Fantrax & Sleeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Premier League Gameweek 5
Gameweek 5 is another strong opportunity to attack the waiver wire in Fantrax and Sleeper Fantasy EPL leagues. Early-season lineup trends are becoming clearer, new starters are emerging and role changes are creating several low-rostered fantasy options across the Premier League.
These are the best Fantrax and Sleeper waiver wire pickups for Gameweek 5, based on projected minutes, role, matchup and fantasy scoring upside. This week's list includes short-term streamers for favorable GW5 fixtures as well as players who could develop into longer-term fantasy options if their roles continue to grow.
For more GW5 prep, check out our Fantrax & Sleeper rankings, predicted lineups and fantasy EPL cheat sheets before locking in your moves.
Premier League Player News & Updates
Best Fantasy EPL Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantrax & Sleeper GW5
| Pos. | Player | Club | Why Add? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Matz Sels | Nottingham Forest | Home matchup against scoreless Coventry |
| DEF | Leif Davis | Ipswich Town | Elite attacking role, 25.5-point GW4 |
| DEF | Shea Charles | Fulham | Defender eligible, strong defensive floor |
| MID | Jack Rudoni | Coventry City | Set pieces, back-to-back double-digit scores |
| MID | Ainsley Maitland-Niles | Everton | Starting role, defensive-floor production |
| FWD | Charalampos Kostoulas | Brighton | Three straight starts, two double-digit returns |
| FWD | Jorgen Strand Larsen | Crystal Palace | Goal in GW4, upside if starting |
Best Goalkeeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantrax & Sleeper GW5
Matz Sels, Nottingham Forest (29% Fantrax, 22% Sleeper)
Coventry City look like the team to target when streaming goalkeepers right now. They have gone four Premier League matches without scoring, joining Tottenham as the only other club yet to find the net this season.
That puts Sels in an excellent spot at home in Gameweek 5, but the matchup isn't the only reason to consider him. He's been productive over his last two starts, scoring 9.5 and 8.25 fantasy points, respectively. With a strong clean-sheet opportunity and solid recent floor, Sels is one of the best goalkeeper streamers available for GW5.
Best Defender Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantrax & Sleeper GW5
Leif Davis, Ipswich Town (31% Fantrax, 35% Sleeper)
It never feels completely comfortable rostering a defender from a promoted side, but Davis has already shown he can produce at this level. He scored 147 fantasy points during Ipswich's 2024/25 Premier League campaign and flashed that attacking ceiling again last weekend.
Davis scored once and added an assist during a huge 25.5-point performance in Ipswich's 3-2 win over Crystal Palace. He won't be an every-week starter in fantasy because Ipswich will rarely enter matches as favorites, but a Gameweek 5 matchup against Everton is hardly one to fear. His attacking role gives him multiple routes to points even when the clean-sheet odds aren't especially strong.
Use our Fixture Difficulty Ranker to spot easy or tough schedules for the rest of the season.
Shea Charles, Fulham (4% Fantrax, 1% Sleeper)
Charles has started back-to-back matches in defensive midfield while remaining defender eligible on Fantrax (he is a midfielder on Sleeper), immediately making his role interesting from a fantasy perspective.
His first two starts have produced points in different ways. Saturday's 15-point effort against Liverpool was driven largely by defensive actions and the clean-sheet bonus, while his previous start against Crystal Palace included three chances created.
I don't expect massive attacking upside from Charles, but the combination of positional eligibility, defensive-floor production and a growing role makes him one to monitor. A Gameweek 5 matchup against Manchester United could produce another performance similar to the one he delivered against Liverpool.
Want to stay informed on Premier League injuries? This article captures any injury update from the past two days.
Best Midfielder Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantrax & Sleeper GW5
Jack Rudoni, Coventry City (19% Fantrax, 12% Sleeper)
Midfield was fairly chalky last weekend, with only three players rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Fantrax leagues posting top-20 scores at the position (before Leeds-Newcastle). Daichi Kamada paid off as one of last week's recommendations and remains below the 50-percent mark, but Rudoni is the midfielder I want to highlight for GW5.
Rudoni still managed 13.5 fantasy points despite Coventry losing 5-0 and finishing with 10 men against Brighton. He's now produced back-to-back double-digit performances while combining for three shots, six chances created and eight crosses, with his set-piece role providing a particularly useful fantasy floor.
Rudoni is worth a look for managers searching for a short-term midfield streamer against Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 5.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Everton (7% Fantrax, 1% Sleeper)
After his late-game heroics against Manchester United in Gameweek 3, Maitland-Niles earned his first start and scored six fantasy points across 74 minutes in a scoreless draw with Tottenham.
He's midfielder eligible despite spending the majority of the last few seasons at right-back, which limits some of his fantasy ceiling because he doesn't receive defender clean-sheet bonuses. His production is likely to be driven primarily by defensive-floor actions, but there is at least some attacking precedent.
Maitland-Niles recorded five goal involvements, 43 crosses and 21 chances created across 30 appearances for Lyon last season. At just seven-percent rostered on Fantrax, he's worth monitoring if his starting role sticks.
Best Forward Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantrax & Sleeper GW5
Charalampos Kostoulas, Brighton (41% Fantrax, 66% Sleeper)
Kostoulas has started three consecutive matches, scoring double-digit fantasy points in two of them and netting his first Premier League goal during Brighton's 5-0 demolition of Coventry.
As long as Kostoulas continues to start, his roster rate should climb comfortably above 50 percent. Gameweek 5 brings about the worst possible matchup against Arsenal, so this may not be the week to force him into a starting fantasy lineup, but managers shouldn't let one difficult fixture hide the value of an increasingly secure attacking role. He's the type of waiver pickup who could provide more value beyond GW5 than within the gameweek itself.
Jorgen Strand Larsen, Crystal Palace (31% Fantrax, 32% Sleeper)
Strand Larsen has started two of Crystal Palace's opening four Premier League matches, but he made a strong case for another opportunity by scoring and firing three shots during Saturday's 3-2 loss to Ipswich. The performance was good for 16.5 fantasy points.
Eddie Nketiah remains his main competition for the No. 9 role while Jean-Philippe Mateta is out, but he's not fit and didn't even make the squad in GW4. I prefer Strand Larsen given his previous Premier League production, including a double-digit goal campaign with Wolves two seasons ago.
Keep a close eye on Palace's predicted and confirmed lineup ahead of next week's trip to Leeds. If Strand Larsen starts again, he becomes an appealing forward streamer at his current roster rate.
Fantrax & Sleeper GW5 Waiver Wire: Final Thoughts
Gameweek 5 is less about chasing a major wave of new signings and more about reacting to the roles that have emerged through the opening month of the season. Players such as Rudoni, Charles and Kostoulas are beginning to establish more reliable paths to minutes and fantasy production, while Davis and Strand Larsen have the upside to turn strong recent performances into larger roles.
For short-term Fantasy EPL streaming, matchup still matters. Sels benefits from facing a Coventry attack that has yet to score, while confirmed starting XIs could reveal additional low-rostered Fantrax and Sleeper pickups across the weekend.
Confirmed lineups remain the best way to create late waiver value, especially when low-rostered players unexpectedly start in advanced roles. Check RotoWire's lineups and injury updates before finalizing GW5 claims.
