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 16
Gameweek 16 delivers another busy stretch of Premier League action, and fantasy managers on Fantrax and Sleeper have a strong waiver wire pool to exploit. With more midweek fixtures in Europe, injuries piling up and fixture congestion intensifying, this is a key moment to strengthen your squad before the schedule accelerates in December.
Below are the top GW16 waiver wire pickups, highlighted for their form, role security and short-term fixtures.
For more help setting your lineup, check out our Fantrax & Sleeper rankings, cheat sheets, and predicted lineups before the weekend matches.
GOALKEEPER
Alphonse Areola (19% Fantrax, 25% Sleeper)
We can't stream against Wolves this week against Arsenal and the highly rostered David Raya, so let's look to Areola who has scored at least six points in his last two matches. Areola and West Ham are performing better under Nuno Espirito Santo and take on an Aston Villa side who just beat the aforementioned Arsenal.
Despite that result, Villa remain a middle of the pack team in terms of expected goals, and this could be a closely contested fixture at home for Areola with saves possible.
DEFENDERS
Jake O'Brien (33% Fantrax, 27% Sleeper)
O'Brien has helped Everton to two straight clean sheets resulting in back-to-back double-digit point efforts for the center-back turned right-back. An away trip to Chelsea looms at the weekend, meaning a clean sheet may be a difficult ask, though points from defensive actions may be more readily available. Chelsea are an inconsistent side who were just shutout against Bournemouth this past weekend.
Use our Fixture Difficulty Ranker to spot easy or tough schedules for the rest of the season
Djed Spence (31% Fantrax, 37% Sleeper)
Spence has been a fairly consistent starter for Spurs all season, but he hasn't shown the attacking upside I thought he would under Thomas Frank. Still, he had one of his better matches this past weekend, crossing four times and creating a chance while helping Spurs to a clean sheet during the 2-0 win over Brentford.
Spurs head on the road to take on Nottingham Forest this coming week with fellow left-back Destiny Udogie confirmed out until January.
MIDFIELDERS
Ao Tanaka (4% Fantrax, 5% Sleeper)
Tanaka has scored in back-to-back matches, but he only started in one and it may be difficult to envision this attacking upside to continue. The midfielder has become a more regular starter in recent weeks due to the injury to Sean Longstaff.
Tanaka is more known for his defensive actions, but he's worth a look for those needing help in the midfield given his form. Even if the goals dry up, Tanaka is a consistent source of tackles and is capable of chipping in with shots and key passes.
Emile Smith Rowe (29% Fantrax, 20% Sleeper)
Smith Rowe has started two straight fixtures, posting a 15.5-point performance that included a goal against Manchester City before coming back to earth at the weekend with just 5.5 points during the 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace.
If you watched the Palace match, however, Smith Rowe had a goal ruled out for offsides, capping what would have been a second straight strong performance. Smith Rowe has upside if he can continue in the XI over Josh King, especially this coming week away to Burnley.
FORWARDS
Eddie Nketiah (9% Fantrax, 6% Sleeper)
Nketiah started in place of the injured Ismaila Sarr in attacking midfield Sunday and scored the opening goal of the match during the 2-1 victory. I thought Nketiah may be ticketed for that role once Sarr went down, but he was on the bench in midweek as Palace have depth in midfield which means Daichi Kamada could also move further forward. No matter what rotation looks like midweek in Conference League, Nketiah is worth a flier to see if he will continue in the XI, though this week's matchup is a tough one at home against Manchester City.
Thierno Barry (31% Fantrax, 17% Sleeper)
Barry is finally starting to come good after scoring his first goal in the Premier League at the weekend and posting two straight 10-point matches. Barry has started six straight fixtures and has been pretty average overall, but sometimes average is enough especially at the forward position where there is very little depth on the waiver wire. As a starting striker, Barry needs to be rostered on over 50 percent of teams.
