AFL Cats vs Hawks Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Preliminary Finals, 2025
Last updated: Sep 19, 2025, 9:32AM | Published: Sep 17, 2025, 9:33AM
Draftstars Australia's AFL Cats vs Hawks Preliminary Finals, 2025 DFS contest begins at 7:40pm AEST on September 19, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player in the game to help you make winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for AFL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' AFL contests.
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with 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 players from each team in the Geelong Cats vs Hawthorn match-up to help you find the best choices on Friday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Bailey Smith (GEEL, MID) | $16,600 | 104.6 | 6.3 |
| Value | Sam Butler (HAW, FWD/MID) | $7,750 | 66.2 | 8.5 |
| Fade | Karl Amon (HAW, DEF) | $13,210 | 80.8 | 6.1 |
| Cheapie | Mitch Lewis (HAW, FWD) | $6,700 | 55.7 | 8.3 |
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 those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options refer to 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 | Tom Stewart (GEEL) | $13,220 | 87.3 | 6.6 |
| Value | Connor O'Sullivan (GEEL) | $7,560 | 55 | 7.3 |
| Fade | Karl Amon (HAW) | $13,210 | 80.8 | 6.1 |
| Cheapie | Lawson Humphries (GEEL) | $8,750 | 63.3 | 7.2 |
MID (Midfielder)
| Selection | Salary | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Bailey Smith (GEEL) | $16,600 | 104.6 | 6.3 |
| Value | Sam Butler (HAW) | $7,750 | 66.2 | 8.5 |
| Fade | Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL) | $10,980 | 69.6 | 6.3 |
| Cheapie | Jack Bowes (GEEL) | $9,180 | 69 | 7.5 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Gryan Miers (GEEL) | $13,120 | 91.2 | 7 |
| Value | Sam Butler (HAW) | $7,750 | 66.2 | 8.5 |
| Fade | Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL) | $10,980 | 69.6 | 6.3 |
| Cheapie | Mitch Lewis (HAW) | $6,700 | 55.7 | 8.3 |
RK (Ruckman)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Lloyd Meek (HAW) | $15,230 | 95.7 | 6.3 |
| Value | Shannon Neale (GEEL) | $8,890 | 69.9 | 7.9 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your AFL Cats vs Hawks Preliminary Finals, 2025 teams, consider starting with a value player like Sam Butler. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Bailey Smith 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 Mitch Lewis.
On the other hand, according to our model, Karl Amon 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 Cats vs Hawks slate closes at 7:40pm AEST 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 Cats vs Hawks Preliminary Finals contest. 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 Cats vs Hawks 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.
