AFL Full Round Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Preliminary Finals, 2026
Last updated: Sep 11, 2026, 9:09AM | Published: Sep 9, 2026, 11:43AM
Draftstars Australia's AFL Preliminary Finals, 2026 DFS contest commences at 8:10pm AEST on September 11, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for AFL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' AFL contests.
Featured AFL Games
Draftstars' AFL Full Round slate includes 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 make some of the strongest 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've 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 | Bailey Smith (GEEL, MID) | $17,290 | 120.4 | 7 |
| Value | Darcy Fort (BL, RK) | $7,080 | 57.9 | 8.2 |
| Fade | Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL, FWD/MID) | $10,950 | 66 | 6 |
| Cheapie | Jack Henry (GEEL, DEF) | $6,000 | 48 | 8 |
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'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 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 | Dayne Zorko (BL) | $15,200 | 104 | 6.8 |
| Value | Jack Henry (GEEL) | $6,000 | 48 | 8 |
| Fade | Jordan Clark (FRE) | $13,100 | 85.3 | 6.5 |
| Cheapie | Mark O'Connor (GEEL) | $7,710 | 58.2 | 7.5 |
MID (Midfielder)
| Selection | Salary | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Bailey Smith (GEEL) | $17,290 | 120.4 | 7 |
| Value | Hugh McCluggage (BL) | $11,230 | 83 | 7.4 |
| Fade | Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL) | $10,950 | 66 | 6 |
| Cheapie | Matthew Johnson (FRE) | $9,270 | 68 | 7.3 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Zac Bailey (BL) | $13,600 | 95.8 | 7 |
| Value | Patrick Voss (FRE) | $7,410 | 59.2 | 8 |
| Fade | Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL) | $10,950 | 66 | 6 |
| Cheapie | Taylor Walker (ADEL) | $7,800 | 60.9 | 7.8 |
RK (Ruckman)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Luke Jackson (FRE) | $16,570 | 102.4 | 6.2 |
| Value | Darcy Fort (BL) | $7,080 | 57.9 | 8.2 |
| Fade | Riley Thilthorpe (ADEL) | $10,810 | 69.5 | 6.4 |
| Cheapie | Shannon Neale (GEEL) | $8,520 | 64.6 | 7.6 |
Conclusion
When building your AFL Preliminary Finals, 2026 teams, consider starting with a value player like Darcy Fort. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Bailey Smith is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Jack Henry.
On the other hand, according to our model, Patrick Dangerfield 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' AFL Full Round slate closes at 8:10pm 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 Preliminary Finals 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.
