GW8 Waiver Wire Targets

This week's waiver article (and many more moving forward) is brought to you by Luke, a long time member of our Discord community. As we grow the community, if you want to feature articles on Draft Academical, please reach out! Enjoy this week's waiver wire targets.

Nikola Milenkovic – 28% – Nottingham Forest

The results may not be there for Mr. Glasner since transitioning to Forest, but Fantrax performances for his center backs have never left. Milenkovic and Murillo, two assets whose value dipped dramatically last year, have seen quiet resurgences in their Fantrax relevance. Milenkovic has had to battle injuries, but when he starts he plays the full 90, and almost always delivers. His 8.31 FP./G comes from standard defensive contributions, which Forest should need their fair share of away at Brentford. His worst showing was 4.75 against Liverpool (2-2) but surely Glasner and Forest are due a result? Right?

Ian Maatsen – 27% – Aston Villa

This is not a recommendation, he’s fooled me too many times, but I have to talk about it. Take away the clean sheet at Hull and Maatsen is averaging 1.69 FP/G. Across his five starts he has 20 points in total, and 13.25 of them came from that one 74-minute shutout. The other four games produced 4.5, 4.25, 1.75 and a painful -3.75 in the 4-0 loss at Brighton. But Unai Emery is cooking, and Maatsen does get forward no matter how little it reflects on his score. If you are a gambler, and feel like taking a swing, this is it.

Abdoul Ouattara – 10% – Ipswich Town

Ouattara’s season splits neatly in two. Coming off the bench, he managed 0, 1, 2 and 2.5 points in cameos that never lasted longer than 17 minutes. In his four starts, he has scored 9.5, 13.75, 9.25 and 4, which is 36.5 points at just over nine a game, and he has gone the full 90 every time. Friday’s 4 against Forest was his quietest start, and even then he finished the match (the complete opposite of Ian Maatsen). Hull away is no easy feat, but neither will any game be for Ipswich. The Tractor Boys have been showing signs of fight lately, and as long as Ouattara stays in the XI he deserves a shout to be in yours.

Archie Gray – 8% – Tottenham

With Pedro Porro suffering another hamstring setback, Gray looks set to hold down the right back spot under De Zerbi for the foreseeable future. That’s great news for managers who can slot him into a midfield spot and get defender value. He has played the full 90 in each of Tottenham’s last three matches and posted a season-high 10.25 in the 3-1 win over Coventry. Archie won’t win you a week on his own, but he’s a near-guaranteed 90-minute starter with defensive ghost points at a midfield slot, and at 8% rostered he’s an easy add for anyone short on midfield depth. The matchup at home to Palace, which gives up the third most points to defenders, presents an attractive opportunity.

Jordan Henderson – 57% – Chelsea

Henderson’s 16 FP/G is propped up by a 36.25-point outburst against Bournemouth, where the veteran midfielder turned back the clock and scored twice while adding an assist. Take that game out and he’s averaging closer to 6 FP/G, which is a more realistic expectation for a player whose job is to sit in front of the back line and advance the ball to the real stars of the show. What makes him worth a look is the minutes and set-pieces (and Manchester United). He has gone the full 90 in all four appearances and appears to have played his way into a regular role. Set-piece duty adds a non-zero amount of upside that cannot be ignored.

Myles Lewis-Skelly – 33% – Arsenal

Saturday was the wrost case scenario for Calafiori owners, but Myles Lewis-Skelly was the clear benefactor. 9.25 in just 67 minutes, with three tackles, a chance created and a clean sheet. His season line (10, 8.5, 2.5, -1, 4, 9.25 for 5.54 FP/G) is uneven, and he has only gone the full 90 once, but a starter for the current Champions should always be given their due attention. Anfield is notoriously daunting for young footballers, but Hull at home in GW10 is a decadent fixture, and he may not wait on the waiver wire until then.

Jacob Murphy – 11% – Newcastle

Don’t let the 4.1 FP/G fool you. Since moving into the starting XI, he has averaged nearly 8 FP/G across four starts, highlighted by an 18-point outing in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Crystal Palace, where he played the full 90 and picked up an assist. The catch is job security. Murphy’s run of starts came with Elanga sidelined, and Elanga is back in training, though he isn’t expected to be ready for a full 90 just yet. Should Elanga find his way into the XI and you expect a result at home against Everton, another Newcastle asset to take a look at is Joe Willock.

Jay DaSilva – 8% – Coventry

Dasilva presents a higher-ceiling option to Van Ewijk on the opposite flank. The left back has started all eight of Coventry’s matches and gone the full 90 in seven of them, so the minutes aren’t in question. What sets him apart from other defenders in a leaky Frank Lampard team is his attacking involvement. He has created at least one chance in each of the last six games, and delivered a 27.25-point haul at Nottingham Forest justifying his potential. The trade-off is a shakier floor. Dasilva has posted 1 point or less in three of his eight outings. That makes him more of a matchup play than a set-and-forget starter, and the matchup this week is a good one: at home against a struggling Sunderland who plays midweek.

William Osula – 69% – Newcastle

Osula is rostered in most leagues, but if he’s sitting on your wire, he deserves a long look. When Jassle starts him, he delivers. He has scored in double digits in both of his starts this season: a 10.5-point season opener against Liverpool, where he picked up an assist in 55 minutes, and an 11.5-point outing in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Crystal Palace, where he scored in 76 minutes. With his fitness back and a goal in his first start since returning, he looks like he’s earned a run up front. A home date with Everton on Saturday is a favorable spot to find out.

Brandon Thomas-Asante – 17% – Coventry

Thomas-Asante is quietly one of the hottest forwards available. After coming off the bench early in the season, he has started Coventry’s last four matches and scored in double digits in all of them bar the latest tie against Fulham, averaging nearly 10 FPts per start. His creative numbers are thin, with only three chances created all season (two turned into assists), but he’s a busy presence up top with eleven shots on the season and four on target. Hull concede 8.3 FPts to forwards on average, presenting a decent opportunity for Thomas-Asante to continue his recent trend.