8:32AM | Published: Mar 12, 2025, 8:32AM
Draftstars Australia's AFL Saturday Round 1 DFS contest begins at 1:20pm AEDT on March 15, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for AFL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' AFL contests and improve your Supercoach team for Round 1.
Featured AFL Games
Draftstars' AFL Saturday slate consists of these matches:
- Collingwood vs Port Adelaide
- Sydney Swans vs Brisbane Lions
- Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne
- Geelong Cats vs Fremantle
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the best 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 Saturday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Tristan Xerri (NMFC, RK) | $18,070 | 120.3 | 6.7 |
| Value | Riley Bice (SYD, DEF) | $6,000 | 59.8 | 10 |
| Fade | Luke Jackson (FRE, FWD/RK) | $13,660 | 76 | 5.6 |
| Cheapie | Murphy Reid (FRE, MID) | $6,000 | 57.8 | 9.6 |
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're 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 those needing to stay under the salary cap, "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 | Dayne Zorko (BL) | $16,320 | 107.1 | 6.6 |
| Value | Riley Bice (SYD) | $6,000 | 59.8 | 10 |
| Fade | Max Holmes (GEEL) | $15,180 | 86.2 | 5.7 |
| Cheapie | Luke Cleary (WB) | $7,000 | 62.3 | 8.9 |
MID (Midfielder)
| Selection | Salary | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Harry Sheezel (NMFC) | $16,440 | 114.4 | 7 |
| Value | Murphy Reid (FRE) | $6,000 | 57.8 | 9.6 |
| Fade | Max Holmes (GEEL) | $15,180 | 86.2 | 5.7 |
| Cheapie | Sam Davidson (WB) | $7,250 | 62.7 | 8.6 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jason Horne-Francis (PORT) | $14,210 | 89.3 | 6.3 |
| Value | Joel Hamling (SYD) | $6,420 | 55.4 | 8.6 |
| Fade | Luke Jackson (FRE) | $13,660 | 76 | 5.6 |
| Cheapie | Sam Davidson (WB) | $7,250 | 62.7 | 8.6 |
RK (Ruckman)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Tristan Xerri (NMFC) | $18,070 | 120.3 | 6.7 |
| Value | Darcy Fort (BL) | $7,680 | 71.1 | 9.3 |
| Fade | Luke Jackson (FRE) | $13,660 | 76 | 5.6 |
| Cheapie | Liam Reidy (FRE) | $7,800 | 62.1 | 8 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your AFL Saturday Round 1 teams, consider starting with a value player like Riley Bice. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Tristan Xerri is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Murphy Reid.
On the other hand, according to our model, Luke Jackson is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' AFL Saturday slate closes at 1:20pm AEDT on Saturday. 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 Saturday Round 1 slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your AFL DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised AFL Saturday 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.
