THE SEASON rolls on and while other fantasy competitions head towards the finals, every week is a Grand Final for Draftstars coaches.

Here's AFL.com.au's cheat sheet for picking your line-ups this weekend in the daily fantasy platform that allows you to win in a number of formats each weekend. 

For more information, visit draftstars.com.au.


Collingwood v North Melbourne, Etihad Stadium, Friday
Magpies recruit James Aish ($8950, DEF/MID) has had a challenging start to his career at Collingwood but put in an excellent game last week against Adelaide with a season-best 98 points. The midfielder was in last round's highest scoring Draftstars team of the week.

If you want some Collingwood premium options for your Draftstars contests this weekend, then Scott Pendlebury ($16,150, MID), Adam Treloar ($16,550, MID) and Taylor Adams ($15,450, MID) are your men. They're all averaging more than 100 points a game this year.

For perhaps a better value player, Jack Crisp ($12,550, MID) was excellent last week with 102 points. We've been on the Brodie Grundy ($14,250, RUCK) bandwagon for a few weeks and there's no point jumping off now – he might be the in-form ruckman of the competition. He scored 134 points last week.

Grundy should be your preference over North big man Todd Goldstein ($15,450, RUCK), who has slipped in recent weeks averaging 92 over the past five rounds. It's still very good, but not the triple-figure total we're after.

Daniel Wells ($12,500, MID/FWD) might pique your interest from the Roos with an average of 89 points, Ben Brown ($10,150, FWD) is a steady forward option, and Ryan Clarke ($8500, MID) has averaged 62 in his first two games and doesn't look out of place at AFL level.


Sydney Swans v Carlton, SCG, Saturday
Isaac Heeney ($10,700, FWD) has been missing from the Swans' senior line-up for two weeks but returns to take on the Blues on Saturday. Expect him to be fresh and to fire at the SCG, where he has shown he can star.

As always, the Swans have some good lower-priced options to fill your team.

Draftstars' tight salary cap of $100,000 in the 'salary' format of the game makes it impossible to select a team full of nine guns, so you have to dig around to find who might be in for a big weekend. Some coaches go with their gut and instinct and others focus on the maths and recent performances. We like to fit somewhere in the middle.

In that sense, Swans youngsters Tom Papley ($9300, FWD), Callum Mills ($9750, MID) and Sam Naismith ($8350, RUCK) could be good buys. Of course if you just want to pick a marquee Swans player, then Luke Parker ($15,950, MID) is hard to go past. An average of 108 is more than handy.

We see defenders Sam Docherty ($15,100, DEF) and Kade Simpson ($14,600, DEF) as the best buys from Carlton. They're both averaging about the 100-point mark and it's harder to find defenders who do that than midfielders, so you might want to save some of your cap in the backline. 

The Blues are blooding their youngsters but there should be some reluctance around selecting Jacob Weitering ($7900, DEF) and Charlie Curnow ($6900, FWD) as they develop. If you're after a Curnow, make it Ed ($14,500, MID) – the midfielder is averaging 101 points.


Gold Coast v Fremantle, Metricon Stadium, Saturday
Third last on the ladder against fourth last doesn't carry heaps of excitement, but Draftstars coaches should keep their minds open.

In Draftstars, each AFL game carries a number of different fantasy options. You can choose just to select a team of players from this Suns and Dockers game, or you could pick a wider squad that includes one, two, nine or no players from this Metricon Stadium clash.

You could also play in the turbo format, which is quicker system that has no salary cap. You just need to pick one player from four different tiers (tiers are decided by player prices).

If we were playing this game in turbo mode, we'd go with this line-up: Lachie Neale ($16,200, MID) in tier one, Tom Lynch ($12,250, FWD) in tier two and Kade Kolodjashnij ($11,500, DEF) in tier three.

They are the obvious picks, so the next three tiers might decide how you go. It's a littler trickier, but we'd take Connor Blakely ($10,250, MID) in tier four, Jarrod Harbow ($10,100, DEF/MID) for tier five and leave the final spot for Peter Wright ($9200, FWD) and hope the big Sun can have a day out.

Fremantle gun Lachie Neale in action against Port. Picture: AFL Media



West Coast v Melbourne, Domain Stadium, Saturday
Here's a little bit of context ahead of this game: Melbourne hasn't beaten Western in Perth since 2002, and hasn't won at Domain Stadium since 2004. No team has a longer losing history in Perth than the Demons.

So with that in mind, you might be reluctant to punt on too many Demons in your Draftstars team this weekend. Christian Petracca ($11,100, FWD/MID) could be one, with the exciting youngster continuing to grow with every game he plays. He put in a strong display last week against St Kilda with 70 points.

Josh Wagner ($10,050, DEF) comes a little cheaper but has been a good find for the Demons this year, while Dean Kent ($9450, FWD) could fill a role in your forward line. Our tip in this one: focus on the Eagles. 

Key forward Josh Kennedy ($13,750, FWD) could be on the end of plenty of inside-50 entries if West Coast's midfield gets on top, and he has averaged 90 points this year. Luke Shuey ($14,600, MID), Andrew Gaff ($14,150, MID) and Matt Priddis ($15,150, MID) are all premium midfield options, while ruckman Scott Lycett ($13,200, RUCK) has become a reliable pick in that important spot.


Western Bulldogs v St Kilda, Etihad Stadium, Saturday
Head to the Draftstars lobby and you'll find all types of contests to test your squad this weekend.

