NRL Warriors vs Panthers Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for Finals Week 1, 2025
Last updated: Sep 11, 2025, 9:23AM | Published: Sep 10, 2025, 9:23AM
Draftstars Australia's NRL Warriors vs Panthers Finals Week 1, 2025 DFS contest begins at 4:05pm AEST on September 13, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player in the game to help you build winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is crucial for NRL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NRL contests.
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 players from each team in the New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers match-up to help you find the best choices on Saturday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nathan Cleary (PEN, FLEX/HH) | $25,060 | 79.7 | 3.2 |
| Value | Luke Sommerton (PEN, HH/FLEX) | $8,000 | 32.6 | 4.1 |
| Fade | Luke Garner (PEN, FWD/FLEX) | $13,040 | 24.5 | 1.9 |
| Cheapie | Marata Niukore (WAR, FWD/FLEX) | $9,780 | 35.4 | 3.6 |
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 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 | Dylan Edwards (PEN) | $14,540 | 48.5 | 3.3 |
| Value | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (WAR) | $11,150 | 40.9 | 3.7 |
| Fade | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (WAR) | $15,550 | 39.6 | 2.5 |
| Cheapie | Kurt Capewell (WAR) | $9,550 | 32.8 | 3.4 |
HH (Half/Hooker)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nathan Cleary (PEN) | $25,060 | 79.7 | 3.2 |
| Value | Luke Sommerton (PEN) | $8,000 | 32.6 | 4.1 |
| Fade | Tanah Boyd (WAR) | $17,100 | 50.2 | 2.9 |
| Cheapie | Blaize Talagi (PEN) | $9,970 | 33.3 | 3.3 |
FWD (Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Isaah Yeo (PEN) | $16,990 | 65.9 | 3.9 |
| Value | Isaah Yeo (PEN) | $16,990 | 65.9 | 3.9 |
| Fade | Luke Garner (PEN) | $13,040 | 24.5 | 1.9 |
| Cheapie | Marata Niukore (WAR) | $9,780 | 35.4 | 3.6 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NRL Warriors vs Panthers Finals Week 1, 2025 teams, consider starting with a value player like Luke Sommerton. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Nathan Cleary 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 Marata Niukore.
On the other hand, according to our model, Luke Garner is one of the lowest value options in this game, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NRL Warriors vs Panthers slate closes at 4:05pm 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 Warriors vs Panthers Finals Week 1 contest. 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 Warriors vs Panthers 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.
