Ones for the Waiver

It’s been another superb round of premier league fixtures and for those who perhaps found the points more elusive this weekend, it will be straight back to the waiver wire to make some changes.

With Leicester and West Ham still to face-off in the Monday night game, I’m going to take an early look at the players to consider drafting into your squads in your 8 through to 12 man leagues

Gabriel Jesus – Unfortunate to be overlooked by Pep and fantasy managers alike in GW1, the Brazilian stamped his mark on GW2 with 2 assists and can count himself unfortunate not to have plundered a double-digit haul in Man City’s drubbing of Norwich. Playing predominantly off the right, Jesus owners will need to brace themselves for further bewilderment amidst Pep roulette, but with a man of the match performance, he should be firmly placed on the watchlists of managers wanting a way into City’s enviable array of attacking assets.

Reece James – Hard to ignore a defender that bags a clean sheet, an assist and a goal, but for any leagues with James still available, he looks a promising prospect for the season ahead. Injury, rotation and short term fixtures could be cited for downgrading James, but with Tuchel seemingly warming to the charms of an ‘Alonso of the right’, I for one will be overlooking these to target James this week.

Adam Armstrong – On the watchlist for the second week running, Adam Armstrong posed more threat than we might have expected of a weakened Saints side that faced a Utd lineup that put 5 past Leeds in the prior week. This pick could have easily have been his partner in crime at the top of saints lineup in Che Adams, but I’m tipping Armstrong to be a dark horse for goals in his first season in top flight football

Abdoulaye Doucouré – Early signs point to Rafa deputising Doucoure as the box-to-box midfielder that scored 7 and assisted 4 in a similar role for Watford in the 2017/18 season. A goal last week and an assist this week may just have gone under the radar as teammates, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Demarai Gray captured the Everton headlines. A solid starter, Doucoure looks a shout to be make it in to teams as a 5th or even 6th midfielder in squads that permit formation flex.

Adama Traore – A player as frustrating as he his greasy, Adam Traore takes the spot for my 5th pick of the week. Spurning a glorious chance to equalise when one-on-one with Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, Traore may be a surprising pick to feature here. The stats show however that this is a player that is well under-performing his expected goal potential and has certainly not been shy of getting an effort in on goal this season with 10 attempts (only Salah can match this) over the first two gameweeks, 2 more than his talismanic teammate, Raul Jiminez and warranting a place in my players to pick up off the free market

Nelson Semedo – I’ve avoided Duffy here as I feel the Irishman is too obvious a candidate to be targeting on the waivers and free market. Instead I’m turning to another Wolves speed merchant, this time a defender in Nelson Semedo. Following Man Utd, defensive fixture rankings turn in Wolves favour and with Semedo firmly in favour in the rwb slot for a Wolves team that has been more miserly for goal chances conceded than many would have anticipated, I’m tipping now to be the time to gamble on a Wolves defender and Semedo is the one for me who passes the eye test.