Draftstars Australia’s NRL Friday Round 25 DFS contest starts at 6:00pm AEST on August 22, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.

An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NRL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars’ NRL contests and enhance your Supercoach team for Round 25.

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Draftstars’ NRL Friday slate features the following match-ups:

Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the most reliable DFS projections available.

With the latest NRL fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you’re set to win in more NRL fantasy contests.

 

Cheat Sheet and Projections

We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best choices on Friday’s slate.

Selection
Player
Salary
Proj. Pts
Pts/$1K

Stud
Nathan Cleary (PEN, FLEX/HH)
$22,440
70.2
3.1

Value
Marion Seve (MEL, OB/FLEX)
$8,210
34.8
4.2

Fade
Reed Mahoney (BUL, HH/FLEX)
$10,040
14.3
1.4

Cheapie
Joe Chan (MEL, FLEX/FWD)
$8,360
33.7
4

According to Fantasy Insider’s DFS model, our “stud” is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while “value” picks offer the most “bang for your buck,” meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.

Conversely, a “fade” is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, “cheapie” options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.

In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player’s potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.

The “Pts/$1K” metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player’s salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.

Positional Breakdown
OB (Outside Back)

Selection
Player
Salary
Proj. Pts
Pts/$1K

Stud
Cameron Munster (MEL)
$16,940
56.4
3.3

Value
Marion Seve (MEL)
$8,210
34.8
4.2

Fade
Nick Meaney (MEL)
$14,170
38.4
2.7

Cheapie
Kaeo Weekes (CAN)
$9,660
38.2
4

HH (Half/Hooker)

Selection
Player
Salary
Proj. Pts
Pts/$1K

Stud
Nathan Cleary (PEN)
$22,440
70.2
3.1

Value
Lachlan Galvin (BUL)
$10,660
42.7
4

Fade
Reed Mahoney (BUL)
$10,040
14.3
1.4

Cheapie
Jonah Pezet (MEL)
$8,800
35.1
4

FWD (Forward)

Selection
Player
Salary
Proj. Pts
Pts/$1K

Stud
Hudson Young (CAN)
$16,740
61.8
3.7

Value
Luke Garner (PEN)
$12,440
50.7
4.1

Fade
Samuel Hughes (BUL)
$11,080
27
2.4

Cheapie
Joe Chan (MEL)
$8,360
33.7
4

Conclusion

When building your NRL Friday Round 25 teams, consider starting with a value player like Marion Seve. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Nathan Cleary is a strong option. If you’re looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Joe Chan.

On the other hand, according to our model, Reed Mahoney is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.

Ready to go? Draftstars’ NRL Friday slate closes at 6:00pm AEST on Friday. ENTER NOW!

As with all NRL DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider’s data-driven NRL fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NRL Friday Round 25 slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NRL DFS line-ups.

For the latest projections and optimised NRL Friday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It’s free to use when you’re logged in.

 

Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.