Gather Round is set to take the AFL by storm this weekend, and Adelaide will have the enviable task of kicking off this festival of football when they host Carlton on Thursday night.

Both clubs are desperately chasing finals football in 2023, so this is likely to be a ripping contest played in front of a full house at Adelaide Oval!

Draftstars have got us covered again with a $90,000 Guaranteed Main Contest this Thursday, as well as some new AFL Star Qualifiers and a wide variety of other lower stakes options with big prize pools.

  • AFL $90,000+ Crows vs Blues at Draftstars
  • AFL $10,000+ Crows vs Blues High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
  • AFL $5,000+ Crows vs Blues Fiver at Draftstars 
  • AFL $5,000+ Crows vs Blues Mini ($2 Entry) at Draftstars
  • AFL $50 AFL Star Qualifier – Crows vs Blues at Draftstars
  • AFL $5 AFL Star Qualifier – Crows vs Blues at Draftstars

In addition to previews for each and every slate this season, Daily Fantasy Rankings will continue with our AFL Resources page. This section provides you all the data you need to build your best line-ups. It includes daily cheat sheets for Draftstars, Player Correlation tables, Player Out tables, Scores Against tables, Tagging information, statistical breakdowns and much more!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OUR CHEAT SHEET FOR THIS MATCH 

Betting Markets

Adelaide ($1.99) vs Carlton ($1.82)

Line: Carlton -1.5

Points Line: 171.5 points

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Weather

Adelaide – Partly cloudy, 21 degrees.

While Adelaide is expected to cop a fair amount of rain over the weekend, Thursday is looking clear for the Gather Round opener.

Where To Attack?

There are no clear areas of weakness to attack on this slate. Adelaide and Carlton have been two of the stingiest teams in the league from a fantasy perspective this season, conceding the 17th and 13th most fantasy points, respectively.

Therefore, perhaps we should be looking at areas to avoid instead. The Crows have conceded the second least points to defenders in 2023, so we may well see poor returns from the likes of Saad and Newman who are likely to be popular selections.

While the stats may not support it, I do think Adelaide are exploitable in the midfield. Until Jordan Dawson joined the rotation a fortnight ago, the Crows were severely undermanned in this area, relying on the quality and experience of Rory Laird heavily. Carlton have a star-studded midfield brigade, so I can definitely see them getting on top in this area.

Game Script – Carlton mids

VALUE PLAYS

Corey Durdin (DS $6,690) has never really crossed my mind as a fantasy play, but I can’t deny his output any longer. Priced under $7k, Durdin has pumped out three 57+ scores to start the season, which is a great return for a bargain basement selection. There are no trends to suggest he will star tonight, but I’m hopeful the Carlton forward can continue his strong run of form.

MID PRICED PLAYS

Brodie Smith (DS $11,830) is averaging 73 after four rounds, which isn’t mind-blowing, but it’s his role that I love in this one. With Dawson moving into the midfield, Smith is now the designated kicker in Adelaide’s backline, so he should see plenty of the ball. Furthermore, Smith has topped the ton in 4/5 previous games against the Blues, including a 141 last time out.

Ben Keays (DS $12,080) has benefited from Adelaide’s midfield shuffle, moving back into the guts after starting the season at half-forward. The tough ball-winner registered a season-high 46% of CBAs last week, and I expect he will be called on again against Carlton’s elite midfield. In this role, Keays has a true ceiling of 130+, so he appears great value at $12k.

PREMIUM PLAYS

Patrick Cripps (DS $15,100) is averaging 97 after the first month, with consistent returns across the rounds. We definitely want more at this price point, but rest assured, Cripps scored 139 and 130 in two outings against the Crows last year, so he’s every chance to go large again tonight.

Rory Laird (DS $16,270) – Like Cripps, Laird hasn’t set the world on fire so far this campaign. That being said, he still put up a 142 against the Tigers and also managed two 120+ scores against the Blues in 2022. With enough value options available on this slate, it’s hard to go past Laird as a ceiling play.

Suggested Draftstars Lineup

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