This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
As expected, the holiday fixtures produced a lot of injuries, namely one to Jamie Vardy, who missed two of the four gameweeks. Maybe unsurprisingly, the move in fantasy was to stick with Liverpool even though they didn't have a Gameweek 18 match because all of the regulars started their three league games. In addition to Trent Alexander-Arnold getting the huge performance at Leicester City, Sadio Mane has made the score-sheet in his last five starts. That said, Danny Ings was maybe the player of the holidays after bagging four goals in three starts. While there are numerous non-league competitions going on, the schedule gets somewhat back to normal ahead of Gameweek 22.
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
Vardy remains the most popular forward, which means everyone will be asking for the status of his calf. He's missed the last two, but Leicester have a slew of favorable matches and it may be best to stick with him and hope he's back after a 10-day break. If you still have Harry Kane and don't want to copy everyone else, the move would be to grab either Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus, though that's not a game I want to play. I'd rather get a cheaper forward and spend up at midfield. I don't hate a move for either Troy Deeney or Gerard Deulofeu, mainly because Watford are playing well and won't be overwhelming underdogs in any of their next five matches. Sebastien Haller will get attention because of the extra match,
As expected, the holiday fixtures produced a lot of injuries, namely one to Jamie Vardy, who missed two of the four gameweeks. Maybe unsurprisingly, the move in fantasy was to stick with Liverpool even though they didn't have a Gameweek 18 match because all of the regulars started their three league games. In addition to Trent Alexander-Arnold getting the huge performance at Leicester City, Sadio Mane has made the score-sheet in his last five starts. That said, Danny Ings was maybe the player of the holidays after bagging four goals in three starts. While there are numerous non-league competitions going on, the schedule gets somewhat back to normal ahead of Gameweek 22.
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
Vardy remains the most popular forward, which means everyone will be asking for the status of his calf. He's missed the last two, but Leicester have a slew of favorable matches and it may be best to stick with him and hope he's back after a 10-day break. If you still have Harry Kane and don't want to copy everyone else, the move would be to grab either Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus, though that's not a game I want to play. I'd rather get a cheaper forward and spend up at midfield. I don't hate a move for either Troy Deeney or Gerard Deulofeu, mainly because Watford are playing well and won't be overwhelming underdogs in any of their next five matches. Sebastien Haller will get attention because of the extra match, but I'm not sure if that gives him much of a boost because there's a decent chance he doesn't start both in the double gameweek. Of course, Roberto Firmino is still somewhat of a differential, mainly because everyone is going after Mane and Mohamed Salah. The only reason I'm not suggesting those guys is because this is a differential article.
I'm more intrigued by the likes of Willian, Son Heung-Min and Joao Moutinho, who are all less popular than Bernardo Silva. In addition to coming at a discount because of a recent red card, Son may take over the top forward spot for the injured Kane. He's produced in this situation before, and it wouldn't be surprising if he put together a string of positive performances. Lucas Moura is a cheaper option and someone who also had success during Kane's injury toward the end of last season. While Tottenham are home against Liverpool this weekend, they follow that with matches against Watford and Norwich City. Elsewhere, David Silva is back from injury and should make a return to the starting XI soon, though Riyad Mahrez has gotten more time in his absence.
I haven't mentioned Everton because you could add anyone from their roster and it'd be reasonable given their upcoming slate, which features home matches against Brighton, Newcastle and Crystal Palace, as well as trips to West Ham and Watford. While they've struggled against top competition, they've at least looked like a real team under Carlo Ancelotti. My favorite defender is probably Djibril Sidibe, who has played as more of a midfielder in the new system, resulting in five bonus points in his last three starts. Otherwise, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will continue to get looks, and I'm on the verge of considering Gylfi Sigurdsson again. Lucas Digne and Richarlison are the most popular players on the team, and while I think there's better value, they're still fairly cheap.
FANTRAX FINDS
If for some reason Takumi Minamino hasn't been swooped up in your league and waivers already went through, make sure to change that. The same goes for anyone else who joins the league via transfer in the January window. As for those already in the league, the forward situation hasn't changed in the last couple weeks. Aaron Connolly, Steven Alzate and Shane Long will get starts here and there, but you need monitor lineups every week in the likelihood they're on the bench. Jonathan Kodjia is getting some attention after the injury to Wesley Moraes, but I'm not sure Aston Villa are ready to base their attack around him at the top.
There may have been a lot of injuries the last couple weeks, but no one really stepped up out of nowhere. Even the recently returned Matt Ritchie is on more than 50 percent of fantasy teams at Fantrax despite being injured since August. Douglas Luiz might be the most reasonable pick because he's gone a full 90 each of the last four matches, and while he doesn't have upside as a defensive midfielder, he racks up other stats to hold fantasy value every match. There's a chance Sean Longstaff gets a few more starts after another injury to Jonjo Shelvey, but he hasn't been a fantasy presence since a straight red card back in October. For this gameweek, Nemanja Matic is a possibility only because he's started the last two matches and is home against Norwich.
There are a few places to look for defenders, but the best one is probably Mason Holgate against Brighton. He's widely available and worth keeping over the next month if you have room for another defender. Otherwise, it's not a great week for back-line players because Bournemouth and Wolverhampton are in two of the better situations but a lot of their guys aren't available outside of Chris Mepham, who is oddly on fewer than 10 percent of squads. If he's available in your league, he's the guy to add.
CAPTAIN DEEP DIVES
Liverpool may be off the table for captaincy in Gameweek 22 because they travel to Tottenham, but there are plenty more viable routes. I don't hate stretching and captaining John Lundstram, who could be set for a clean sheet at home against West Ham, and it's the same idea with Sidibe at home against Brighton. If you want to captain a forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shouldn't be too popular because a lot of teams have better matchups on paper. Sure, Marcus Rashford and Tammy Abraham make more sense according to the odds, but Crystal Palace are starting a lot of backups and I think the Gunners could grab a couple goals despite playing away.
