The international break is over, and to everyone’s surprise, it was actually not bad football. We learned that Spain are good, England are disappointing and that Troy Deeney has ‘a big head and teeth like a shark’. But most importantly, the Premier League is back and with it the Week 6 look at the fantasy soccer waiver wire. This will help draft fantasy soccer managers value players ahead of Week 6. Week 5 saw the big teams take care of business as Chelsea, Liverpool, City and United all won convincingly.
Draft Fantasy Soccer Waiver Wire
The Week 6 fantasy soccer waiver wire might sound a little like a home improvement segment (‘what do we want, more power!’) as we will be looking at ceilings and floors. In fantasy terms, a players ceiling is what they could realistically return a draft fantasy soccer manager if they perform at their very best, while their floor is what owners can expect a player to return if everything goes wrong for the player. A player with a high ceiling but a low floor is a risky fantasy play capable of good returns. The inverse, a player with a low ceiling and a high floor is a safe player that is less likely to give those huge returns. Each has their uses. As usual, the week five waiver wire will feature players that are owned in 65% or less of Fantrax leagues.
1. Ben Chilwell – Defender – Leicester – 65% Owned
At this point I feel like the desperate girlfriend, explaining to her mates that ‘sure he’s not attractive or charming, but I love him’. It’s Chilwell’s fourth appearance on the waiver wire. He is currently the 13th ranked defender on points, despite not scoring yet and only keeping one clean sheet. I can rehash what I have said before about his attacking potential, but equally, I can just say that he tops the fantasy soccer waiver this week. He has shown himself to be an every-week fantasy starter with a high ceiling.
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2. Georginio Wijnaldum – Midfielder – Liverpool – 45% Owned
It’s shocking to see Wijnaldum at such a low ownership percentage. He has played 90 minutes in each of Liverpool’s first five games. He opened his scoring account with a headed corner this week against Tottenham to seal a victory for the reds. Liverpool looks to be the real deal this season and to get an opportunity to pick up a piece of the pie on the week five waiver wire, is an opportunity that shouldn’t go begging. Competition and his deep-lying position might limit his attacking potential, but when this team feeds, everyone will eat. Winjaldum will pick up plenty of scraps and can be expected to give decent returns with a high floor. He has the potential to be a top 20 midfielder so long as he stays in the starting squad which has immense value to draft fantasy soccer managers considering how shallow the midfielder pool is.
3. Joe Ralls – Midfielder – Cardiff – 46%
Let’s be clear, Cardiff City are terrible. Even their manager doesn’t seem to believe they can compete in the Premier League. However devoid of real-life hope they might be, they are not without fantasy hope. Joe Ralls was a player I was tentatively excited about coming into this season as he was a key player in Cardiff’s promotion last year. Though unspectacular, he has returned consistent numbers in each of his first five games, despite not recording an assist or goal yet this season. Ralls should net a few at some point this season and is expected to take penalties when Cardiff get them. He has tough fixtures coming up, but that hasn’t dampened his returns in past difficult games this season. Ralls is the definition of a low ceiling high floor player and a safe week six waiver wire pick up for draft fantasy soccer managers.
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4. Wayne Hennessy – Goalkeeper – Crystal Palace – 61% Owned
Shh, don’t tell anyone, but Wayne Hennessy is currently the number 1 keeper in Togga scoring formats. Hennessy has been excellent this season. He racks up saves and last week got his second clean sheet of the season. Palace has a dream run of fixtures coming up and Hennessy is a top goalkeeper option. How good an option is Hennessy? Put it this way, if your goalkeeper isn’t Brazillian or Spanish, Hennessy is a better option. He is an excellent pick up on the week five waiver wire and is a top 10 goalkeeper for the foreseeable future.
5. James Tomkins – Defender – Crystal Palace 53% Owned
Tomkins looks to be at full speed after recovering from a calf injury in the preseason. He is a clearance machine but doesn’t contribute much to the attacking game. As with Hennessy, Tomkins has a great upcoming schedule with a good chance for at least one clean sheet in the next few games. He is a speculative add in the week five waiver wire but has potential to return decent value. Regardless of his low ceiling, Tomkins safety should make him a top 25 defender whilst he is starting.
If you enjoyed these draft fantasy soccer waiver wire picks and are ready to add soccer to your fantasy repertoire, head over to Fantrax to start or join a league today! Fantrax can meet virtually any league setup, offering an unmatched level of customization.