Oh, there was football this week? I was under the impression we put the season on hold while we wait for Mourinho and Pogba’s diss tracks. While the real housewives of the Manchester United training ground unfolded midweek, Saturday gave us September’s last round of Premier League games. This week the soccer waiver wire is dominated by speculative new starters on good teams. However, before looking at these players, check your league’s free agency for mistakes your league mates have made. Is your league sleeping on Michael Keane? Has an owner given up on John Stones? This soccer waiver wire deals with players owned in 65% or less of Fantrax leagues.
Draft Fantasy Soccer Waiver Wire
1. Bernd Leno – Goalkeeper – Arsenal – 32% Owned
Finally! It took an injury to 36-year-old Petr Cech for the German goalkeeper to get his chance, and he didn’t waste it. Leno impressed in his debut for the Gunners making a nice save off Troy Deeney and commanding the area well. Leno looked calm and confident in his first action for Arsenal and will surely get a chance to keep the starting job. The man was not short in confidence after the game as he told reporters how well he played. If he keeps the job, Leno is a top 10 goalkeeper with the ceiling of a top 5 goalkeeper.
2. Oleksandr Zinchenko – Midfielder – Manchester City – 20% Owned
Who?! The 21 years old Ukranian international played his first game of the year for City on Saturday. Oleksandr (can we get this lad a nickname please) was relatively unknown before this week but played with maturity and confidence in his first Premier League start this season. The fans rate him, and he has the backing of Guardiola, playing as a useful wing back. Manchester City has been as good as advertised and getting a chance to get a little bit of this team off the soccer waiver wire should not be missed. There appears to be a rift between Mendy and Pep at the moment, and Oleksandr should be the beneficiary. Zinchenko is definitely a speculative add but has potential to be a top 10 fantasy defender.
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3. Ashley Young – Defender – Manchester United – 65% Owned
At 33, Ashley (not so) Young is unlikely to get regular every week starts for Manchester United. Father time might be catching up with the left back but last season showed that he’s still a useful player for United. United might be a mess this season, but they are still a top 6 side, with world-class talent in the squad. The good news with Young’s sporadic starts is he tends to play 90 minutes or not at all, making him an attractive option in auto sub fantasy leagues. Young was a top 10 fantasy defender last year and can do that on an individual week basis this season. He is a decent soccer waiver wire pick up for teams looking to add depth at the defender position.
4. Mohamed Elyounoussi – Midfielder – Southampton – 40% Owned
Southampton may be disappointing this season, but the Norwegian international Elyounoussi has been a ray of hope for the Saints. Elyounoussi takes Southampton’s corners and is a generally menacing advanced player for Southampton. The issue with Elyounoussi is his playing time. Whether it’s his fitness or tactical changes from the manager, Elyounoussi can’t seem to last 90 minutes. That being said Elyounoussi has been a top 20 midfielder so far this season. Southampton has Bournemouth and Newcastle coming up after a match against Chelsea and Elyounoussi will get plenty of opportunities to score points in those matches. Elyounoussi is a safe soccer waiver wire add this week as his floor is so high.
5. Daniel Sturridge – Forward – Liverpool – 28% Owned
Holy cow what a goal!
86’ – Daniel Sturridge comes on
89’ – Daniel Sturridge does THIS pic.twitter.com/WC5hUZiew2— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 29, 2018
Sturridge’s late equalizer for Liverpool was surely the best strike of his career as it bought the Reds to level terms with Chelsea. Sturridge has had a strange career. He’s always appeared to be too good for the smaller teams but not quite good enough to be the feature forward for a top-six side. Sturridge has had productive seasons with Liverpool before the arrival of the current front three. That being said, Liverpool has a lot of football to play this season, and the dangerous front three aren’t getting it done at the moment. Salah’s lack of form and the need for rotation could mean that players like Sturridge and Shaqiri see more game time in the coming weeks. If that is the case than Sturridge is an excellent if risky soccer waiver wire add this week.