NRL Full Round Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Preliminary Finals, 2025
Last updated: Sep 26, 2025, 9:23AM | Published: Sep 24, 2025, 9:23AM
Draftstars Australia's NRL Preliminary Finals, 2025 DFS contest kicks off at 7:50pm AEST on September 26, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NRL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NRL contests.
Featured NRL Games
Draftstars' NRL Full Round slate features these match-ups:
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 most accurate DFS projections available.
With the best NRL fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NRL fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best choices on Friday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Payne Haas (BRI, FLEX/FWD) | $23,330 | 75.8 | 3.3 |
| Value | Dylan Edwards (PEN, OB/FLEX) | $11,740 | 49 | 4.2 |
| Fade | Briton Nikora (CRO, FWD/FLEX) | $11,810 | 18.7 | 1.6 |
| Cheapie | Brendan Piakura (BRI, FLEX/FWD) | $8,160 | 33.9 | 4.2 |
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 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 | Reece Walsh (BRI) | $20,720 | 53.6 | 2.6 |
| Value | Dylan Edwards (PEN) | $11,740 | 49 | 4.2 |
| Fade | Josiah Karapani (BRI) | $13,220 | 33.3 | 2.5 |
| Cheapie | Xavier Coates (MEL) | $9,630 | 35.4 | 3.7 |
HH (Half/Hooker)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nathan Cleary (PEN) | $24,060 | 75.3 | 3.1 |
| Value | Ben Hunt (BRI) | $10,660 | 39.1 | 3.7 |
| Fade | Tyran Wishart (MEL) | $10,700 | 17 | 1.6 |
| Cheapie | Cory Paix (BRI) | $9,890 | 35.6 | 3.6 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Payne Haas (BRI) | $23,330 | 75.8 | 3.3 |
| Value | Brendan Piakura (BRI) | $8,160 | 33.9 | 4.2 |
| Fade | Briton Nikora (CRO) | $11,810 | 18.7 | 1.6 |
| Cheapie | Tyson Smoothy (BRI) | $8,000 | 30.3 | 3.8 |
Conclusion
When building your NRL Preliminary Finals, 2025 teams, consider starting with a value player like Dylan Edwards. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Payne Haas 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 Brendan Piakura.
On the other hand, according to our model, Briton Nikora 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' NRL Full Round slate closes at 7:50pm AEST on Friday. 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 Preliminary Finals slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NRL DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NRL 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.
