NRL Saturday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Round 17, 2025
Last updated: Jun 28, 2025, 4:22AM | Published: Jun 25, 2025, 9:22AM
Draftstars Australia's NRL Saturday Round 17 DFS contest starts at 3:00pm AEST on June 28, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NRL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NRL contests and improve your Supercoach team for Round 17.
Featured NRL Games
Draftstars' NRL Saturday slate features these games:
- Brisbane Broncos vs New Zealand Warriors
- Dolphins vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
- St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
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 selections on Saturday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Payne Haas (BRI, FLEX/FWD) | $21,650 | 72.4 | 3.3 |
| Value | Rocco Berry (WAR, OB/FLEX) | $8,000 | 35.5 | 4.4 |
| Fade | Peter Mamouzelos (SOU, FLEX/HH) | $12,770 | 23.2 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | Kurt Capewell (WAR, FWD/FLEX) | $8,970 | 39.4 | 4.4 |
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
OB (Outside Back)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Herbie Farnworth (DOL) | $20,790 | 69.6 | 3.3 |
| Value | Rocco Berry (WAR) | $8,000 | 35.5 | 4.4 |
| Fade | Alex Johnston (SOU) | $12,250 | 33.5 | 2.7 |
| Cheapie | Max Feagai (DOL) | $9,590 | 36.9 | 3.8 |
HH (Half/Hooker)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Isaiya Katoa (DOL) | $18,790 | 65.7 | 3.5 |
| Value | Cody Walker (SOU) | $8,000 | 34.9 | 4.4 |
| Fade | Peter Mamouzelos (SOU) | $12,770 | 23.2 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | Cory Paix (BRI) | $9,880 | 33.4 | 3.4 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Payne Haas (BRI) | $21,650 | 72.4 | 3.3 |
| Value | Kurt Capewell (WAR) | $8,970 | 39.4 | 4.4 |
| Fade | Demitric Vaimauga (WAR) | $10,330 | 26.7 | 2.6 |
| Cheapie | Oryn Keeley (DOL) | $8,380 | 34.5 | 4.1 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NRL Saturday Round 17 teams, consider starting with a value player like Rocco Berry. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Payne Haas is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, check out our cheapie options, including Kurt Capewell.
On the other hand, according to our model, Peter Mamouzelos 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 Saturday slate closes at 3:00pm AEST on Saturday. 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 Saturday Round 17 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 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.
