Friday Night Footy at the 'G: Dees vs Tigers DraftStars Cheat Sheet

There’s nothing quite like Friday night lights at the spiritual home of footy! This 24 April 2026 blockbuster sees Richmond and Melbourne lock horns at the M.C.G. in a match that promises plenty of contested footy, high-flying grabs, and massive daily fantasy ceilings. Expect a fiercely fought battle where inside ball-winners and rebounding defenders will feast on the fantasy scoresheet.

Our FootyBets.ai supercomputer has crunched the data, and a few undeniable locks have emerged for your DraftStars builds.

Max Gawn (Projected 122.1 pts) is the undisputed ruck king tonight, landing in 100% of our optimal lineups. Expect big Maxy to dominate the tap work against the Tigers, while racking up his trademark intercept marks behind the footy.

Down back, Jayden Short (97.5 pts) is an absolute must-have. He'll be the primary architect across half-back for Richmond, mopping up uncontested possessions and driving the ball with long, penetrating kicks out of defensive 50.

In the engine room, Patrick Retschko (77.2 pts) and Melbourne's Xavier Taylor (64.5 pts, DEF) also boast 100% optimal selection rates. They offer incredible stability through high tackle counts and hard-ball gets. Meanwhile, don't look past Kysaiah Pickett (98.5 pts) up forward. Kozzy is your explosive X-factor—if he hits the scoreboard and lays a few of his bone-crunching forward-half tackles, his fantasy ceiling is unmatched.

Quick Positional Tips

• RUC: Don't overthink it. Set and forget Max Gawn as your lone ruckman to anchor your score.
• DEF: Build around the rebounding power of Jayden Short, and plug in Xavier Taylor for reliable defensive structure.
• MID: Richmond’s Jack Ross (87.2 pts) is heavily favoured by our models to rack up the clearances, but newly minted Demon Jack Steele (101.2 pts) offers a monstrous ceiling if you want to differentiate your midfield.
• FWD: Kysaiah Pickett is the premium target, but Richmond’s Seth Campbell (66.1 pts) is a fantastic, highly-projected piece to plug in for high half-forward pressure points.

Ready to lock in your squad? Scroll down to check out our AI-generated Top 10 optimal lineups for tonight's clash!