As the 2023 AFL Premiership Season races towards its halfway point, every match matters with the battle for finals positions wide open.

Seven genuine top eight contenders will suit up on Saturday in Round 9, led by the hot Demons and electrifying Lions.

Draftstars have got us covered again with a $75,000 Guaranteed Main Contest, as well as some new AFL Star Qualifiers and a wide variety of other lower stakes options with big prize pools.

  • AFL $75,000+ Saturday at Draftstars
  • AFL $10,000+ Saturday High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
  • AFL $5,000+ Saturday Fiver at Draftstars 
  • AFL $3,000+ Saturday Mini ($2 Entry) at Draftstars
  • AFL $50 AFL Star Qualifier – Saturday at Draftstars
  • AFL $5 AFL Star Qualifier – Saturday 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

Sydney vs Fremantle at the SCG (Sydney -20.5, Total 166.5) 

North Melbourne vs Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena (Port Adelaide -30.5, Total 167.5)

Hawthorn vs Melbourne at the MCG (Melbourne -42.5, 172.5)

Brisbane vs Essendon at the Gabba (Brisbane -31.5, Total 184.5)

Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium (Carlton -0.5, Total 166.5)

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Weather

Sydney – Shower or two, 21 degrees.

Melbourne – Partly cloudy, 18 degrees.

Brisbane – Shower or two, 24 degrees.

Hobart – Partly cloudy, 16 degrees.

There are some showers expected across the country on Saturday, but none of the wet weather is likely to have a significant impact on the footy being played. In saying that, the combination of showers and warm conditions in Brisbane could impact ball use.

Where To Attack?

There are plenty of DFS data trends that we can look to use to our advantage on Saturday.

Hawthorn made some wholesale changes to their midfield over the offseason, swapping old hands for new blood, and early in the season it paid dividends. However, as the year drags on, the Hawks youngsters are beginning to tire and as such they have conceded bulk points to opposition onballers in recent weeks.

In the ruck, Port Adelaide have been the easiest matchup for big men in 2023. Brynn Teakle is the #1 ruck at the moment for the Power, and he simply doesn’t have the experience or fitness to match it with seasoned ruckmen at this stage in his career.

Game Script – Melbourne and Port Adelaide stacks

VALUE PLAYS

Neil Erasmus (DS $6,750) – As we forecasted in last week’s preview, Erasmus found himself in the midfield mix against the Hawks and produced a career high DFS score of 88 points. While the young Docker comes up against much stingier opposition this week, at a bargain basement price point all we really need from Erasmus is a 70.

MID PRICED PLAYS

Joe Daniher (DS $10,760) takes on his old side, Essendon this week in a huge clash for both teams. The Bombers are absolutely decimated down back, heading into this game with just one genuine key defender, so I can see the Lions forwards getting off the leash on the way to a huge win. Daniher has gone 80+ three times at the Gabba this year, including a score of 120, so he should be in your player pools alongside Eric Hipwood and Jack Gunston.

Todd Goldstein (DS $11,430) should benefit from the league’s easiest ruck matchup this week, taking on Teakle and co as a solo ruckman. The veteran Roo has averaged 72 DFS points this season but saluted for a ton last week against the Saints, his best score of the year. At $11k, Goldstein should score 85+ and be a safe selection on this slate.

PREMIUM PLAYS

Christian Petracca (DS $15,120) is one of the Melbourne midfielders who should thrive against the Hawks on Saturday. Petracca is averaging nearly 107, but it’s important to note that he tends to beat up on the bottom teams when the Demons win big, as proven by scores of 142 and 124 against North Melbourne and West Coast, respectively. Hawthorn represent a similar matchup, so ‘Trac’ is in line for another big score.

Lachie Neale (DS $13,490) has been up and down this season, and generally well below his best. However, the Lions champion always performs better at the Gabba (119 and 116 in his last two home games), and this week he takes on an Essendon side missing Darcy Parish. As such, I think Neale is an absolute bargain considering his huge ceiling.

Suggested Draftstars Lineup

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