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.
Fantrax & Sleeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Gameweek 14
Gameweek 14 delivers another busy stretch of Premier League action, and fantasy managers on Fantrax and Sleeper have a strong waiver wire pool to exploit. With midweek rotation increasing, injuries piling up and fixture congestion intensifying, this is a key moment to strengthen your squad before the schedule accelerates in December.
Below are the top GW14 waiver wire pickups, highlighted for their form, role security and short-term fixtures.
For more help setting your lineup, check out our Fantrax & Sleeper rankings, cheat sheets, and predicted lineups before the weekend matches.
GOALKEEPER
Sam Johnstone (3% Fantrax, 8% Sleeper)
I'm not terribly excited to recommend Johnstone as Wolves remain in shambles, but the GW14 matchup is a decent one at home against Nottingham Forest. Forest have righted the ship a bit in recent weeks, but part of that may have been the new manager bounce combined with better fixtures. And given Sean Dyche's track record in the Premier League, scoring goals consistently isn't something his teams often do.
Johnstone is coming off of a nine-point effort despite losing 1-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday, which is positive given this season's prior results.
DEFENDERS
Maxim De Cuyper (31% Fantrax, 16% Sleeper)
De Cuyper lined up in attacking midfield during Sunday's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest and scored 31 points on the back of a goal and four chances created. There's no guarantee De Cuyper will continue on the wing, or if he'll even continue in the starting XI next match, but this is certainly a situation to watch as a defender lining up in the attacking third while being eligible for fantasy clean sheet points is a big deal.
De Cuyper's playing time is a definite question, but he's fit and could have a role on set pieces while on the pitch. As long as Kaoru Mitoma is out, De Cuyper at least has a chance to start on the left wing while Ferdi Kadioglu remains Brighton's starting left-back.
Use our Fixture Difficulty Ranker to spot easy or tough schedules for the rest of the season
Kenny Tete (48% Fantrax, 22% Sleeper)
Tete was the third-highest scoring defender of Gameweek 13, posting a 21-point effort while scoring a goal in the 2-1 win over Tottenham. The full-back now has four straight double-digit point efforts and continues to be one of the more reliable options at the position. A midweek clash against Manchester City isn't the best matchup, but following that fixture Fulham don't face another big-six side until Jan. 4.
The 10 favorites for Gameweek 14 from RotoWire's FPL Cheat Sheet.
MIDFIELDERS
Mason Mount (25% Fantrax, 25% Sleeper)
Mount was a solid streamer in Gameweek 13 after both Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha were ruled out through injury. The midfielder responded with 14.5 points and a goal during the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, and could be in line for another start midweek as long as he's fit enough for it.
Mount hasn't fully lived up to his early career hype, but he plays in an advanced role when he starts for United and that's enough to be worth a pickup against West Ham. Given the lack of midweek matches for United this season, it remains to be seen how Ruben Amorim will rotate his squad on a short week.
Boubacar Kamara (29% Fantrax, 40% Sleeper)
Kamara scored during his 13.5-point performance Sunday against Wolves, as he made the difference with the lone goal of the match. The midfielder has been solid in terms of fantasy despite that lone goal involvement. He has two double-digit games and hasn't scored below six points in any of his last four starts. A consistent starter in Villa's midfield, they host Brighton in Gameweek 14.
FORWARDS
Joshua Zirkzee (15% Fantrax, 17% Sleeper)
Zirkzee probably should've been in last week's articles due to the injuries to Sesko and Cunha. He's surprisingly gone 90 minutes in back-to-back matches as United's No. 9 and returned a goal and 29 points in those games. The knock on Zirkzee has been his finishing since moving to the Premier League, but he scored a skillful goal during the 2-1 win over Palace on Sunday and is a bit of a swiss-army knife attacker who can score fantasy points in multiple ways.
Amine Adli (10% Fantrax, 3% Sleeper)
Making the most of just his second Premier League start, Adli scored a goal and put up 15.5 points during Saturday's 3-2 loss to Sunderland as he entered the starting XI ahead of Eli Kroupi at the weekend.
Kroupi could immediately be back for midweek action against Everton, if not Justin Kluivert if healthy, but Adli is a versatile attacker who could find his way into the XI alongside Kroupi pending the XI.
Adli is one of many low-owned forwards who played well at the weekend including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Brian Brobbey, Omari Hutchinson, Samuel Chukwueze and Lukas Nmecha.
