Draftstars would like to welcome seasoned AFL Draftstars Player “TBetta” for season 2023 of the AFL. TBetta will be providing Draftstars AFL Previews for this season’s Saturday and Sunday slates. With a monthly analysis and tips for you to become a better Draftstars player throughtout the season.
This week with the 2023 AFL Season is just days away, so here are some simple tips to help you achieve Draftstars success.
Know Your Roles
First thing you need to know is obviously who is playing. The AFL releases most teams on a Thursday night (or 24 hours earlier for those juicy Thursday night games), with Sunday squads whittled down on Friday and all teams confirmed 60 minutes before their respective bouncedowns. If that’s all a bit confusing – it was for me typing it – then you’ll be relieved to know that Draftstars updates all line-ups once they’re first named and then again when they’re fully confirmed, so make sure all your players have those little green squares next to them and you’re good to go!
Once you’ve nailed down starting squads, figuring out where individual players are lining up is the next challenge, and it’s usually a profitable one.
For instance, simply knowing which sticks Harry Himmelberg was playing closer to last year was the difference between a 55-point forward and a 101-point defender. Keep your ear to the ground and get the edge over those who aren’t as diligent and it’ll pay off sooner or later.
New coach, new hairdo… new position?
Harry Himmelberg reveals to @RileyBev where he’ll be lining up in 2023 👀https://t.co/QMN5Ol8JAS
— AFL (@AFL) February 8, 2023
Play To Your Strengths
Contest selection is a big area of improvement for most DFS players, which will surprise you with how swiftly it improves returns. If you’re more of a cash guru – someone who can pick out robust line-ups with very little downside – then you should be plugging away in the H2H lobbies and grinding the double-up contests. If unearthing diamonds in the rough is more your game, shooting for the stars in a big GPP or honing in on the Target contests on the right days is where you should be focusing your energy.
If you’re unsure where you’re getting home ground advantage, Draftstars makes it easy to find out. Hit the “History” tab and “Export” your contest history, where some rudimentary Excel manipulation will quickly highlight where you’re sinking and where you’re swimming.
Be Unique
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a single-bullet cowboy or a multi-entry madman, the big pay-outs are at the top end and that’s what you should be shooting for. But if you’re doing the same thing as everyone else – stacking the same teams, picking the same core players and paying up for the same guns – you’re just going to be another face in the crowd.
Whilst not as critical in AFL compared to some high profile US sports like NFL, NBA or PGA, unique line-up construction should be a big consideration when formulating your squads. Whether it’s fading that slate’s sweetheart or banking on an underdog stack, there’s so many different ways to give your entries some individuality to make sure that if your scenarios play out as you thought they could, then it’s you and daylight vying for that top spot.
Check out what our AFL Live Final Winner Newbie had in his winning line-up. 10% Josh Daicos and 8% owned Brayden Maynard.
Accept That You Can’t Cover All Scenarios
At some point in everyone’s DFS career, you finally concede that no matter how many entries you have or how good your projections are, you simply can’t cover all scenarios. And once you accept this, backing yourself in is much easier to do! There’s no worse feeling than reading the tea leaves just right… but getting cold feet or just plain-old FOMO before following the crowd and then agonisingly watching all your prophecies come to fruition.
In saying that, you can still spread your exposure to different game scripts a little bit through multi-entering, and thankfully Draftstars has acquired the tools to help you do so quickly and efficiently. Hit that “Fantasy Insider” tab and have a play around with the free Cruncher – you’ll soon find new and powerful methods of translating your thoughts and strategies into dozens or even hundreds of line-ups in a fraction of the time.
Trust the Process
It’s the creed that’s quickly joining “Moneyball” and “one week at a time” for the most overused slogan in sports, but there’s wisdom in its roots. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in DFS (and potentially life) is being results-oriented and letting your profit-loss column affect your decisions from slate to slate. Review often and review with an open mind to answer the age-old question: did I make the right decisions, or did I just get unlucky? Or perhaps even more helpful is asking a similar question after a big win; was I lazy or gambling and did I just get lucky?
Remember – the right decision doesn’t always result in the best outcome. But keep making the right choices and variance evens out over time, which is where disciplined Draftstars players will find themselves in the black!
IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE, OPEN THIS: pic.twitter.com/BIJO7abTwr
— FI Mindset (@FIMindset__) March 14, 2023
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