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 whose situations may have changed or improved, and assess whether or not they are worth a pickup in season-long leagues.
GOALKEEPER
Alex McCarthy (two-percent rostered): Jason Steele (six percent) remains a strong add, though with a home match against Manchester United, it's not the best spot for another clean sheet. Enter McCarthy, who gets a home match against a Nottingham Forest side that scored the third-fewest goals in the league last season. Matz Sels (five percent) is also a solid stream on the other side of this matchup, though I lean McCarthy given he's on the home side.
DEFENDERS
Noussair Mazraoui (44 percent): Mazraoui should be universally-rostered as a starting full-back who plays for one of the biggest teams in the Premier League. He didn't have a single cross in Friday's opener, but he's a capable attacker who had eight goal involvements across two seasons at Bayern Munich in limited playing time. In addition to possible upside, he has a decent floor from defensive volume and clean sheet bonuses, though United have two difficult fixtures in a row against Brighton and Liverpool.
Use our Fixture Difficulty Ranker to spot easy or tough schedules for the rest of the season.
Lucas Digne (36 percent): Despite a wealth of options at left-back, it was Digne who drew the start over both Ian Maatsen (98 percent) and Alex Moreno (five percent) on Saturday. The left-back for Aston Villa has been productive, amassing 153 crosses and 38 chances created to go with four goal involvements in 33 appearances last season. Digne has the attacking upside to be a difference maker at defender with the only concern being if he can hold onto the starting job, as Maatsen seems primed to win the job in the long run.
MIDFIELDERS
James Milner (one percent): I'm not confident that the 38-year-old Milner will maintain his spot in the Brighton starting XI, but he went 82 minutes in the opener, as Billy Gilmour remains in transfer rumors. Milner's statline was buoyed by the fact he had a set-piece monopoly, taking all five corner kicks against Everton, leading to seven crosses and three chances created. I doubt Milner will be a weekly starter, but he's a worthy stream if he keeps this set-piece role with Pascal Gross no longer around.
William Smallbone (31 percent): Another player who dominated set pieces was Smallbone, who took eight corners and crossed 12 times during Saturday's 1-0 loss to Newcastle. Of course, that attacking output was given a boost due to Newcastle playing with 10 men for the majority of the match. Still, an excellent matchup at home against Nottingham Forest makes Smallbone a strong streaming pick in midfield, if not the rest of the season as a regular, 90-minute player with sets.
FORWARDS
Danny Welbeck (12 percent): Welbeck's rostership doubled after last week's article, but he's still way too low for his role as the starting No. 9 for Brighton. Evan Ferguson continues to fight his way back from injury, but he'll likely be eased in from the bench following injury, giving Welbeck another chance to perform.
Adama Traore (16 percent): A popular pick in this article from past seasons, Traore's major hurdle over the last few years has been his ability to make starting XIs. When Traore plays, he has a solid floor as one of the paciest attackers in the Premier League leading to shots, chances created and crosses even if his lack of clinical finishing has led to just eight goal involvements over the past two seasons.
Traore drew the start during Friday's season opener, playing 78 minutes and is a worthy add to see if he can maintain a role in the starting XI following Willian's departure. Fulham open the schedule with an easier run of matches, potentially giving Traore a chance to lock down a starting role.
