Fantrax Finds: Waiver Wire Pickups For Gameweek 3

Fantrax Finds: Waiver Wire Pickups For Gameweek 3

This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.

Following 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.

GOALKEEPERS

David Raya (42-percent rostered): Raya could be a popular keeper pickup this week after shutting out a shambolic Manchester United side at the weekend. An away trip to Fulham awaits next match, but even if he allows a goal or two, Raya has shown he'll rack up saves in most situations, already with seven through two matches.

Marek Rodak (two percent): Rodak is widely available (for now) in the flipside of that matchup. Brentford have played well to start the season and while Fulham may struggle to come away with a win, this is a solid home matchup for the keeper. One thing keeping Rodak's rostership so low is the signing of Bernd Leno (eight percent), something that could move the former to the bench at any moment.

DEFENDERS

Joel Veltman (26 percent): Veltman remains on the pickup list this week as he put in another solid performance in a clean sheet against Newcastle. The defender continued to line up on the left side of Brighton's back three, which caps his upside. However, Brighton don't face a top-six side until the first week of October and there should be plenty of solid matchups for Veltman to be more than just a streaming option. 

Kenny Tete (27 percent): Tete gets the nod for me over Rico Henry (16%) this week, mainly because of the matchup. Tete already has an assist this season to go with four crosses, seven tackles and six clearances. The full-back seems to be bringing a well-rounded game to Fulham but is probably not an addition for the long term. As for Henry, his upcoming schedule is a little friendlier with home games against Everton and Leeds United following the trip to Fulham.

MIDFIELDERS

Moises Caicedo (46 percent): Caicedo shot up 36 percent from last week's article but remains here as he's still not above the cutoff. The midfielder should be added in most leagues after another double-digit performance, the most recent one against Newcastle. Players like Caicedo, who can get you double-digit points without any goal involvements, are really what the aim is and it looks like Caicedo will be a regular starter this season for the Seagulls after the departure of Yves Bissouma.

Granit Xhaka (15 percent): It's admittedly hard to recommend Xhaka because the red card is always around the corner and could sink you any gameweek. On the positive, Xhaka is a nailed-on starter with a goal and an assist already for an Arsenal side that have started the year in fine form. Xhaka is at worst a solid depth option with no truly difficult matchups until the North London derby the first week of October.

FORWARDS

Bobby Decordova-Reid (eight percent): Decordova-Reid has started the opening two games for Fulham taking up a role on the right wing for the Cottagers. While he's yet to have a goal involvement, the forward-eligible player has put up a solid seven points away at Wolves and 4.5 points in the opening-day draw versus Liverpool. With a home matchup against Brentford on the cards, Decordova-Reid is a viable option for anyone desperate for a player at the position.

Kieffer Moore (14 percent): Moore is not the best option for the next few weeks with back-to-back matchups against Liverpool and Arsenal, but the forward is worth a longer-range look. He scored in the opening win over Aston Villa and put up four points despite being dominated by Manchester City this past weekend. Moore seems to be a regular starter at a thin position on Fantrax with the skies parting to easier matchups following the next two gameweeks. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ethan Sexton
Ethan Sexton covers soccer and is RotoWire's original League of Legends content provider (starting in late 2015). He is a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, Chelsea FC, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and the Boston Bruins.
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