Gameweek 16 was a good week for many previously advertised waiver wire picks, Christian Benteke notwithstanding.
Yet many players are still not being recognized for their potential, so this column will have the unique opportunity to promote four players who have been celebrated previously.
Charlie Austin, FWD, Southampton
Last time he was in this column, he was warming up; now he’s on fire.
Charlie Austin (16% owned) has four goals in his last three starts, and even though he is not considered the fittest of strikers, Mauricio Pellegrino would be hard-pressed to leave him out of the next few matches.
Southampton still need all the points they can get, and immediately, lest they get dragged down to the bottom half of the table again.
Even if Austin does start on the bench in one of the next few, Draft Fantasy managers should hope its against a tougher fixture like Chelsea, which would allow him to continue scoring against the more likely opponents.
When his confidence is this high, Austin’s powers really are pretty groovy, baby.
Next Up: Home to Leicester, away to Chelsea, home to Huddersfield.
Heung Min Son, MID, Tottenham
Here comes the Son (again). Son, at just under half owned, remains an intriguing play in Draft formats because he is still largely available, and now playing a central support position in an offense that gives him room to roam.
Last year, the midfielder’s value increased because Harry Kane was out injured and he filled in, but that hasn’t been the case this season and he’s establishing a new role for himself that is less dependent on the absence of those around him.
The most recent evidence is two goals and two assists in the last two matches and, we hope, Mauricio Pocchetino’s early withdrawal was to save his energy and talents for the suddenly listless Brighton.
Like Austin, rotating to the kinder fixtures would be much appreciated, but even one-point disappointments can be offset by big scores when Spurs get rolling.
Next up: Home to Brighton, away to Manchester City, away to Burnley.
Jesse Lingard, MID, Manchester United
Lingard (7% owned) had three goals in his last two before the defeat in the Manchester Derby, so his promotion in the waiver wire is a bit late for the time being. Lingard is more of a goal threat than Ander Herrera and appears to be ahead of Juan Mata in the pecking order.
With Paul Pogba out for two more weeks (and they were beginning to play together in any case) the United midfield is open for his inclusion, and the midfields of the next three opponents are less threatening than Arsenal and Manchester City.
All said, it would be really great if Jose Mourinho rotated Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the tired Romelu Lukaku, and gave Lingard, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial a speedy run at goal.
Next up: Home to Bournemouth, away to West Brom, away to Leicester.
Danny Rose, DEF, Tottenham
The second Spurs player in this particular column, Rose (26% owned) has been listed here before. However, back then, he was just coming back from a serious and long-term injury.
This time, he has a few stitches above his eye from the Champions League, and we’re all left to wonder if that smaller injury kept him out of the lineup against Stoke, or was it really his negative attitude?
Ben Davies stepped up with an assist during the last outing, so the competition at left-back is real, and Rose has not been the happiest camper. So, if you think Pochettino will continue to rotate his full-backs, the Englishman is worth taking a chance.
If you give credence to the rumours that Manchester United could still be in for the defender, with Rose a potential option when the January window opens, that is a higher risk, but perhaps more rewarding scenario.
Next up: Home to Brighton, away to Manchester City, away to Burnley.
Chris Wood, FWD, Burnley / Wilfried Bony, FWD, Swansea
Burnley striker Chris Wood actually didn’t score in the 1-0 win over 10-man Watford, but Wilfried Bony did in his side’s 1-0 win over West Brom. A particularly savvy Draft Fantasy manager could rotate the duo until January and beyond.
Wood is listed here as Stoke’s recent capitulation means they are likely to concede again in GW17, and Brighton are not particularly scary opponents either. Wood is 12% owned, Bony 16%, so both are similarly available.
Bony scored for the second straight match on the weekend, so consider giving Wood the edge short-term. Unless, of course, you fancy Bony to exact revenge on his former club, the rampant Manchester City, this week.
Next up for Burnley: Home to Stoke, away to Brighton, home to Tottenham.
Next up for Swansea: Home to Manchester City, away to Everton, home to Crystal Palace.
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