Gameweek 8 Waiver Wire: Draft EPL

We're here every week giving you our tips on the best Draft Premier League players to pick up ahead of Fantrax Waiver Wire processing! Acquisitions via waivers can make or break your Fantasy EPL season, so make sure you follow our Gameweek 8 recommendations to help dominate your Draft League.

Essential reading before your weekly waiver requests process!

Waiver Wire Gameweek 8

Here we outline our Fantasy EPL Waiver Wire Gameweek 8 targets that have 40% rostered or below on Fantrax. These players should perform well over the upcoming period!

Georginio Rutter (Ros 29%)

Prospects: Georginio Rutter became Brighton's most expensive signing in the club's history after transferring from Leeds over the summer of 2024. The Seagull's coach, Hürzeler, made it quite clear that Rutter would be playing a main role as part of their attack and the numbers don't lie. Since Gameweek 4, Rutter has started every game but has still been subbed off around the 70 minute mark. That being said, in that time, Rutter has accumulated the 3rd most FPts of all Brighton players, along with 2 goals and 1 assist, so it is a bit baffling that Rutter's roster percentage isn't higher, especially since managers were quite high on the likes of Joao Pedro, Minteh and Adingra. Over the next 2 gameweeks, Brighton FWDs have the 4th best fixture difficulty rating, so adding Rutter to your roster should be a no-brainer. Easy FWD-2/3.

Verdict: I would use a low-tier waiver pick or 3-5 FAB to get him.

Abdoulaye Doucoure (Ros 27%)

Prospects: Everton MIDs have the 3rd best fixture difficulty rating over the next 4 gameweeks, which takes us up to the next international break. If you're in the hunt for a MID-4/5, a new one might have emerged from Everton. Abdoulaye Doucoure, a Fantrax favourite a few seasons ago, dropped off a cliff in terms of fantasy point production last season and his poor performances were not helped by injuries in hte second half of last season. However, Dyche seems to have found a new role for the French midfielder by moving him from a CAM to a CDM role. Albeit a very small sample size, the 2 games that Doucoure played in the CAM role, he was only playing around 60 minutes in each game and scored 0.25 and 2 FPts. However, in his new CDM role, he has played 90 minutes in all 3 games, while scoring 5, 5.5 and most recently 10 FPts, which actually included a goal that was ruled out for offside. It should be noted that the 10 FPts score included 3 key passes, which is a great sign for potential points with one of the best fixture runs for all teams on the horizon. Could Abdoulaye be back?

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

Wout Faes (Ros 21%)

Prospects: In Gameweek 7 Leicester City finally got their first win of the season, as well as their first clean sheet. This result could potentially spark a run of form for the Foxes, as they fight for survival in the Premier League. Leicester have one of their biggest fixtures of the season in Gameweek 8, as they visit Southampton, which most consider to be a classic 6-point affair. Southampton have scored the fewest goals (4) of the 24/25 campaign so far, so Leicester will be loving their chances at earning back-to-back wins and clean sheets. If you believe in their backline, then Faes could be the pick of the bunch. Since the start of the season, Faes is currently the 2nd highest FPts scoring Leicester DEF and has also been a ghost point machine, putting up 9.3 ghost-points-per-90! Faes has already shown that he can be a goal threat on set pieces as well. If you aren't able to field a dependable FWD-3 or MID-5, Faes could be a good gamble as a DEF-3/4 for at least the next gameweek.

Verdict: I would use a low-tier waiver pick or 1-2 FAB to get him.

Keane Lewis-Potter (Ros 18%)

Prospects: Although we're in a season where FWDs are in surplus, there is one player that is starting to catch our eye and we think he could be worth a roster as a FWD-3/4. Keane Lewis-Potter, also known as KLP, is usually not known for his fantasy point production but there has been a change of roles at Brentford, which might have unlocked his potential as an asset. KLP usually plays as a left-winger, but given the number of injuries in defence and midfield for the Bees, he has been deployed as a left-sided midfielder/defender, essentially a wing-back. When playing as left-winger, KLP only started once and scored 6.5 FPts in 65 minutes. However in his new role, KLP has played 4 games, completed 90 minutes in each, as well as registering 2 assists. During this 4 game spell, KLP has even been averaging 7.75 ghost points per game! This might be a temporary role for KLP until injured players like Rico Henry return, but if you like the gamble, go for it!

Verdict: I would use a low-tier waiver pick or 0-2 FAB to get him.

Caleb Okoli (Ros 2%)

Prospects: If you are unable to get Faes, Kristiansen or Justin in your league, then Okoli is a great back-up as a Leicester City DEF pick. The Foxes visit the Saints in Gameweek 8 and will aim to get another clean sheet as they face the league's lowest scorers (4) of the campaign so far. Since Okoli's first start in Gameweek 3, the Italian DEF has started every game and has been averaging 7.35 ghost points per game. In the same time period, Okoli has registered the 2nd most clearances (35), 2nd most blocked shots (8) and 2nd most aerials (9) of all Leicester defenders, only behind Faes. Okoli might not have the same goal threat as his centre-back partner, but he could be a very reliable DEF-3/4 in Gameweek 8, especially if your other options have tougher fixtures or you need to match your opponent's Leicester defensive option.

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

Sepp van den Berg (Ros 6%)

Prospects: Sepp van den Berg was one of Brentford's 2024 summer signings from Liverpool. He arrived with very high expectations as Liverpool were keen on retaining their young CB, given the uncertainty around Virgil van Dijk's future. Sepp's role at Brentford was up for debate as well, since no one was really sure where he would fit in especially considering Collins and Pinnock's impressive start to the Bees campaign. Initially, it seemed as though Sepp would be used as the 3rd CB when Brentford play the back-5 system versus tougher opposition, but Sepp retained his starting spot versus Wolves too! Since starting in Gameweek 4 versus Manchester City, Sepp has scored the 2nd highest ghost points (8.38 ghost points per game) of all Bees defenders, only 6.25 points behind leader Pinnock. It should be noted that although Collins stole the show in Gameweek 7, Sepp still managed to register 9.75 ghost points which is almost as reliable as a DEF-2 for any roster. Brentford have a really nice run of fixtures until the next international break so you might want to consider grabbing Sepp while you can.

Verdict: I would use a low-tier waiver pick or 2-3 FAB to get him.

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