Ahead of each Premier League gameweek, I'll take a look at sub-50 percent rostered players on Fantrax and Sleeper whose situations may have changed or improved, and assess whether or not they are worth a pickup in season-long leagues.
Fantrax & Sleeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Gameweek 9
With eight gameweeks in the books, fantasy managers have a clearer picture of which players are delivering consistent value and which roster spots still need upgrades following European midweek action.
Gameweek 9 offers an elongated chance to decipher who remains under-rostered on Fantrax and Sleeper, from goalkeepers benefiting from soft fixtures to midfielders finding more attacking involvement.
Below, I highlight the top waiver wire pickups across every position to help strengthen your squad before the weekend GW9 slate.
For more help setting your lineup, check out our Fantrax & Sleeper rankings, cheat sheets, and projected lineups before the weekend matches.
GOALKEEPER
Senne Lammens (25% Fantrax, 27% Sleeper)
Lammens has taken over the starting keeper role at United and has posted two straight double-digit performances after helping the Red Devils beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday. Now is a good time to grab Lammens with fixtures against Brighton and the reeling Nottingham Forest over the next two weeks. United and Lammens will only continue to benefit from no European games in the coming months.
DEFENDERS
Kyle Walker (12% Fantrax, 4% Sleeper)
While there's not a ton of reason to feel great about the veteran, Walker turned back the clock in Gameweek 8, scoring 22.75 points while providing an assist during the 2-0 win over Leeds. Walker doesn't get forward like he used to, but he's turned into a clearance monster for Burnley and get's another soft matchup against Wolves in Gameweek 9. At a minimum, he's a leader in the team and seemingly guaranteed for 90 minutes every league match.
Use our Fixture Difficulty Ranker to spot easy or tough schedules for the rest of the season
Gabriel Gudmundsson (24% Fantrax, 28% Sleeper)
I don't love to recommend the same player in back-to-back articles, but I feel obligated to bring up Gudmundsson again as he went down in roster share before scoring 16.25 points despite losing 2-0 to Burnley.
He's secured the left-back spot for Leeds since joining in the summer and doesn't seem close to letting go. Gudmundsson has showed his attacking ceiling with four chances created and 13 crosses against Burnley despite not having a role on corners.
MIDFIELDERS
Brenden Aaronson (19% Fantrax, 21% Sleeper)
I'm not sure if I'm turning into a Leeds fan, but their players continue to find their way into this article every week. Aaronson is not rostered enough having produced three straight 10-plus point performances while starting five straight fixtures.
The attacker has yet to have a goal involvement this season, but he's combined for seven shots, four chances created and six crosses over his last three matches while playing on the right wing. Throw in a fixture list that doesn't have an overly difficult opponent on it until the end of November and Aaronson is a good player to grab over the next few gameweeks.
Emiliano Buendia (18% Fantrax, 25% Sleeper)
Buendia hasn't started the last three league matches, but he may find his way back into the starting XI as he's scored two goals and provided an assist across his last three substitute appearances for a Villa team who have rounded into better form.
Buendia is one to monitor for now with Manchester City and Liverpool in the next two gameweeks, and he'd be even more unlikely to start if he makes the XI in midweek against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.
FORWARDS
Eli Junior Kroupi (1% Fantrax, 3% Sleeper)
Kroupi was a mention in this article a few weeks back, but he's become a priority pickup after netting a brace and scoring 22 points during Saturday's 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace. The runway could be clear for another start in Gameweek 9 as Evanilson missed Saturday's match while dealing with a calf injury and his status for the coming weeks is unknown.
Kroupi had eight goal involvements in Ligue 1 last season and is readily available for pickup at the ever-thin forward position.
Danny Welbeck (46% Fantrax, 35% Sleeper)
Welbeck is just under the 50-percent cutoff and put in the third best forward performance of GW8 with 30.5 points and two goals during the 2-1 win over Newcastle. Welbeck should continue to start given Brighton's injuries, as he led the line with Georginio Rutter playing behind him in the No. 10 role.
Brighton have a solid fixture list moving forward especially after Gameweek 9's trip to Old Trafford with Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Brentford on the upcoming schedule.
