Every Fantrax manager knows that Waiver Wire and Trade acquisitions can make or break your Fantasy EPL season. This weekly article is here to help managers pick up the best Premier League players possible from the Gameweek 8 Waiver Wire, as well as suggest players to potentially target for a trade with a fellow manager!
Here we outline Fantasy EPL Waiver Wire Targets that have 30% ownership or below on Fantrax. These players will also have a favorable run of fixtures upcoming, so they could perform very well over the upcoming period! Trade Targets will be players who look set to do well over the upcoming period, but their ownership statistics suggest they are probably taken in most draft leagues!
Essential reading before the Tuesday waiver requests process!
Gameweek 8 Waiver Wire Targets
Marvelous Nakamba
Position: Midfielder
Team: Aston Villa
Ownership: 3%
Average Points per Match: 8.3
Next 5 Fixtures: nor (A), BRI (H), mci (A), LIV (H), wol (A),
Prospects: A Marvelous name for an incredible waiver wire pickup ahead of Gameweek 8! Nakamba has started the last 3 games for Aston Villa in a defensive midfielder role scoring, 5, 7.5, and most recently 12.5. All of these scores are without any attacking returns, and he fills up the stat sheet quite nicely. With Villa, not being the most dominant of teams, Nakamba will have his fair share of work to do, allowing him to pick up plenty of ghost points. Although Villa do have a few tough fixtures coming up, Marvelous will still provide plenty of value, with even more work to do in those matchups. As I have said previously, every championship side needs a steady MID5 in their roster, and Nakamba could be yours. I would use a mid-tier waiver wire claim ahead of Gameweek 8 on Nakamba.
Danny Welbeck
Position: Forward
Team: Watford
Ownership: 5%
Average Points per Match: 3.8
Next 5 Fixtures: SHU (H), tot (A), BOU (H), CHE (H), nor (A)
Prospects: Welbeck just started his first league game of the season for Watford and didn’t look half bad. A lot more clinical than Andre Gray, and a lot more mobile than Deeney; Welbeck could have a chance to cement his place in the XI. Welbeck finished his first start with 8.5 points on no shots. That’s not a bad return from a forward who is just 5% owned. Watford attack has been hit and miss this season, but if Welbeck is on your waiver wire, look to bring him in. Watford has a favorable matchup vs. Sheffield United in Gameweek 8, where Welbeck will be looking for his first goal. I would use a mid-tier waiver wire claim on Welbeck for Gameweek 8. He could end up being a solid rotation FWD3/4 in your lineup and could end up starting 25+ games.
Aaron Cresswell
Position: Defender
Team: West Ham United
Ownership: 20%
Average Points per Match: 7.7
Next 5 Fixtures: CPL (H), eve (A), SHU (H), NEW (H), bur (A)
Prospects: Aaron Cresswell has given Pellegrini a massive selection headache. Masuaku was in great form before his red card, but when Cresswell was given his chance he took it with 2 goals in 2 starts. West Ham has some of the easiest fixtures of any team coming up, and Cresswell represents good value as a DEF2 over the next 5 matches. While his counting stats aren’t amazing, he is on some set pieces and will have a good chance at a clean sheet in a few upcoming matches. If the left-back is available on your waiver wire; bring him in ahead of Gameweek 8. West Ham is currently in a top 4 position in the table, and have looked incredible going forward. Their fullbacks will have plenty of chance to get forward and attack. I would use a top-end waiver claim on Cresswell ahead of Gameweek 8.
Gameweek 8 Trade In Targets
Joshua King
Position: Forward
Team: Bournemouth
Average Points per Match: 13.07
Next 5 Fixtures: ars (A), NOR (H), wat (A), MUN (H), new (A)
Prospects: Joshua King being pushed out onto the wing, has been a fantasy managers dream. King is currently a top 10 forward, who has looked incredible since being pushed out wide to accommodate Solanke. In his last three games, King has 3 assists and a goal and was very unlucky vs. Southampton to have a goal ruled out by VAR, and not to be given a penalty. Josh King provides managers with ghost points in his dribbles and key passes as well. For as long as King is out on the wing, I would consider him a lower end FWD1/high end FWD2. As a manager who owns King, I can say it would take a lot to get him from my team. I would try to offer a MID2 + DEF3 or a bigger name underperforming FWD2 + DEF3 for King. Combinations such as; Jimenez/Zaha/Rashford/Tielemans + Coleman/Mee/Mings may be able to win you King. Be prepared for tough negotiations, but King is certainly a player worth trading for ahead of Gameweek 8.
Alternative Choice: Jack Grealish has been incredible this season, while some managers rated him highly many others didn’t. Grealish is currently the #13 midfielder ahead of the likes of Tielemens, Eriksen, and Pogba. Grealish can be considered a MID2 for the rest of the season, and I would look to trade a DEF1 or FWD2 to bring him in.
Raúl Jiménez
Position: Forward
Team: Wolves
Average Points per Match: 8.79
Next 5 Fixtures: mci (A), SOU (H), new (A), ars (A), avl (H)
Prospects: Wolves as a whole have had a poor start to the season and Jiménez himself only has 2 goals in this first 7 games. Raul is currently the 22nd overall forward and will be frustrating most managers who used an early third-round pick. Once Wolves start to find their feet I have confidence than Jiménez can be a FWD2 for the rest of the season. With Wolves playing in Europa there is a risk of rotation, but Jiménez seems to be safe from that so far. I would look to trade an over-performing MID2/3+FWD3/4 to get back Jiménez. For example, packaging Cantwell with Pedro may be able to win you the Wolves #9. I fully expect Wolves to have a huge bounce back in the next few months and Jimenez should be front and center of that.
Gameweek 8 Players to Trade Out
Wilfried Zaha
Position: Forward
Team: Crystal Palace
Average Points per Match: 7.29
Next 5 Fixtures: whu (A), MCI (H), ars (A), lei (H), che (A)
Prospects: Zaha has slowly started coming into the player Palace fans fell in love with. He got his first attacking return of the season vs. Norwich and now has back to back double-digit games. While things may be looking up for Zaha, there is still a massive fear he leaves Palace and potentially the EPL in January. Palace themselves have a very ugly run of fixtures coming up where Zaha could go back to scoring single-digit fixtures, potentially until the end of November! I would look to sell high on Zaha ahead of Gameweek 8, and get back proper FWD2/MID3 value on his recent performances. If I was a Zaha owner I would target players such as; Yarmolenko, Jimenez, Tielemans, Norwood, or even take a gamble on Eriksen!
Check out if any of these other players are still on your Waiver Wire: Week 7 Waiver Wire
Looking for a better way to play Fantasy Soccer? Our Fantasy EPL 101 looks into the world of ‘Draft’ Fantasy EPL, providing details of how it works, and why it is the best version of the game!
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