FANTASY football has been taking over our weekends, infiltrating our weekdays and giving our footy-watching habits a new dimension for many years now. Now there's a new game in town.

Draftstars has launched, and it is changing the face of fantasy gaming with daily prizes up for grabs each weekend for the rest of the AFL season. Here's nine things you need to know about Draftstars.

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1. You don't have to wait until the end of the weekend to win
We all know the feeling of sitting down watching the Sunday twilight game hoping a certain player can score more than another player so we can win a round of AFL Fantasy and nudge higher up the ladder, keep our finals hopes alive or maybe cement a place in the top four of our private league. There's no doubt a thrill in that, but in Draftstars you will be able to celebrate your wins on a daily basis every weekend if your team is up to scratch.    

Draftstars is a daily fantasy platform that allows you to pick a team of AFL players and match up against other teams. Scores are based on the actual statistical performances of the AFL players you select, so the better they score, more goals they kick and more disposals they get, the better chance you are of winning.

But winning is a little different in Draftstars to other fantasy games. Draftstars offers daily cash prizes in a range of different forms, so you can find the game type you want to play and make some money along the way. Draftstars isn't just about one overall score that finds a winner; there are plenty of other options across a round of footy to claim a victory.

2. This is how you play
All that sounds pretty good, but how do you play? Well, here's the gist of things. Head onto draftstars.com.au and select a contest from the lobby. These include contests that are free to enter and those with guaranteed cash prizes, as well as other head-to-head, turbo and league options.

Once you've picked what sort of Draftstars competition you'd like to enter, you get to pick your team. You can change your team as many times as you like before the opening bounce of the game. Included in your Draftstars hang-out is historical player statistics, too, so you know who has performed well against which teams. Here's a tip: if Collingwood is playing Essendon, it might be worth including Pies skipper Scott Pendlebury in your line-up.

Once the game of your participating players is underway, you'll be able to follow the scores live online or through the Draftstars application, with real-time updates as your side either rises to the occasion or sinks under the pressure.

If you take the four points and are singing the theme song after the game, you're able to collect your winnings, which will be automatically credited to your Draftstars account.

3. You need to be an adult to play
Sorry, kids. Draftstars is a grown-ups game, and you must be 18 years of age and a resident of Australia or New Zealand to play. 

Each user will need to supply necessary identification, which will be verified by Draftstars before you are able to start picking your team. If the registration process is unsuccessful, you will be required to provide identity documentation within 45 days.

4. Your salary cap is tight
It's fair to say that if the AFL Players' Association saw the wages of their members in Draftstars that the union would be fighting for greater pay. Where AFL Fantasy's salary cap mirrors that of the actual AFL clubs, Draftstars is different. 

St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt will set you back $15,750 this weekend, while Gold Coast star Gary Ablett costs $15,450. These prices will change as the season goes on based on a formula that assesses a player's form, but these are at the top end.

Having a salary cap of only $100,000 for nine players means you'll need to spend your money wisely and try to find some gems who are averaging high but costing little. They say list management is one of the few competitive advantages available in the AFL world, and your list is in your hands.  

5. The scoring system should be familiar
Draftstar takes the AFL Fantasy scoring system, so the best players in the Fantasy competition will translate to be the best for your team.

A kick will see you score three points, and a handball will be rewarded with two points. A mark (three points), tackle (four points), free kick for (one point), hit out (one point), goal (six points) and behind (one point) will all see you bump up your points total, with a free kick against (you lose three points) the only way to drop in points.

6. You can put your money where your mouth is
We all have that friend who apparently knows more than any AFL coach ever would. That mate who sits on the couch and yells at the television to move Travis Cloke up the ground or push Jack Riewoldt deep. Well, if you're that 'mate', then here is a chance to show your stuff. 

It's easy to throw out advice when there's nothing riding on it. But in Draftstars you can prove your footy nous as well as taking home some cash prizes along the way.

The minimum deposit is $10 with maximum deposits of $1000 a day, $5000 a week and $10,000 a month. Different contests will cost different amounts, with buy-ins ranging from nothing to $1000. Each contest will be clearly marked with how much the buy-in costs. You can deposit through PayPal, Visa and MasterCard.

Funds will only be credited after all statistics are confirmed as finished from the relevant AFL game/s to your contests. You can withdraw your money at any time, but withdrawal requests must be a minimum of $20.

7. There are different ways to play
The beauty of daily fantasy sports is the ability to play in a range of different ways. Draftstars carries the same appeal, with several gaming options available every round.

There's 'standard' contests, which see a specific number of entrants to run. If the game isn't full, the contest will be cancelled and all entry fees will go back to the users.

'Guaranteed' contests will have a set prize pool allocated for the featured games, with Draftstars to run the contest no matter how many players enter hoping to take it out.

Users can also send their teams into 'Turbo' and 'Double Up' contests, with 'Turbo' games only including players from teams in the early matches. 'Double Up' contests split the prize pool among the top 45 per cent of the finishers, meaning you don't have to be top of the ladder to claim the premiership, so to speak.

There are also modified salary cap games, and a live draft will be introduced soon, where a group of users can participate in a draft where they select players in order until all teams are filled.

This will take the fancy of users who like their fantasy teams to be unique, so only one player can have Tom Rockliff on their team and only one can call Nat Fyfe theirs. For more information on each game type, visit draftstars.com.au.

8. You won't get attached to players
When you select your AFL Fantasy side at the start of the year, it's generally after about 12 different variations. You click confirm just before round one gets underway and there's the team you've got to work with and build from for the rest of the season. In Draftstars, you won't have the same attachment to your players.

If Lachie Neale lets you down one week, then you can move him on the next game and start over. It also allows you to pick teams of players based purely on their opposition: for instance, you might think loading up on West Coast players is a good idea because they're facing the bottom-of-the-ladder Bombers. It's in your hands.

9. Follow the form
It's fair to say you might want to put star Cat Patrick Dangerfield in your Draftstars line-up after Geelong's bye this weekend. The superstar recruit is averaging 118 Fantasy points an outing this season and is the leading points-scorer in the competition. 

Heath Shaw, Zach Merrett, Adam Treloar and Tom Mitchell are others to consider, but remember your nine-man team is a combination of two forwards, three midfielders, two defenders and a ruckman, so you'll need to work your line-up to get your stars into the spots you want them most.

Joel Selwood, Jordan Lewis, Jack Steven, Todd Goldstein, Dustin Martin, Todd Goldstein and Mark Blicavs are other regularly high-scoring players you might want to build your team around.