We have put together our early Scout Picks for Gameweek 3 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
With EFL Cup ties, a UEFA Conference League play-off game, Scout Squad nominations and pre-match press conferences to come, there’s still plenty of time for our weekly selection – which we’ll finalise on Friday – to change.
But this early XI at least provides a glimpse into the players and teams who will be under consideration.
ABOUT THE SCOUT PICKS ‘BUS TEAM’
As with the final Scout Picks, there are certain restrictions for our squad:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 3 FIXTURES
Above: The Gameweek 3 fixtures sorted by difficulty on our Season Ticker.
THE LIKELY LADS
The massive investment in attack unsurprisingly hasn’t been a cure-all for Manchester United’s problems.
But the ongoing inquest can maybe wait till after Gameweek 3, when the fixtures stiffen again. This weekend, Burnley visit Old Trafford. Even at their absolute nadir in 2024/25, United still scored three goals in five of their six meetings with last season’s newly promoted trio.
There have been glimmers of promise from the new-look attack, too, even if they’ve not been an instant smash-hit. The Red Devils are top for shots (32) and efforts in the box (21) despite facing two defences that didn’t give too many chances away last season.
You can use reasoning to justify any of their £8.0m+ midfielders this week.
Burnley have allowed twice as many chances to be created (ie passes/crosses that led to shots) from their left flank as from their right. Good news for Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m), then?
But the majority of the high-xG shots (and the three goals conceded at Spurs) have come from the left-to-middle zone. That’s more Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) territory.
Above: Burnley’s xG shot conceded map in 2025/26
Against a block as deep as Burnley’s, Bruno Fernandes‘ (£9.0m) probing could be key to unpicking the Clarets’ defence. Joint-third among all FPL midfielders for defensive contributions (DC/DefCon) in 2025/26, he’s also United’s leading chance creator (six).
At the back, there’s the set-piece threat and DC magnetism of Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m), who has banked DefCon points in both fixtures this season, and Leny Yoro (£4.5m), or the open-play attacking potential of Patrick Dorgu (£4.5m).
Away from United, you can bet your bottom dollar that Nottingham Forest players are going to feature prominently in the Scout Picks. A sorry West Ham United side travel to the City Ground this weekend, with Graham Potter under serious pressure. Ranked 19th for xG, they’ve also been a shambles at the back.
Their set-piece woes raise interest in the likes of Nikola Milenkovic (£5.5m) and Chris Wood (£7.7m), especially:
IN CONTENTION
The likely loss of four players to injury or suspension could seriously harm Newcastle United’s chances at Elland Road.
They might still have enough to see off Leeds United but the absence of a first-choice centre-half and two of their combative midfield three undoubtedly dents their clean sheet prospects. Dan Burn (£5.0m) could still worm his way into our Scout Picks: he’ll have watched with interest as Leeds conceded two set-piece goals to Arsenal, while he’s banked DC points in both appearances in 2025/26.
Further forward, Anthony Gordon‘s (£7.5m) suspension bumps up the xMins of Anthony Elanga (£7.0m) and Harvey Barnes (£6.5m). Barnes has his critics and there are sometimes questions about his wider contribution to the Newcastle cause. But he’s got that Alonso-esque knack of delivering goals and assists regardless of his overall performance: there were almost as many attacking returns (14) as starts (17) last season.
Above: Newcastle players sorted by points per start in 2024/25
It’s fair to say that, were Newcastle and Brentford at home to Leeds and Sunderland in Gameweek 3, we’d have more confidence. We saw what both newly promoted clubs were capable of in Gameweek 1 when they had raucous home crowds at their back.
The DefCon-amassing Sepp van den Berg (£4.5m) is nevertheless under consideration, along with string-puller Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.9m), last year’s 11-goal success story Kevin Schade (£7.0m) and penalty-taking targetman Igor Thiago (£6.0m). Despite facing two of the division’s weakest teams in Gameweeks 1 and 2, Sunderland rank a lowly 17th for xG:
Above: Teams sorted by the lowest xG in 2025/26 to date
Wolves v Everton is a fixture that had all the hallmarks of being an early-season ‘El Crapico’ but Sunday’s win will buoy the Toffees. This weekend’s hosts, very much a team in transition without Messrs Cunha, Semedo and Ait-Nouri, are goalless and pointless, too.
A revitalised Jack Grealish (£6.5m), fresh from two assists, is a midfield candidate but interest at this point is predominantly in the more tried-and-tested defence. James Tarkowski (£5.5m) has carried on where he left off in 2024/25, delivering DefCon points in both Gameweeks.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur carry their unbeaten records into home fixtures that might not be straightforward tests. Indeed, Fulham and Bournemouth got something from these corresponding matches last season. Still, there’s a bit of a feelgood factor with the Blues and the Lilywhites at present, so there’s an argument to try and ride the crest of the wave regardless of opposition – Spurs did go to the Etihad and win 2-0 last weekend, after all.
Richarlison (£6.7m), Pedro Porro (£5.5m), Mohammed Kudus (£6.6m), Joao Pedro (£7.6m), Estevao (£6.5m), Pedro Neto (£7.0m) and Marc Cucurella (£6.1m) aren’t far from our thoughts, if not top of the shopping list.
In a week where we might overlook Mohamed Salah (£14.5m, see below) and the three other £10.0m+ assets are all flagged, Erling Haaland (£14.1m) is the stand-out premium pick – if we want any, of course. He’s never blanked in five meetings with Brighton and Hove Albion, scoring five goals and assisting another.
THE LONGER SHOTS
The giants of Arsenal play host to the titans of Liverpool this weekend, making them both seem normal-sized in FPL terms. It’s the type of clash that you’d usually shy away from on a Free Hit, which is essentially what the Scout Picks is, but is it wrong to just ignore it?
Liverpool were dominated by 10-man Newcastle on Monday, having also conceded two goals at home to Bournemouth.
The defence looks vulnerable and the gaps seem too big between the lines, while Ibrahima Konate (£5.5m) is visibly struggling for form at present. That’s effectively who the left-drifting Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) will be up against in Gameweek 2.
Above: Teams sorted by most big chances conceded (BC) in the opening two Gameweeks
Perhaps this fixture deserves a second look after all.
GAMEWEEK 3 EARLY SCOUT PICKS
