who should i pick up in fantasy football

June 28, 2026

Picking up the right waiver wire players in fantasy football during late January 2026 can make or break your playoff push, especially with FPL Gameweek 23 underway and NFL regular season wrapping up. Focus on budget enablers and high-upside players showing recent form in favorable fixtures.

Top Budget Defenders

These cheap options offer defensive returns and clean sheet potential.

Player| Team| Price| Key Stats
---|---|---|---
Alderete| (Undisclosed)| ~£4.5m| 10.13 CBIT/90, strong headed attempts 1
Mukiele| (Undisclosed)| ~£4.5m| 10.00 CBIT/90 1
Reinildo| (Undisclosed)| ~£4.8m| 7.92 CBIT/90 post-Afcon return 1

Reinildo slots back into the XI immediately, making him a priority if you need defensive cover.

Midfield Steals

Midfielders with attacking threat and bonus potential dominate forums right now.

Enzo Le Fée (£4.9m) : 4th-highest scorer under £6m last 6 GWs; top attacking stats.

Granit Xhaka (£5.2m) : 11.15 DC/90, just 17 points behind leaders.

Marcus Tavernier (£5.5m) : Set-pieces + penalties; juicy run vs Wolves, West Ham.

Elliot Anderson (£5.3m) : 13.67 DC/90 (tops mids); thrives in Dyche system.

Tavernier's role expands with injuries—trending as a popular expert pick.

Forward Gems

Prioritize goal threats with xGI upside for bench depth or upgrades.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) : 0.8 xGI/90 (ties Haaland); 5 goals from 7 on-target shots recently.

Mateus Mané (£4.5m) : 2G/2A in 4 starts; 2.34 shots/90.

Kroupi.Jr (£4.6m) : 7 goals in 7 starts—rotation riser.

DCL's GW24-26 run screams value if Haaland owners are panicking.

GW23 Projections

High projected goal/assist players per experts.

Player| Team| Price| Projection
---|---|---|---
Igor Thiago| LIV| £7.2m| 0.68 2
Mohamed Salah| LIV| £14.0m| 0.68 2
Hugo Ekitike| LIV| £8.9m| Strong underlying vs Bournemouth 2

Salah remains captaincy lock despite fixture.

Forum Buzz & Trends

Experts polled (100+ FPL voices) highlight transfers in: Thiago, Tavernier types. Avoid Haaland shippers—misfiring but underlying solid. January window adds new recruits; check PL site for prices.

TL;DR Bottom: Target Tavernier, Le Fée, DCL for upside; stack vs soft fixtures. Tailor to your squad needs. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.