AFL Round 3 DraftStars: Kangaroo Court is in Session for Saturday's Slate

Welcome to the Saturday slate for AFL Round 3, 2026! We’ve got a cracking three-game spread featuring Fremantle hosting Richmond over in the west, while Docklands does a double-shift with St Kilda taking on Brisbane, and Essendon clashing with North Melbourne. With two of today's matchups under the roof on a fast deck, expect plenty of end-to-end footy, uncontested marks, and massive daily fantasy ceilings.

If you take one look at our FootyBets.ai optimal algorithms today, the strategy is screaming one thing: Stack the Roos. Here are the key magnets the AI is locking in across the board:

• Rowan Marshall (St Kilda, RUC): A 100% lock in our top builds. The Saints' big man is basically an extra midfielder around the ground. Against the Lions, his combination of hit-outs, marks, and clearances gives him an incredibly safe floor and a massive ceiling.
• Harry Sheezel (North Melbourne, MID): Projected for a monster 124.5 points, the "Sheez" features in 9 out of 10 optimal builds. He continues to accumulate the Sherrin at will, and on the fast Docklands turf against the Dons, he is primed to run riot.
• Jy Simpkin & George Wardlaw (North Melbourne, MID): Both Roos mids are locked into all 10 of our best lineups. Simpkin (98.3 projected points) provides the outside run and polish, while Wardlaw (91.0 projected points) brings the absolute stoppage grunt, guaranteeing plenty of hard-ball gets and tackles.
• Christopher Scerri (Fremantle, FWD): The Freo forward is a perfect inclusion in every single optimal lineup. With the Dockers at home against the Tigers, Scerri is in a prime spot to hit the scoreboard, lay forward-half tackles, and smash his 76.5-point projection.

Position-by-Position Quick Tips

• RUC: Don't overthink it—set and forget Rowan Marshall. He's the premier big-man play on this slate.
• DEF: Rebounders are your best friends here. Luke McDonald (NM) provides a great stacking option, while Nick Vlastuin (RIC) offers a brilliant intercept-and-distribute pivot over in the west.
• MID: If you aren't stuffing your midfield with North Melbourne guns like Luke Davies-Uniacke, Brisbane's Lachie Neale is your go-to premium pivot for guaranteed contested ball under the roof.
• FWD: Up front, pair Christopher Scerri with Tom Powell (NM). Powell gets enough midfield rotations to ensure he isn't totally reliant on kicking snags to build his fantasy score.

Ready to dominate the Saturday slate and get into the green? Check out the FootyBets.ai Top 10 optimal builds below and lock in your lineups!