This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
Ahead of each Premier League gameweek, I'll take a look at sub-50 percent rostered players on Fantrax whose situations may have changed or improved, and assess whether or not they are worth a pickup in season-long leagues.
GOALKEEPER
James Trafford (49-percent rostered): Trafford gets the nod just ahead of Matt Turner (20 percent) due to his matchup being at home in Gameweek 23. The Burnley keeper posted negative points against Manchester City on Wednesday, but not counting that match given the opponent, Trafford has scored below 8.75 points only once since Dec. 9. A home matchup against a Fulham side who have scored just once in their last four matches in all competitions is one of the few times I'd feel confident in Trafford.
DEFENDERS
Sergio Reguilon (21 percent): After scoring and providing two assists in midweek, Conor Bradley (32 percent) remains the best defender below 50 percent, but hopefully you already picked him up and are reaping the rewards. Reguilon is a good option assuming he'll get more playing time on loan at Brentford. He'll be playing often as a wing-back where he has a skill set to succeed as an offensive bomber down the left flank. Reguilon crossed 29 times and created eight chances over 412 league minutes with Manchester United and I would posit that this is an improved situation at Brentford.
Daniel Munoz (one percent): Munoz has joined Crystal Palace from Genk in Belgium and could see action at right-back sooner rather than later for a club that has been using Chris Richards the last couple matches. It's not a knock against the versatile Richards, but he's not a true full-back and has been primarily used in midfield despite coming in as more of a center-back. Munoz offers more attacking upside from the position as seen by his seven goals and two assists on the season. The only downside is that in most matchups, Palace will be underdogs, though Munoz has an attractive skill set for Fantrax managers to chase.
MIDFIELDERS
Giovanni Reyna (zero percent): Reyna finally escapes his recent nightmare at Dortmund in hopes for more playing time with Nottingham Forest. That may be easier said than done, though, as he'll need to find a way to start over the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, among others. In theory, Reyna has a skill set that would be excellent for Fantrax, but he hasn't really been at full capacity since his 2020/21 season with Dortmund where he had nine goal involvements, 38 shots, 35 chances created and 60 crosses across 23 starts in the Bundesliga. Last season, he only made four starts but was an impact substitute ending the season with nine goal involvements in limited playing time. Reyna is a worthy flier in the hope that he eventually gets a starting role at Forest.
Kalvin Phillips (28 percent): Phillips has jumped 26 percent (as of writing) following his move to West Ham after playing just 89 minutes across four appearances in the league for Manchester City this season. He's a recognizable name after his big money move to City from Leeds United last season, but I'm not convinced he's a priority add. His situation improves at West Ham, but he'll still need to overtake Tomas Soucek or Edson Alvarez for a starting role and even if that ends up happening he lacks major upside as a defensive-minded option in midfield.
His best path to success would be through tackles and interceptions as he was a monster in both categories during his time with Leeds. I would rather take a shot on Jacob Murphy (19 percent) who may find his way into a starting role at Newcastle with Alexander Isak out and Anthony Gordon likely moving into the central forward role for now.
FORWARDS
Oliver McBurnie (24 percent): Teammate Ben Brereton Diaz (23 percent) is the better add, but McBurnie has been in excellent form, scoring at least 12.5 points across his last three matches with two goals and an assist. That kind of form should keep him in the starting XI for Sheffield United who all of a sudden under Chris Wilder, are scoring goals with six in their last three contests. McBurnie is pretty much goal dependent as the central striker, but as I often say, any forward who is a starter deserves to be rostered.
Taiwo Awoniyi (44 percent): Awoniyi returned in midweek from a groin injury which had kept him out since November, scoring a goal against Arsenal after entering the match at halftime. I would expect him to be back in the starting XI at the weekend despite Chris Wood doing a decent job filling in for him while he was out. A Forest forward isn't the most exciting thing to roster, but again, Awoniyi is a sub-50-percent rostered starting forward. With no real exciting forward options joining the league in the January transfer window, the position remains weak on the waiver wire.
