AFL DraftStars Round 7 Saturday Slate: Lock in the Pies!
It's a massive four-game Saturday slate for AFL Round 7, 2026, serving up a spicy mix of venues and blockbuster matchups. From a traditional Essendon vs Collingwood war at the MCG to an absolute belter between Port Adelaide and Geelong at the Adelaide Oval, there are plenty of fantasy points up for grabs. Expect a high-scoring day where stacking the right combinations will make or break your DraftStars weekend.
Our FootyBets.ai supercomputer has crunched the numbers, and a glaring trend has emerged: it is Collingwood central. Here are the core guys dominating our optimal builds that you need to target:
- Luke Jackson (Fremantle, RUC): Featured in 100% of our optimal builds and projected for a massive 111.5 points. 'Dogga' is set to run rampant around the ground at Perth Stadium and is virtually unavoidable today.
- Josh Daicos (Collingwood, MID): The ultimate outside accumulator. He's projected for 109.2 points and should find plenty of space on the wide wings of the MCG to rack up those juicy +6s.
- Harry Perryman (Collingwood, DEF): Locked into all 10 optimal lineups, Perryman is projected for 82.1 points. He’s the distributor you want starting your transition out of the back half.
- Brayden Maynard (Collingwood, DEF): Joining Perryman in the backline across 90% of our builds. With a monster 91.2 projected points, expect 'Bruzzy' to feast on intercept marks and fierce tackles.
- Angus Anderson (Collingwood, MID): Appearing in every single optimal lineup, this young bull is projected for a rock-solid 83.3 points in the engine room.
- Jack Dalton (Hawthorn, FWD): A 100% lock in our simulations. Projected for nearly 70 points, he's the perfect reliable piece to anchor your forward line down at York Park.
Position-by-Position Quick Tips
- RUC: Don't overthink it—lock in Luke Jackson. At 111.5 projected points, he's the undisputed big man of the slate.
- DEF: Stack the Pies. Harry Perryman and Brayden Maynard are projecting beautifully to mop up across half-back at the 'G.
- MID: Josh Daicos is the premium ball-magnet to build around, but use Angus Anderson and seasoned veteran Steele Sidebottom as your core pieces to balance the midfield.
- FWD: Finding consistency here is the key to taking out the top prize. Start with Jack Dalton, and look to Fremantle duo Josh Treacy and Shai Bolton to do the heavy lifting in front of the sticks out west.
Check out the FootyBets.ai Top 10 optimal DraftStars lineups below and get ready to dominate your Saturday contests!