NRL Sunday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Round 5, 2025
Apr 2, 2025, 8:23AM
Draftstars Australia's NRL Sunday Round 5 DFS contest starts at 4:05pm AEST on April 6, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NRL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you put together your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NRL contests and improve your Supercoach team for Round 5.
Featured NRL Games
Draftstars' NRL Sunday slate consists of these matches:
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to deliver some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the latest NRL fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NRL fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best selections on Sunday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jahrome Hughes (MEL, HH/FLEX) | $17,930 | 66.4 | 3.7 |
| Value | Bailey Hayward (BUL, FLEX/HH) | $9,340 | 42.2 | 4.5 |
| Fade | Tyran Wishart (MEL, FLEX/HH) | $13,020 | 27.4 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Blake Wilson (BUL, FLEX/OB) | $8,000 | 33.8 | 4.2 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer 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
OB (Outside Back)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Dane Gagai (NEW) | $14,770 | 52.2 | 3.5 |
| Value | Blake Wilson (BUL) | $8,000 | 33.8 | 4.2 |
| Fade | Ryan Papenhuyzen (MEL) | $15,660 | 40.1 | 2.6 |
| Cheapie | Grant Anderson (MEL) | $9,030 | 35.8 | 4 |
HH (Half/Hooker)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jahrome Hughes (MEL) | $17,930 | 66.4 | 3.7 |
| Value | Bailey Hayward (BUL) | $9,340 | 42.2 | 4.5 |
| Fade | Tyran Wishart (MEL) | $13,020 | 27.4 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Jayden Brailey (NEW) | $8,000 | 25.8 | 3.2 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jacob Preston (BUL) | $19,040 | 56.9 | 3 |
| Value | Thomas Cant (NEW) | $11,040 | 43.5 | 3.9 |
| Fade | Toafofoa Sipley (MAN) | $12,410 | 32.7 | 2.6 |
| Cheapie | Nathan Brown (MAN) | $9,430 | 35.6 | 3.8 |
Conclusion
When building your NRL Sunday Round 5 teams, consider starting with a value player like Bailey Hayward. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Jahrome Hughes is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Blake Wilson.
On the other hand, according to our model, Tyran Wishart is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NRL Sunday slate closes at 4:05pm AEST on Sunday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NRL DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NRL fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NRL Sunday Round 5 contest. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NRL DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NRL Sunday 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.
