As Fantasy Premier League heads into Gameweek 3 of the 2024/25, we provide some tips and advice on transfers, the best captain for this week, and some differentials worth looking at.
All statistics used in this article are from Opta unless stated otherwise.
Fantasy Premier League GW2 deadline: Saturday, 31 August, 11:00 BST
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Fantasy Premier League: Four essential tips ahead of FPL GW3
What to do with Chelsea
Chelsea are on every FPL manager’s radar following their 6-2 demolition job on Wolves last week. Is it a sign of their resurgence as a footballing force, or a false dawn? For this writer, it’s reminiscent of their 3-0 win over Luton Town a year ago, after which they went three games without scoring.
Aided by some poor goalkeeping from Jose Sa, they managed to score six goals from just 1.53 xG against a really poor Wanderers. They converted half of their 12 shots. That’s not exactly sustainable production.
That said, the Blues have a nice run of fixtures against teams that all finished outside of last season’s top eight. It could be the ideal time to jump on some of their assets, but are they worth a transfer?
Cole Palmer (£10.5m) is the safest bet, as ever. He was involved in four of their goals last weekend, has created six chances across the opening games, including two big chances, has the highest bonus point score (79) of any player so far, and is on penalties. The question is, who would you sell to get him in? I wouldn’t get rid of Mo Salah (£12.6m), nor Bukayo Saka (£10m) before he faces a Brighton side that can be got at in behind. Son Heung-min (£10m) is a possible sell, but I wouldn’t feel thrilled about selling him before he faces a Newcastle defence that has conceded more shots (35) than any other team so far.
Noni Madueke (£6.5m) is the most transferred-in player this week following his hat-trick and 20-point haul, but he has all the hallmarks of a trap. It’s not just the fact he far outperformed his expected goals on Sunday, but that Chelsea have so many attackers in their squad. Enzo Maresca has so many different configurations for his frontline at his disposal, the winger could be rotated out of the starting lineup in any given game.
Christopher Nkunku (£6.4m) is a definite sell right now. His low price made him an attractive punt before the season started, but as mentioned above, his minutes are not secure after being dropped against Wolves. The Frenchman started both of Chelsea’s midweek games against Servette, so he might be more likely to get regular minutes in the Europa Conference League than the Premier League.
Best Nkunku replacements, priced £7m or under for the next 4 GWs.
Eze remains more of a buy than a sell while Rogers is expected to be excellent value for his price.
For more points predictions 👇https://t.co/k0nWSqfhVH pic.twitter.com/ONd8Cb53Qm
— AbuBakar Siddiq (@BigManBakar) August 30, 2024
Read – Seven takeaways from Fantasy Premier League in GW2
Morgan Rogers is the bargain of the season
Aston Villa can feel a bit hard done by after their defeat to Arsenal last week. They created more opportunities in front of goal than the Gunners, including two gilt-edged chances that should have seen them take the lead.
The best player on the pitch that day was Morgan Rogers (£5.1m), who should have come away with at least one assist. From a fantasy point of view, the game confirmed that the 22-year-old is going to start regularly for the Villans this season and will play a key role in the side’s attack.
I’m not predicting double digit goal involvements from him across the campaign or anything, I think his returns will be relatively modest. I’d back Leon Bailey (£6.5m) to do better in that regard, but there isn’t another player in FPL who offers as great value as Rogers.
If Ollie Watkins (£9m) can get his shooting boots back on, then the pair should link up a fair bit for goals this season. I’ve seen the striker in a lot of wildcard drafts online, as a replacement for Erling Haaland (£15.1m), a move that would make me very nervous. I do see the logic to an extent, though. Villa’s run of fixtures for the next two months is excellent and it allows you to spread the funds around. But you do need a plan to get Haaland back in from GW7.
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Two differentials worth considering
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the most essential players to own this season. Although he doesn’t have any attacking returns thus far, he has created seven chances (only Andreas Pereira (£5.5m), oddly enough, has more) and three big chances, more than any other player.
At £7m, however, it’s difficult for a lot of managers to find the transfer funds necessary to bring in the right-back. A more attainable option could be found on the opposite side of Liverpool‘s defence in the form of Andy Robertson (£6m), whose ownership sits at just five percent.
The Scot remains a attacking threat under new manager Arne Slot, getting into the opposition half and creating chances. He set up three against Brentford on Sunday and he’s on corners, so we should see him get a few assists over the season.
Another differential who I’ve been really impressed by is Antoine sem*nyo (£5.5m), who hasa goal and an assist from the first two gameweeks. The Bournemouth attacker has taken an impressive 12 shots, seven of which were inside the box and one was a big chance. Two of the three chances he created were also big chances, with Evanilson (£6m) coming agonisingly close to converting one of his low crosses against Newcastle United.
The 24-year-old is super cheap and owned by less than three percent of FPL managers at the time of writing. The Cherries’ upcoming fixtures are a bit of a mixed bag, but I think he could be an excellent fifth midfielder in your squad.
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The best captain for GW3
Haaland remains one of the best captaincy picks as Man City travel to the London Stadium to take West Ham United. It’s not the easiest fixture the Premier League champions could have had, but the Norwegian has scored ten goals in five encounters with Julen Lopetegui sides. Another big haul isn’t out of the question.
Saka faces a buoyant Brighton team that have won their opening two games, but the Seagulls’ high line will give the winger ample opportunity to attack their goal. The 22-year-old will be marked by Jack Hinshelwood, who is playing out of position.
Palmer comes up against a deflated Crystal Palace who sold centre-back Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) and missing new signing Chadi Riad (£4.5m) through injury. I think the Eagles will test Chelsea regardless, but there are goals in this game for Palmer.
Salah loves facing Manchester United; in 15 meetings across all competitions he has scored 14 goals and made four assists. Liverpool have outscored the Red Devils 26-7 in their last teen encounters, although the Merseyside outfit have only won five of those games. Additionally, Liverpool have managed to come out victorious in just two of their last 19 trips to Old Trafford. The Egyptian winger could easily return, but his ceiling is not as high as Haaland and Palmer this week.
💹 PL: GW3 player goal projections
Top projected goalscorers for the upcoming round of PL games (and implied anytime scorer odds), via spread betting markets
All markets assume a start pic.twitter.com/1Bi7rppUAP
— Rob T (@robtFPL) August 29, 2024
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My FPL team for GW3
Coming off the back of getting 105 points in GW2, I am rolling my transfer for a second consecutive week. I could have transferred out Harry Winks (£4.5m) for Rogers before the price rise, as I have £0.5m in the back. But I chose not to because I am happy enough with my starting XI and didn’t want to create a benching headache.
Haaland will be my captain once again.
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