If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 3.
Don’t forget to check out our brand-new Stats Centre, which offers a crazy amount of data, defensive contributions (DefCon) information, points projections and more.
WHEN IS THE FPL GAMEWEEK 3 DEADLINE?
90 minutes before the first match. In this case, all transfers and team selections need to be done by 18:30 BST on Friday 4 September.
FPL GAMEWEEK 3 PROJECTIONS
Our Chief Scout data has identified which teams have the best clean sheet and goal-scoring potential:
As well as the players likeliest to grab an attacking return:
- Erling Haaland (1.14)
- Rayan Cherki (0.97)
- Alexander Isak (0.81)
- Phil Foden (0.70)
- Bukayo Saka (0.69)
WHO TO BUY + SELL
The above numbers are from Friday lunchtime. Our ‘Buy, Keep or Sell’ article explains some of these in more detail – and whether the moves are wise ones.
To help further, we’ve predicted the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 3 PICKS
All four of our in-house Scout Squad team unanimously back individuals such as Erling Haaland (£15.5m), Igor Thiago (£8.0m) and Maxim De Cuyper (£4.7m) to do well.
As for the weekly Scout Picks selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – there is a Manchester City triple-up because they’re at home to Coventry City.
New Aston Villa forward Nicolas Jackson (£6.5m) is one of three suggested differential picks.
TALKING POINTS
TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY
To the relief of many, the Premier League’s summer transfer window closed on Tuesday, and FPL have already slapped some attractive price tags onto Bradley Barcola (£8.0m), Ibrahim Mbaye (£6.0m) and Matias Fernandez-Pardo (£6.0m).
As well as deeper looks at the Barcola, Ayyoub Bouaddi (£5.5m), Daniel Munoz (£5.4m) and Liam Delap (£5.5m) deals, we’ve picked out some winners and losers from the things that did – and didn’t – happen.
For example, like Thierno Barry (£5.5m), Arsenal winger Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) finds himself without the anticipated competition for places, though he was poor in Gameweek 2 and substituted at half-time.
Meanwhile, Iliman Ndiaye’s (£6.0m) owners are unlucky. A penalty-taking 90-minute man at Everton – one of only seven players to receive DefCon points in both matches – he’s now just a part of Man City’s attacking carousel.
TIME TO USE TRIPLE CAPTAIN?
Sticking with Enzo Maresca’s side, we’d like to know how their two late, big-money signings will affect future lineups. Will ‘Pep Roulette’ soon become an ‘Enzo Bingo’?
You see, most Gameweek 3 decisions revolve around Man City being at home to Coventry. Haaland may have been outshone by Bruno Fernandes’ (£12.0m) epic haul, but he still netted twice against Crystal Palace.
Should the Norwegian be chosen as a Triple Captain? There are pros and cons to it.
OR PERHAPS A WILDCARD?
Many Wildcard activations are primarily to get both him and a colleague like Phil Foden (£7.0m) or Rayan Cherki (£7.7m). The Frenchman is this week’s most-bought player, despite game time concerns. In fact, ‘every popular transfer is a good transfer’ is one of seven early-season conclusions that FPL Milanista says managers must resist.
Some chip users will jump onto an impressive Newcastle, and pile in on Chelsea for Gameweek 4 onwards. Maybe it’s possible to squeeze Haaland, Fernandes and Cole Palmer (£9.6m) into the same draft?
Fresh from a 13-pointer, Pascal Gross (£5.5m) is popular, but one of Tom Freeman’s £4.5m defender recommendations might have to replace the injured Joe Rodon (£4.5m).
Elsewhere, FPL Meerkat thinks Brentford forward Thiago can bounce back from an unsuccessful start.
Interestingly, none of the 18 ‘Great and Good’ managers used a transfer for Gameweek 2, and all received green arrows. Expect them to go in different directions ahead of Gameweek 3, though….
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 3 CAPTAIN
Let’s be honest, a certain Norwegian is going to be most people’s pick this week…
But if you’re a non-Haaland owner or a maverick, check out our Captain Sensible article and what our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm thinks.
EXPERT TEAM REVEALS
- Three-time top 500 finisher, FPL General
- Hall of Famer Dan Wright
- Six-time top 10k finisher Milanista
So, whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 3!