There's different levels of buy-in (which might depend on how confident you are in your line-up), including the guaranteed market, where the payout prize is guaranteed even if the game does not reach its maximum amount of players.

There's also the 'double up' contests, where nearly half of the entrants will double their money.

It will be interesting to see if the Saints can follow their own double of wins by stretching their streak to three victories against the Bulldogs.

Tim Membrey ($11,200, FWD) is running hot for the Saints, having kicked 32 goals in 11 games this season. With an average of 78 that keeps rising, he'd be a good choice to draft into your line-up.

Tom Hickey ($11,250, RUCK), has been in good form, Seb Ross ($14,750, MID) averages 98 without really capturing much attention, and Jack Billings ($12,250, FWD) returned to the team and gathered 74 points last week.

Tom Liberatore ($12,800, MID) missed last week's clash for the Dogs with a rib injury, but is back this week and has averaged 85 this year. Clay Smith ($10,350, MID/FWD) is also worth considering after a brilliant return from his knee troubles. Smith has averaged 87 points a game this year in what has been a great story for the club.


Geelong v Adelaide, Simonds Stadium, Saturday
This was all about Paddy Dangerfield ($17,500, MID) the last time these sides met, but the talk has been a little muted this time around. That doesn't meant you should leave Dangerfield on your Draftstars shelf: if you want a huge score, he's the most bankable player out there.

For some cheaper (and perhaps better value) players, Mitch Duncan ($13,950, MID) continues to average nearly 100 a week, Mark Blicavs ($13,650, MID/RUCK) keeps going at an 86 average, while veteran Corey Enright ($13,150, DEF) keeps on keeping on.

Steven Motlop ($12,500, FWD/MID) also put some indifferent form behind him last week to record his best score in a month (94 points).

The Crows have been led superbly by their brilliant and dangerous forward line all season, but the midfield group deserves credit too. Rory Sloane ($15,750, MID) is averaging 108 points a game, 300-gamer Scott Thompson ($13,550, MID) is hitting 95 a week, and Brad Crouch ($12,300, MID) is back in the team and up to an 87 average.

For a bit of a smokey, try Jarryd Lyons ($12,200, FWD). He can be picked in two parts of the ground and is in some good scoring form.

Patrick Dangerfield airborne against the Dockers. Picture: AFL Media


Essendon v Brisbane Lions, Etihad Stadium, Sunday
How game are you feeling? Game enough to pick a debutant in your Draftstars side? Well, we have one for you: Aaron Francis ($6400, DEF/MID).

The first-year Bomber has been in sparkling form in the VFL and comes into Essendon's side at the perfect time. We think he's worth the punt if you're looking for a unique and cheap angle.

If you don't want to go down that route but are still keen on some Bombers in a game they should win, Zach Merrett ($16,800, FWD/MID) leads the way, while Adam Cooney ($12,650, FWD) has returned from a week's rest and David Zaharakis ($13,750, MID) will be keen to bounce back from two quiet weeks in a row.

Dayne Zorko ($16,200, FWD/MID) and Tom Rockliff ($15,300, MID) are the leading options for your Draftstars midfield if you're after out-and-out scorers, while Tom Cutler ($9650, DEF) has averaged 67 a game this year and shown his improvement. 

The Lions have some good young talent in their spine, including Josh Schache ($6800, FWD) in attack, but it's best to leave these guys alone in your daily fantasy side unless they are the last options. Developing talls are notoriously low scorers.


Hawthorn v Richmond, MCG, Sunday
Dustin Martin ($15,750, MID/FWD) might not have got the votes from every media outlet last week for his 161-point game, but we hazard a guess he was a favourite of Draftstars coaches. Get him in again because he's on fire.

Shane Edwards ($11,050, FWD/MID) flies under the radar for the Tigers but is a solid option as a forward or midfielder, while Trent Cotchin ($15,100, MID), Brandon Ellis ($14,550, MID), Shaun Grigg ($14,550, MID) and Anthony Miles ($13,750, MID) are also regular 90+ scorers.

For the sentimental types amongst us (or just those who like a lot of points), Sam Mitchell ($14,650, MID) plays his 300^th game on the weekend. He’ll be primed for a big one and the Hawks have a strong record in milestone matches. 

Other Hawks who should be on your list of considerations include Jack Gunston ($13,600, FWD), who continues to average more than 90 points a game without much hassle, and perhaps it's time to draft into your team Cyril Rioli ($12,500, FWD). He scored 95 last week and is averaging 85 points.


Port Adelaide v Greater Western Sydney, Adelaide Oval, Sunday
You might have given up by now in other fantasy leagues, but not in Draftstars. So here's the rub for the final game of round 18.

We're going to roll with this one in turbo Draftstars format, so will be selecting a team of six players – one from each categories.

Our 'marquee' player from tier one is going to be GWS's Heath Shaw ($16,350, DEF), and in the second tier we'll grab Toby Greene ($13,950, MID/FWD), who has turned himself into a very valuable small forward.

The third and fourth tiers will see us grab Jasper Pittard ($12,600, DEF) and then veteran Steve Johnson ($12,300, FWD), before we finalise the team by taking Devon Smith ($11,100, FWD) in the fifth tier and Brendon Ah Chee ($9800, MID) in the sixth. There's a couple of punts in there, but we reckon they're worth it. All it takes is one to come off and the turbo win could be yours.