AFL Saturday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Round 12, 2026
Last updated: May 30, 2026, 2:37AM | Published: May 27, 2026, 9:34AM
Draftstars Australia's AFL Saturday Round 12 DFS contest begins at 1:15pm AEST on May 30, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for every player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is crucial 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 Round 12.
Featured AFL Games
Draftstars' AFL Saturday slate consists of the following games:
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 have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best choices on Saturday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nick Daicos (COLL, MID) | $16,930 | 115.6 | 6.8 |
| Value | Noah Roberts-Thomson (RICH, FWD) | $6,000 | 50.7 | 8.5 |
| Fade | Patrick Retschko (RICH, MID) | $10,560 | 63.4 | 6 |
| Cheapie | Caiden Cleary (SYD, FWD/MID) | $6,560 | 51.8 | 7.9 |
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 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 | Jayden Short (RICH) | $14,920 | 98.1 | 6.6 |
| Value | Buku Khamis (WB) | $6,000 | 47.3 | 7.9 |
| Fade | Tom McCartin (SYD) | $11,300 | 68.2 | 6 |
| Cheapie | Michael Sellwood (WB) | $7,090 | 53 | 7.5 |
MID (Midfielder)
| Selection | Salary | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nick Daicos (COLL) | $16,930 | 115.6 | 6.8 |
| Value | Caiden Cleary (SYD) | $6,560 | 51.8 | 7.9 |
| Fade | Patrick Retschko (RICH) | $10,560 | 63.4 | 6 |
| Cheapie | Ned Long (COLL) | $9,810 | 75.5 | 7.7 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Zac Bailey (BL) | $12,160 | 87.7 | 7.2 |
| Value | Noah Roberts-Thomson (RICH) | $6,000 | 50.7 | 8.5 |
| Fade | Seth Campbell (RICH) | $10,170 | 62.6 | 6.2 |
| Cheapie | Caiden Cleary (SYD) | $6,560 | 51.8 | 7.9 |
RK (Ruckman)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Luke Jackson (FRE) | $15,830 | 104.4 | 6.6 |
| Value | Peter Ladhams (SYD) | $7,610 | 58.1 | 7.6 |
| Fade | Darcy Cameron (COLL) | $14,080 | 91.1 | 6.5 |
| Cheapie | Oliver Hayes-Brown (RICH) | $6,000 | 44.7 | 7.5 |
Conclusion
When building your AFL Saturday Round 12 teams, consider starting with a value player like Noah Roberts-Thomson. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Nick Daicos 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 Caiden Cleary.
On the other hand, according to our model, Patrick Retschko is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if building multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' AFL Saturday slate closes at 1:15pm AEST 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 12 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 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.
