Gameweek 2 Waiver Wire: Six Draft Fantasy Pickups for 2026/27
Mamadou Sangaré is the best all-round Gameweek 2 waiver claim. Maxim De Cuyper has the highest upside for managers who can look beyond one difficult fixture, while Anton Stach offers the clearest route to steady points. Keane Lewis-Potter, Thierno Barry and Emersonn are deeper-league alternatives.
This is advice for draft leagues, where each player can have only one owner. The roster rate shows how often each player is already owned across completed private Draft Fantasy leagues; it does not guarantee availability in yours. Open the transfer market in your Draft Fantasy Premier League league before setting claims.
Scoring note: the order uses Draft Fantasy regular scoring, which matches official FPL scoring. Custom-scoring leagues calculate points from the values chosen by the commissioner, so a league that heavily rewards tackles, key passes or shots may need a different order.
Gameweek 2 waiver rankings
| Priority | Player | Pos | Rostered | GW1 | GW2–4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mamadou SangaréBRE | Midfielder | 20.1% | 14 pts · 75 min |
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| 2 |  Maxim De CuyperBHA | Defender | 22.6% | 17 pts · 77 min |
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| 3 |  Anton StachLEE | Midfielder | 39.1% | 13 pts · 90 min |
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| 4 | Keane Lewis-PotterBRE | Midfielder | 4.3% | 10 pts · 90 min |
|
| 5 |  Thierno BarryEVE | Forward | 36.2% | 8 pts · 78 min |
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| 6 |  EmersonnIPS | Forward | 23.3% | 9 pts · 65 min |
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Draft Fantasy regular-scoring stats and private-league roster rates, 25 August 2026; fixture difficulty runs from 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest).
Opening-week points are only the starting filter. The ranking gives more weight to minutes, repeatable involvement, roster availability and the next three fixtures. Gameweek 1 scores were captured before the official post-Gameweek review had locked, so small corrections remain possible; the decisions below do not depend on a single bonus point.
Create a Premier League draft league to play with unique squads, configurable waivers and a live transfer market.
1. Mamadou Sangaré is the priority claim
Sangaré returned two assists in 75 minutes, but the more useful signal was his 13 defensive contributions. That gives him a route to points even when the attacking returns disappear. He also made two key passes and finished with 0.33 expected assists in Draft Fantasy's opening-round data.
The schedule supports an immediate move: Leeds away and Sunderland at home both carry difficulty ratings of two. At a 20.1% roster rate, Sangaré should be available more often than most players with multiple routes to points.
Make him the first claim when you need a midfielder who can start now. In a FAAB league, an editorial starting point is 8–12% of your remaining budget; move higher only when he clearly replaces a weak weekly starter. The fantasy football waiver rules guide explains how FAAB, rolling priority and weekly reset change the cost of acting early.
2. Maxim De Cuyper is the upside claim
De Cuyper produced the biggest opening return in this group: 17 points from a goal, an assist and a clean sheet. The underlying involvement was just as notable for a defender. He recorded one shot on target, three key passes, 1.47 expected goals and 0.21 expected assists in 77 minutes.
Do not treat those numbers as a new weekly baseline after one match. Chelsea away is a neutral difficulty-three fixture, and short-term team selection can still change. The reason to claim him is the schedule after that: Brighton face Leeds at home and Coventry away, rated two and one.
De Cuyper is worth 6–10% of remaining FAAB if you can bench him in Gameweek 2 or accept the immediate fixture. Managers buying only for Gameweek 2 can rank Stach ahead of him.
3. Anton Stach has the most repeatable floor
Stach played 90 minutes, scored and collected 16 defensive contributions. The goal drove his 13-point return, but the full match and contribution volume are the reasons to keep him near the top of the list.
His next two fixtures are both rated three rather than obvious targets. This is a role-and-floor claim, not a schedule chase. Stach was already ninth in Draft Fantasy's 2026/27 midfielder rankings, and his opening match strengthened the case that defensive work can support his regular-scoring output.
At 39.1% rostered, he is less likely to be free than Sangaré or De Cuyper. If available, use 5–9% of remaining FAAB for a stable fourth midfielder and more only when custom scoring increases the value of his contribution profile.
4. Keane Lewis-Potter is the deep-league value
Lewis-Potter is rostered in only 4.3% of completed private leagues, yet he played 90 minutes and scored from 0.77 expected goals. Ten defensive contributions show useful off-ball involvement, while Brentford's next three fixtures are rated two, two and three.
That combination makes him more interesting than a one-week scorer with no clear path to minutes. The risk is that one start cannot prove a season-long role. Use him as a fifth-midfielder claim in ten- or twelve-manager leagues, not as a reason to drop a proven premium player.
A 1–4% FAAB bid is enough in most formats. In rolling waivers, keep a valuable top priority unless the free-agent pool at midfield is already thin.
5. Thierno Barry is the forward-scarcity claim
Barry's eight points came with a goal, 78 minutes and 0.45 expected goals. Those are modest numbers beside the midfield hauls, but position changes the decision: starting forwards are usually harder to replace in a draft league.
The immediate run is mixed. Bournemouth away is rated three and Manchester United at home is a four before a difficulty-one trip to Tottenham. Barry is therefore a squad-construction claim rather than the best Gameweek 2 starter.
Bid 3–7% of remaining FAAB when he replaces a forward with uncertain minutes. If your current three forwards are secure, preserve the budget for a clearer role change.
6. Emersonn is a patient forward punt
Emersonn scored nine points in 65 minutes and recorded two shots on target, two key passes and 0.82 expected goals. A 23.3% roster rate gives him a realistic chance of being available in deeper leagues.
The fixtures demand patience: Manchester United away is rated four, Liverpool at home three and Crystal Palace away two. That is why he sits below Barry despite the stronger opening expected-goal figure. Claim him for role upside and forward depth, not because the next matchup is attractive.
Use a £0–3 bid or a low-priority fallback claim. If both forwards are free, Barry is the safer first request and Emersonn the alternative.
How to set your Gameweek 2 claims
Use this order as a starting point, then adjust for the player you would drop:
- Solve a starting-lineup problem first. Sangaré or Stach should outrank a speculative forward when they immediately replace a weak midfielder.
- Pay for repeatable evidence, not the score alone. Minutes, defensive contributions, shots and chances created are more useful than one finish.
- Use fallback requests. Pair Sangaré with Lewis-Potter, and Barry with Emersonn, so one lost claim does not leave the same squad problem.
- Check custom scoring. Recalculate each candidate inside your league before copying the regular-scoring order.
- Look beyond one fixture. The free fixture difficulty tool shows the schedule after Gameweek 2 as well as the next matchup.
The verified Gameweek 2 deadline is Friday 28 August at 17:30 UTC. Your own league shows its waiver-processing schedule, so submit requests before the next process rather than waiting for the match deadline.
Ready to manage a squad nobody else can copy? Start a Draft Fantasy Premier League league, invite your managers and choose FAAB, rolling or weekly-reset waivers.