Fantrax Finds: Waiver Wire Pickups For Gameweek 22

Fantrax Finds: Waiver Wire Pickups For Gameweek 22

This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.

Ahead of each Premier League gameweek, I'll take a look at sub-50 percent rostered players on Fantrax whose situations may have changed or improved, and assess whether or not they are worth a pickup in season-long leagues.

GOALKEEPER

Wayne Hennessey (five-percent rostered): Hennessey will continue to fill in for the injured Dean Henderson with Forest having a home match at the weekend against Leeds. Leeds are a decent side, but not one that threatens to put up massive goal totals, so Hennessey has a chance to come away with a few saves at minimum. Of note, Keylar Navas has been rumored to move to Forest and would clearly supplant Hennessey in the pecking order.

Illan Meslier (20 percent): On the flip side of that matchup is Meslier, who not only gets the away match at Forest but also faces Manchester United in a double gameweek. The Forest matchup isn't one to fear, but an away trip to United could be a tough one for Meslier and Leeds. Still, a double gameweek is usually something to target, making Meslier a solid pickup for those needing a keeper stream.

DEFENDER

Stefan Bajcetic (11 percent): Bajcetic is classified as a defender on Fantrax despite playing in midfield for Liverpool. He's started the team's last three matches in all competitions, taking the spot of Fabinho in the midfield and he scored 13.25 Fantrax points with a clean sheet against Chelsea. Though he's no guarantee to start, Bajcetic is worth a look at defense due to being misclassified and playing higher up the pitch as he's already scored one goal in just 117 league minutes.

Rico Lewis (34 percent): Lewis has started four of City's last five league matches, as he seems to be the preferred option to Joao Cancelo for Pep Guardiola (and/or Kyle Walker). Lewis has no goal involvements in eight appearances, but has created five chances with four crosses showing some offensive ability. It's not the greatest matchup this week against Tottenham, but if Lewis starts and performs well this may be the last chance to scoop him up under the 50-percent cutoff. 

MIDFIELDERS

Hakim Ziyech (49 percent): This is probably the last chance to pick up Ziyech, as he's just under the 50-percent mark in Fantrax leagues. Ziyech continues to start for Chelsea with his 9.5-point effort in a 0-0 draw at Liverpool highlighting his floor. He has plenty of competition for starts, but if he's in the Chelsea's XI he's always worth playing due to an impactful set-piece role. Mykhailo Mudryk (69 percent) would be the priority pickup for the Blues, though he's already been added in the majority of leagues.

Pablo Sarabia (27 percent): Sarabia joined Wolves on loan for the remainder of the season after getting just three appearances with PSG. Sarabia is an attacking-minded midfield option playing for a club who has struggled for goals all season. There's some potential if Sarabia takes over as a locked-in starter as he took three shots in his debut, but he really hasn't been at his best since 2018 when he had 25 goal involvements for Sevilla.

FORWARDS

Wilfried Gnonto (46 percent): Gnonto has taken over a role in the starting XI for Leeds starting their past six matches. The double gameweek helps, even with the tough trip to United, and despite Gnonto having just two goal involvements, his game is well suited for Fantrax, as he's taken 11 shots, crossed 13 times and created eight chances. Georginio Rutter (14 percent) is a talented signing for Leeds and one to monitor, though his playing time is up in the air.

Arnaut Danjuma (zero percent): This is a tough week to pick up Danjuma with a match against Manchester City being his first after signing for Spurs on loan. There's also no guarantee of playing time, but Danjuma's situation is one to monitor for fantasy managers. Danjuma was excellent for Bournemouth in 2020, scoring 17 goals and providing seven assists in the Championship with a game that suited Fantrax as he crossed 84 times and created 52 chances. This led to a move to Villarreal where he had 13 goal involvements in his debut 2021/22 season. He hasn't been as impactful this campaign, scoring just twice while making 10 appearances, but if Danjuma can wrestle away playing time somewhere for Spurs, he'd be a welcome addition to a Fantrax bench spot.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ethan Sexton
Ethan Sexton covers soccer and is RotoWire's original League of Legends content provider (starting in late 2015). He is a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, Chelsea FC, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and the Boston Bruins.
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