Gameweek 1 Waiver Wire: Draft EPL

Dutch Cowboy
Aug 12
7 min read

Updated: Aug 18

We're here every week giving you our tips on the best Draft Premier League players to pick up ahead of Fantrax/Sleeper Waiver Wire processing! Acquisitions via waivers can make or break your Fantasy EPL season, so make sure you follow our Gameweek 1 recommendations to help dominate your Draft League.

Essential reading before your weekly waiver requests process!

Waiver Wire Gameweek 1

Here we outline our Fantasy EPL Gameweek 1 Waiver Wire targets that have 40% rostered or below on Fantrax. These players should perform well over the upcoming period! For the first week including an extra batch of players as well as some slightly above the 40% mark.

For Gameweek 1, our focus shifts to post-draft opportunities, identifying players who may have slipped through the cracks and gone undrafted, as well as pinpointing those with softer fixtures for the opening gameweek 1 weekend. We’re also highlighting players who could step in while others recover from pre-season knocks.

Benjamin Šeško (Ros 38%)

Prospects: The 21-year-old Slovenian striker arrives in the Premier League with a reputation for pace, power, and clinical finishing. Šeško is fresh off a 13G/5A Bundesliga season (14G/2A the season prior) and at 6'5" he offers a blend of aerial threat and pacey mobility. He comes into a United side who have made major moves in the efforts to completely flip the multi-year narrative surrounding them. While he may take time to adapt to the physicality and tempo of English football, a lack of another reliable striker will likely cement a starting role in front of Bruno, Cunha, Mbeumo, and the added service of Diallo. The potential is definitely there and he probably went undrafted as he hit the pool after many drafts had already commenced or finished. For fantasy managers, he’s the classic high-upside but will likely get either drafted far too high or will get the house bid on him. In the Bundesliga he put up just under 6 ghost points per start (gPPS) over 2 seasons, 10 points per start (PPS) last season, and around 10.5 in 23/24. There's a lot of cooks in that United kitchen and not everyone will be a top 25 scorer. So I'd be more comfortable drafting him around pick 70 but he'll likely go much earlier.

Verdict: Incredibly roster dependent but I would use a high-tier waiver pick or 65-80 FAB to get him. He will likely go for more than that in most leagues as one of the premier transfer moves this summer.

Alejandro Garnacho (Ros 40%)

Prospects: Garnacho scored six goals and provided two assists in 36 Premier League appearances (23 starts) last season, posting 8.5 PPS and 6.2 gPPS. At some point, he fell out of favour with Amorim and is now heavily linked, if not already transferred, to Chelsea. The young, dynamic winger is viewed by Chelsea as a potential long-term attacking asset. While Chelsea’s front line is notoriously crowded, the current battle for starts may come down to Garnacho and newly arrived Jamie Gittens. If Garnacho can split starts or even take over the role, he could become the waiver-wire steal of the season. He likely went undrafted in many leagues, given he effectively has no confirmed team at the moment.

Verdict: If the deal goes through, I would use a mid-tier waiver pick or 25-35 FAB to get him. Keep an eye on the evolving situation with Chelsea. If it hasn't, I'd tick my bid down to 5-8 FAB.

Pape Sarr (Ros 22%)

Prospects: The 22-year-old Senegalese international could have a more fantasy-relevant role to start the season than many anticipated. Typically deployed deeper in midfield, injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison may see him operating as the No. 10 in the opening fixture at home against newly promoted Burnley. Sarr was pushed further forward in preseason, featuring in friendlies against Wycombe (scoring twice), Newcastle, and Bayern Munich. The main threat to this scenario would be Bergvall taking the advanced role, with Sarr reverting to his usual place in the double pivot. As a Gameweek 1 punt, you could certainly do worse. Does he typically rack up big fantasy points? Not really. But as a stopgap and high-upside play for covering early knocks to your top draft picks, he’s a perfectly serviceable option at home vs Burnley. If Bergvall gets the start instead, I'd be happy to stream.

Verdict: I would use a low-tier waiver pick or 0-1 FAB to get him.