This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
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.
GOALKEEPER
Filip Jorgensen (18% Fantrax, 25% Sleeper)
Jorgensen has taken over the starting keeper role at Chelsea, but after his blunder against Aston Villa, it may only be a matter of time before Robert Sanchez takes the job again. The matchup against Southampton is good no matter who is in goal for the Blues, as the Saints have scored just 19 goals across 26 matches.
DEFENDERS
Oliver Scarles (0% Fantrax, 0% Sleeper)
Scarles made his first Premier League start of the season for West Ham on Saturday, lining up opposite of Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the left wing during the 1-0 win over Arsenal. The 19-year-old was the sixth-highest scoring defender of Gameweek 26, making six tackles and seven interceptions en route to helping the Hammers to the clean sheet. Scarles has yet to flash any attacking upside, but that kind of defensive floor is worth taking a look at, especially at home against Leicester.
Use our Fixture Difficulty Ranker to spot easy or tough schedules for the rest of the season.
Tariq Lamptey (11% Fantrax, 20% Sleeper)
Lamptey reached 10 fantasy points at the weekend, scoring one of Brighton's four goals and earning a clean sheet during the 4-0 win over Southampton. The full-back has started every match in February, combining for six tackles, seven clearances and eight crosses over his three league starts this month. A new injury to Joel Veltman should mean more minutes for Lamptey in the weeks ahead and a matchup Tuesday against Bournemouth isn't one to fear.
MIDFIELDERS
Mikel Merino (37% Fantrax, 30% Sleeper)
I'm not that excited to recommend Merino, but he drew the start at forward for Arsenal and that feels like a bit of a cheat code for season-long purposes as a midfield-eligible player playing up top for a top side.
Of course, Merino will need to perform in the role with Kai Havertz out. He had a brace off the bench in the prior game against Leicester City and then hit seven fantasy points without a goal involvement on the back of taking two shots and two chances created against West Ham. Someone has to score for Arsenal (right?) and Merino is one of the options, at a minimum.
Marshall Munetsi (1% Fantrax, 3% Sleeper)
Munetsi drew his first start for Wolves since joining the club at the start of the month and provided an assist on his full debut while scoring 15.5 fantasy points in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth. Like Merino, Munetsi appeared to be playing higher up the pitch for Wolves than he did during his time with Reims, though he did show attacking ability from midfield in France with six goal involvements, 32 shots and 19 chances created to go with 36 tackles across 19 appearances. That said, he did play further back in the second half after Joao Gomes was taken off at half time due to a yellow card.
Graphic from SofaScore
FORWARDS
Georginio Rutter (43% Fantrax, 40% Sleeper)
Rutter was someone I recommended earlier in the season when Joao Pedro was out, but he's viable once again after starting three straight Premier League matches for Brighton. The attacker is playing just behind the striker in most matches and scored once while taking three shots during the 4-0 win over Southampton. Rutter will need Danny Welbeck to remain out, though he may keep his spot in the XI even when the veteran recovers fitness.
Jaden Philogene (7% Fantrax, 15% Sleeper)
While teammate Jack Clarke had a goal involvement, it was Philogene who caught the eye, as he made his second start for Ipswich Town and scored 9.5 fantasy points without a goal involvement. The attacker isn't guaranteed to start moving forward and will be playing for one of the league's worst sides when he does crack the XI, but he has some upside even without set pieces after firing four shots and creating two chances in the loss to Spurs on Saturday. Next up is a match against Manchester United, which isn't the worst thing at this point in the season.
