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
Djordje Petrovic (20-percent rostered): An addendum to the keeper section last week, Petrovic is the headliner this week after it was revealed that Robert Sanchez is set to miss multiple weeks with a knee injury. Petrovic started against Sheffield United over the weekend and kept a clean sheet while making one save and earning 10 Fantrax points. Chelsea don't face a fellow "big six" club until the end of January, so more clean sheets could be on the horizon.
(Editor's Note: Use our new schedule difficulty tool to view the next 10 gameweeks for every team).
DEFENDERS
Nathan Patterson (11 percent): Patterson started at right-back this past weekend with both Ashley Young and Seamus Coleman injured. His value unfortunately depends on the status of those two veterans. Either way, Everton have been in tremendous form with four straight clean sheets including one at Burnley, helping Patterson earn 13.75 points. Michael Keane also returned (for suspended Jarrad Branthwaite) and scored a goal, but in theory Patterson should offer more attacking upside even if Keane is a threat from set pieces. That being the case for Patterson and Keane, their next two games are against Tottenham and Manchester City, which doesn't include Tuesday's Cup match against Fulham.
Timothy Castagne (27 percent): Castagne had posted back-to-back double-digit performances before Fulham fell to Newcastle last match, thanks to an early Raul Jimenez red card. Castagne is back on the radar this week, as Fulham get one of the best matches available against Burnley at home. Clean sheets have boosted Castagne's point totals in recent weeks and while the opportunity for a clean sheet should be high against Burnley, the right-back isn't a total dud going forward.
MIDFIELDERS
Lewis Miley (15 percent): Miley dropped nine percent last week after being dropped to the bench, but he responded by scoring his first Premier League goal after coming into the match in the first half to replace the injured Joelinton. The 17-year-old had started seven straight matches in all competitions and has goal involvements in his last two appearances. While Miley isn't a bet to get on the scoresheet that often, he's a steady contributor in midfield capable of reaching eight Fantrax points which has value. Teammate Sean Longstaff (29 percent) also started his first match in over a month in the win over Fulham.
Mikkel Damsgaard (four percent): Damsgaard returned for his first start of the season after coming back from a knee injury at the start of the month. If Damsgaard can carve out a role in the starting XI, he has attacking ability and is the type of player who could reach double-digit points without needing a goal involvement as shown in his 11.5-point performance against Aston Villa. Brentford don't have a match in Gameweek 18, but face Wolves and Crystal Palace in their next two fixtures. Of course, his playing time may also be tied to the injury status of Mathias Jensen, who has been out the last few weeks.
FORWARDS
Jean-Philippe Mateta (four percent): Mateta led the line for Palace at the weekend due to an injury to Odsonne Edouard and responded by scoring a goal in a 22.5-point performance against Manchester City. Mateta has goals in back-to-back fixtures after also scoring off the bench against Liverpool and should retain his role in the starting XI as long as Edouard remains out. While in transfer rumors due to a lack of playing time, a positive holiday run could see him have a bigger role even once Edouard is back.
Carlos Vinicius (seven percent): Vinicius could be a two-week streaming option, assuming he leads the line in place of the suspended Raul Jimenez. Nothing is quite guaranteed, as Marco Silva could opt elsewhere with plenty of mediocre attacking options at his disposal. Fulham play Burnley and Bournemouth in their next two and Vinicius scored in his last appearance, though overall he hasn't been in the best form when called upon this season. Still, opportunity knocks and starting forwards can't be ignored in standard Fantrax leagues.
