AFL Fantasy Draft Finals Guide 2025 - How to Win Your League
7 Strategy Tips to Lock in Your Premiership Run
Finals footy is almost here—and in AFL Fantasy Draft, every decision counts. Whether your fantasy finals begin in Round 20 or 21, now is the time to prepare your squad for a deep run.
With trades closing, restings looming, and free agents drying up, your edge will come from planning ahead.
1️⃣ Target Soft Matchups
+ The Players No One Owns
A good run home can turn an average player into a fantasy finals hero. Look ahead to Rounds 20–24 and hunt for low-ownership options with soft positional matchups.
🔓 Soft Matchups (with players owned in <30% of leagues noted):
Key Forwards:
Fremantle, GWS, St Kilda
→ Josh Treacy, Aaron Naughton, Aaron Cadman
General Forwards:
Gold Coast, St Kilda
→ Bailey Humphrey, Max Hall, Cam Rayner, Jake Melksham, Dan Curtin
Inside Mids:
Western Bulldogs, St Kilda
→ Brayden Fiorini, Josh Ward, Marcus Windhager, Jack Ross, Connor Nash
Rucks:
North Melbourne, St Kilda
→ Marc Pittonet
Outside Mids:
Essendon, Melbourne, Sydney
→ Oliver Dempsey, Matt Johnson
General Defenders & Distributors:
Carlton, Geelong, St Kilda
→ Adam Saad
🚫 Tough Matchups (Avoid/Trade Smart):
Key Forwards: West Coast, Hawthorn, Brisbane
General Forwards: Collingwood, Hawthorn, Port
Inside Mids: Essendon, Brisbane, West Coast (Harley Reid, Ben Hobbs, Tsatas)
Rucks: Hawthorn, West Coast
Outside Mids: Dogs, Blues, Hawks, Lions
Defenders: Fremantle, North, Richmond (Josh Worrell, Corey Wagner)
Distributors: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Freo, Richmond, Sydney
🔁 Trade Tip: Avoid paying full price for players with brutal fantasy finals draws.
2️⃣ Handcuff Risky Roles
Especially Rucks
If your ruck is made of glass or your mid rotates to half-back twice a quarter—get their backup.
This is the insurance policy that could save your week.
3️⃣ Bench for Depth, Not Hope
Speculative breakouts are great—until they wear the vest.
Finals bench criteria:
✔️ Playing every week
✔️ DPP if possible
✔️ Can hit 70+ if needed
4️⃣ Stream Smart
Play the Opponent, Not Just the Player
Streaming isn’t just for waiver week. Use it to:
🎯 Exploit your opponent’s weak spots
🔁 Pivot late with Sunday squads
🛡️ Block their obvious waiver add
5️⃣ Trade Smarter, Not Bigger
You don’t need to win the name game—you need to win the matchups.
📉 Sell high: Harley Reid before a brutal run
📈 Buy low: Marcus Windhager, Connor Nash (soft draws incoming)
6️⃣ Maximise DPP
One extra DEF/MID could win you a flag.
💡 DPP lets you:
→ Loop emergencies
→ Shift lines mid-round
→ Cover injury chaos
7️⃣ Prepare for Restings
Round 24 looms. So do the restings.
🛑 Watch out for:
Collingwood
Geelong
Brisbane
They’re most likely to rest stars if ladder positions are locked.
✅ Diversify. ✅ Stash depth. ✅ Stay alert.
Get Ahead of the Game
Use this guide to make the right waiver moves and maximise your AFL Fantasy Draft team's scoring potential heading into finals
Whether you're plugging gaps, stashing upside, or rolling the dice on a breakout, now’s the time to be bold.
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