Week three has thrown us suspensions and a string of injuries to contend with, plus the absence of United players to plan around. Having said that, the fixture list and current form appears to have handed us some pretty decent prospects and I’m predicting the average fantasy haul to take a turn for the better this week.

Here’s my selection for the weekend’s games for your perusal…

First off I should qualify my selection by saying that I’ve avoided the Villa vs Liverpool clash simply because I find this one hard to call. On form Villa should come out on top but Liverpool have a knack of pulling through so far this season. Last time out Gerrard won it rather fortunately for Rafa with a stunning free-kick. This time he won’t be around but I can still see a stubborn performance from Liverpool which could rain on the parade of those fantasy managers who have heavily backed the likes of Carew and Agbonlahor this week. Similarly, Torres hasn’t faired well away from Anfield in the past and, although he notched at Sunderland and the Villa defence are kind, I can see better weeks to invest in the Spaniard.

Another thing I should mention is that I’ve avoided the Boro strikers even though they look strong bets for goals at home to Stoke. Southgate’s side are in strong form but Mido’s presence, and his three goals in three games does cast doubt on the preferred strike force for tomorrow’s game. Enough doubt for me to look elsewhere for strikers despite the potential that Alves may offer.

So, those points made, let’s get on with the picks…

I’ve gone for Howard in goal. Everton look a sound bet for a clean sheet against a Pompey side who have yet to score a goal and who travel to Goodison with a doubt over Defoe’s fitness. The usual cast of Everton defenders are worth a punt, with Jacobsen offering good value as the new cheap “Hibbert option”. I’ve gone for Howard though to free some room in defence for some additional punts with some pretty healthy options on offer.

The first of these is the token Chelsea defender – I’ve kept faith with Terry although either of Bosingwa are also options of course. There’s a slight doubt surrounding the fitness of Ashley Cole but he should also start. Spurs carry a goal threat but the Chelsea defence looks imperious and has a good chance of another shut-out against a Spurs side short on confidence.

Gallas takes his place alongside Terry as Arsenal play host to a Newcastle side who will look to keep things tight at the Emirates. Like Portsmouth, they’ve got injuries up front and although Owen is a likely starter, I can see Arsenal keeping a cleanie with most of the play camped up the other end of the field. Clichy is a very popular option of course, but Gallas scored in midweek and looked lively at set-plays. With Fabregas’ delivery returning, I’m going for the skippers goal threat over the twinkling runs of Clichy.

Wheater takes the third berth in defence. He hosts Stoke this weekend and will be vital to their defence giving the likely barrage of high balls he will face. A clean sheet should result in FPL bonus and he is always a major threat at the other end.

The final spot is a gamble but I’m going for Gardner or Bolton. In the absence of Matt Taylor, he is set to play a role right up the field on the left of Kevin Davies in attack and could well offer some potential for assists and goals as a result. As it happens, he is also up against West Brom who have yet to register a goal in open play so far this season so a clean sheet could well be on the cards too.

Moving in to midfield and we have some familiar names who all have strong match-up’s this weekend. Lampard is a given for me – even though Deco has grabbed the headlines, I’ve watched Lampard make run after run into the box and a further goals are surely on the cards. He loves a London derby and Spurs could well be on the end of 5-6 efforts on goal from Frank – it only takes one deflection and we’ll all be laughing.

Fabregas returns to the Arsenal midfield and is almost guaranteed FPL bonus should the Gunners overcome Newcastle at the Emirates. While I can’t see lots of goals in this one, I can see the Spaniard pulling the strings and coming away with at least an assist in an Arsenal win.

Downing faces Stoke at the Riverside and will surely be the creative force in the Boro side that should put 2-3 goals past their opponents based on current form. A goal, an assist and some FPL bonus could be on the cards.

I’ve gone for Gamst-Pedersen for the final slot, simply because I see Blackburn putting West Ham to the sword at Upton Park. Pedersen has had plenty of shots on goal so far this season and will hog set pieces with Bentley gone and Dunn likely to miss out through injury. I can see at least an assist for him as Rovers put a couple past the Hammers.

On that note I’ve gone for Santa Cruz up front. He scored at Upton Park last season and loves a decent away fixture having already scored at Goodison this season. As I say, I can see Ince’s side coming away with a win in this one and both Santa Cruz and Roberts are strong bets for points.

Yakubu is the safe bet alongside him. Two goals in two games so far, the Nigerian is up against his former club in a fixture that saw him grab a brace last season. Pompey will make it hard for Everton and, while I don’t see lots of goals, I can see Yakubu being the difference. He looks sharp and he has good fixtures to follow this so is a very decent bet over the next three games.

On the subs bench I’ve gone with budget options again. First off there’s Wigan’s Zaki as a reserve forward. He’s been electric since his arrival at the JJB and has fired 11 shots on goal, earning him his first Premiership strike at Upton Park on day one of the season. I can see Wigan bringing Hull down to earth this weekend and Zaki should figure prominently.

In midfield I’ve opted for Geovanni of Hull who offers decent potential playing off the front man against Wigan. There are plenty of other options to explore though – Reid of Sunderland should enjoy the home game with City, earning some FPL bonus in a Black Cats win. Valencia of Wigan also came close to making the bench for me. Arteta at Everton is another very strong option this weekend but, given that I’ve opted for Howard and Yakubu, I resisted the temptation to back Everton with a trio of selections.

At the back I’ve opted for Traore of Portsmouth who is not only a bargain purchase across the fantasy games in terms of price, he is also set to play a left midfield role for Redknapp’s side in the absence of Kranjcar. Long term he should revert to left back, but given his price he’s still a very decent bet. Portsmouth could well opt for a 4-5-1 at Goodison and go for the 0-0, in which case Traore would be a decent option to have this week and particularly in the weeks to come.

Finally, the Fantasy Premier League captain decision once again throws up an obvious safe bet in the form of Lampard and a couple of gambles. Downing of Boro looks a strong option, as does Yakubu if you fancy Portsmouth to capitulate as they did at Stamford Bridge.