This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
Draft season is upon us with the Premier League inching closer for the Friday, Aug. 16 opener between Manchester United and Fulham. That means you need to get drafting. If you need help setting up a draft time with your leaguemates, make sure to check out the RotoWire Draft Scheduler.
For this article, I'm taking a look at Fantrax Average Draft Position (ADP). Going position by position, I'll examine some of the players I like more than others and those I like a bit less.
GOALKEEPER
Fade: Andre Onana (ADP: 91.8): Onana is the highest drafted keeper according to ADP, but Alisson (ADP: 94.52), David Raya (ADP: 105.73) and other goalkeepers who go before the final couple rounds of the draft could be faded. While having a keeper you can pencil in each and every week is nice, there's too many good players left in the middle of the draft to pay up for a goalie when they typically don't come close to averaging 10 points per match without a clean sheet. I prefer to wait on goalkeeper and stream week to week rather than paying up at the position, especially in leagues with fewer teams where there are more options available.
Another factor is that the best goalkeepers at Fantrax make saves and not the ones who regularly get clean sheets like Raya. Without a ton of saves, Raya is mediocre at Fantrax.
Pick: Jason Steele (ADP: N/A): Steele isn't being drafted in most leagues, but I love the matchup in Gameweek 1 as Brighton take on an Everton side who scored the second fewest goals in the Premier League last season and look to be running out the same lineup. If you're in a 10-team league, Nick Pope (ADP: 128) is available late in drafts and gets a great start to the season home against newly-promoted Southampton before going on the road to Bournemouth.
DEFENDERS
Fade: Trent Alexander-Arnold (ADP: 14.24): Like goalkeeper, I don't like paying up at defense, even though Alexander-Arnold is an excellent player with a game well suited for Fantrax purposes. It's more about his ADP as he's being drafted before players like James Maddison and Jarrod Bowen who have similar set-piece roles while also playing further up the pitch. Injuries limited Alexander-Arnold last season, though he's been a fairly healthy player throughout his career, going at least 2,800 minutes each of the prior four seasons. Still, I'd rather wait a round or two and draft Kieran Trippier (ADP: 32.24) if I want a set-piece taking full-back.
Pick: Pervis Estupinan (ADP: 107.7): You'll need to make sure Estupinan is edging closer to fitness following ankle surgery which forced an early end to his 23/24 season in April en route to just 19 league appearances. Estupinan was a major target in drafts for me in 2022 upon joining the league as his attacking output from the left wing is one of the best in the Premier League when healthy. His ADP outside of the top 100 is a nice buying opportunity for those who prefer to wait and draft defenders after loading up on forwards and midfielders early in drafts.
New manager Fabian Hurzeler will likely keep a similar formation as last season, which would boost whoever is on the wings. If Estupinan isn't ready for the first month, Valentin Barco (ADP: 127.81) is a capable fill in with upside and likely set pieces. Also, don't sleep Leif Davis (ADP: 84.71) who crossed a whopping 341 times while creating 125 chances as Ipswich Town's primary set-piece taker in the Championship.
MIDFIELDERS
Fade: Cole Palmer (ADP: 3.2): Did Palmer have an incredible 2023/24 season? Yes. Does he deserve to be a first-round pick? Yes. Am I a jaded Chelsea fan? Yes. This is probably a controversial take after a breakout campaign where Palmer scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists while being the guiding light in a Chelsea side that underwhelmed. The question is how much of last season is repeatable? Nine of Palmer's goals came from the penalty spot, so while his goal total was impressive, it was certainly handed a major boost due to his role on penalties.
Palmer isn't guaranteed a role on set pieces with Reece James and Christopher Nkunku healthy, in addition to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall joining the team. Palmer is a worthy option, but I don't think he deserves to be drafted over the likes of Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, a healthy Kevin De Bruyne or even Eberechi Eze. I expect the goal total to come back to earth this season and his Fantrax point total to come down with it.
Pick: Daichi Kamada (109.93): I'm very bullish on Kamada in drafts since I think he has the perfect skill set to reach double-digit points on a weekly basis without factoring in goal involvements. Kamada had a rough season at Lazio, but he was a force at Eintracht Frankfurt, compiling crosses and chances created while being a primary set-piece taker in the attacking midfield. He'll fill the Michael Olise role alongside Eze at Palace, a role that's been productive for Fantrax purposes over the last few seasons. He has familiarity with manager Oliver Glasner from their Frankfurt days and should be a relied upon option week in and week out. Jesper Lindstrom (ADP: 324.47) is an even deeper option at midfield whose game is suited for Fantrax scoring, though his role at Everton isn't as clear.
FORWARDS
Fade: Dominic Solanke (ADP: 24.1): Solanke is another player coming off of a breakout season, scoring an impressive 19 goals and providing three assists while starting all but one match for Bournemouth. My problem is his ADP which sees him being selected ahead of a few players I prefer at the position including Darwin Nunez and Nkunku, both of whom should be starting for teams that are better than Bournemouth. Nkunku especially is a target as he has a more well-rounded style for Fantrax whereas Solanke is a goal-dependent option at forward.
Pick: Abdul Fatawu (ADP: 97.48): This is a shout out to the Rotowire Fantrax Top 400 where Fatawu ranks as the 15th overall player and the No. 1 forward in terms of positional floor rank. Digging into Fatawu's numbers in the Championship, it's easy to see why he has such a lofty projection, as he was involved in 19 goals while crossing 143 times and creating 66 chances in addition to some defensive stats. Players from promoted sides are often overlooked, but Alfie Doughty finished 14th overall in default Fantrax scoring last season on a demoted side and Fatawu plays in a more premium position further up the pitch.
