This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
Your draft is done and it's time to figure out why you're going to lose this season. If you're in denial, now is when you figure out the players who could help others, but not your team. Working the waiver wire can often bring championships. That's because we don't know how some of the formations will look with new coaches and how much each player will see the field, especially for the three promoted sides.
Whether at Fantrax or the official Fantasy Premier League game, you have to dig deep to get an advantage over the opposition. It's easy to say that Liverpool and Man City players are the best routes to success, but that's what everyone is doing at FPL and you can only have so many elite players in a draft league. The first place to look for Gameweek 1 and beyond are the matchups because that's what matters most on a week-to-week basis.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MATCHUPS
If you know who's going to start in net for Bournemouth, it'd be wise to take a chance on him (Asmir Begovic? Artur Boruc?). With Sheffield and Aston Villa early, it'd be a surprise if the Cherries didn't lock down at least one clean sheet. Given that schedule, it's odd only a few of their players are widely owned, especially with how they've looked in the preseason, scoring three goals in their last three friendlies, two of which came against Lazio and Lyon. That's not everything,
Your draft is done and it's time to figure out why you're going to lose this season. If you're in denial, now is when you figure out the players who could help others, but not your team. Working the waiver wire can often bring championships. That's because we don't know how some of the formations will look with new coaches and how much each player will see the field, especially for the three promoted sides.
Whether at Fantrax or the official Fantasy Premier League game, you have to dig deep to get an advantage over the opposition. It's easy to say that Liverpool and Man City players are the best routes to success, but that's what everyone is doing at FPL and you can only have so many elite players in a draft league. The first place to look for Gameweek 1 and beyond are the matchups because that's what matters most on a week-to-week basis.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MATCHUPS
If you know who's going to start in net for Bournemouth, it'd be wise to take a chance on him (Asmir Begovic? Artur Boruc?). With Sheffield and Aston Villa early, it'd be a surprise if the Cherries didn't lock down at least one clean sheet. Given that schedule, it's odd only a few of their players are widely owned, especially with how they've looked in the preseason, scoring three goals in their last three friendlies, two of which came against Lazio and Lyon. That's not everything, but it's something. After an injury riddled 2018/19 season, Diego Rico could be set for a larger role, and he loves to get up the field. He opened last season as a starter before injury and finished with 5.78 crosses per 90 minutes in 12 appearances. Outside of Ryan Fraser, the midfield is a toss up, but you can still take a chance on Jefferson Lerma or one of the new pieces in Philip Billing or Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld.
Everton also have a decent early stretch, avoiding the big clubs in the first month, with home matches against Watford and Wolves. So why are the likes of Michael Keane and Seamus Coleman barely owned? Why is Richarlison on fewer than 10 percent of teams and Theo Walcott not even on one percent? If you don't want to follow the sheep, the Toffees have a lot of options, and if you know who will start at forward for them against Crystal Palace, I'd grab him too. Moise Kean probably won't get the call immediately, so it's up to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun.
Promoted clubs Aston Villa and Sheffield also have intriguing early fixtures. If you want to get ahead of the game, Villa host Bournemouth, Everton and West Ham in three of their four following the opening trip to face Tottenham. Sheffield host Palace and Leicester after visiting Bournemouth. I wouldn't be shocked if after five gameweeks, Tom Heaton had two clean sheets and 25 saves. The same sentiment goes for new defender Matt Targett and midfielder Conor Hourihane, who scored a brace in the final friendly from two free kicks. It's the same for Phil Jagielka and Enda Stevens as cheap defenders on a team that played defensively in the Championship last season, allowing 41 goals in 45 matches. If you want an unpredictable forward, Billy Sharp and Neal Maupay can fill those roles.
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
For those looking to play the waiver wire for Gameweek 1 because players like Sadio Mane, Raul Jimenez and Alexandre Lacazette are questionable and Son Heung-Min is suspended, there are easier teams to trust. You could swoop on Erik Lamela, who is likely set to start for Spurs in a match they could score a few goals in. He hasn't done much in his Tottenham career, but he still averaged 2.69 shots and 2.13 chances created per 90 minutes last campaign. David Silva also appears out of the conversation as one of Man City's best players, but he's still likely to start and on fewer than five percent of FPL squads.
If you prefer lightning in a bottle and want to bank on true FPL differentials, Burnley (v. Southampton) and Watford (v. Brighton) are two of my favorite bets to score a couple goals. Ashley Barnes came on last season with 12 goals and three assists while Dwight McNeil has gotten almost no consideration in FPL circles with a 0.3 percent ownership. He's 19 years old and averaged 1.52 shots and 6.59 crosses per 90 minutes last season. Watford won 2-0 at home against Brighton last season on a brace from Roberto Pereyra, and that's who I'm looking at again (if he starts) because Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu are slightly more popular.
FANTRAX FINDS
It's a different situation in draft leagues because all of those guys are likely already on teams. There are still viable players to consider who should be available in most situations, starting with Moise Kean, Billy Sharp and Marc Albrighton. Albrighton is a bit underrated since he's expected to start for Leicester on the wing and part of the reason for a down 2018/19 was injury. While corners may not be available, he still whips in tons of crosses and is always a threat to connect with Jamie Vardy. It's easier to find a defender in GW1 with the likes of Daryl Janmaat, Kiko, Bernardo and Maya Yoshida all in decent situations and on fewer than 10 percent of teams. The best strategy is to find defenders from smaller clubs who are playing at home.
The season hasn't started so there are more viable players available now than at any other point in the campaign. You can either go with what you have and hope for the best or capitalize on early matchups and find a hidden gem before anyone else does.
