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Welcome to Gameweek 3 of the FPL season, RotoBallers! This is the third year covering FPL on the site, and we are bringing you more coverage than ever before. We will publish the Gameweek Preview consisting of a Staff Roundtable and our weekly rankings every week. Then, once a month, we will publish our newest article: The Watchlist, a review of the previous month and a look ahead to the upcoming fixtures.
Two gameweeks down, 36 more to go. Manchester City got through a stern test of the young season against Newcastle. This week, they’ll get a much easier opponent in Sheffield United on Sunday. Chelsea looks to get in the win column versus Luton Town to kick off the gameweek, and Brighton will try to maintain their perfect start with a tricky visit from West Ham.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 3 deadline is 1:30 PM EST on Friday, August 25, for the Chelsea-Luton Town game. Also, look out for the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League, Major League Soccer, and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS and betting perspective.
Fantasy Premier League Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 3 Preview
The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers will answer questions each gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So without further ado, let’s kick off Gameweek 3!
Gameweek 2 Fantasy Premier League High Scorers
- Goalkeeper: Vicario, Spurs - 11 points
- Defender: Pervis Estupinan, Brighton - 11 points
- Midfielder: Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford - 16 points
- Forward: Yoane Wissa, Brentford - 11 points
Another week, another disappointing performance for Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. Would you transfer them out if they were in your FPL squad?
- Euan Leith: I would boot them out of my team if they faced a formidable opponent. However, a home game against Nottingham Forest is not a tough matchup, and I will keep Marcus Rashford. I can give this duo one more week in Fantasy Premier League lineups before sending them on their way. Cards on the table, I’m tempted to bring in Bruno Fernandes to zag while everyone else zigs, but it’s probably too rich for my blood.
- Jamie Steed: Thankfully, I don’t need to worry about either. Rashford is much better playing wide left, and I don’t think the supporting cast is particularly good for Fernandes. If you only roster one, I’d still be holding them. I’m more bullish on Rashford’s season-long value, but I’d be looking to move on from one of them if I was rostering the pair.
Moving to the other side of Manchester. Kevin De Bruyne will miss months after hamstring surgery. Who is the best bet to replace the Belgian star?
- Euan: Thanks to the lineup leaks, I slammed Phil Foden into my Gameweek 1 draft. The risk is paying off so far, and he was City’s best player on Saturday night against Newcastle. With the midfielder’s current form, I don’t see how Pep Guardiola can bench him until the Champions League rolls around. At £7.5M, Foden is looking like the early-season steal.
- Jamie: Phil Foden was on my radar preseason, but I was concerned about his playing time. I'd be more confident with him after Saturday’s Man of the Match performance. I still like Julián Álvarez, but he’s listed as a striker, so you’d need to re-jig your team to include him.
Julian Alvarez (£6.5m) scored the decisive goal in Man City’s 1-0 home win over Newcastle, adding to his assist at Burnley Gameweek 1 📈#MCI have a kind upcoming schedule, with four of their next five scoring two in the Fixture Difficulty Rating 👊
🧵 3/6 pic.twitter.com/yYCn79VisW
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 21, 2023
Mohamed Salah missed another penalty this weekend (but scored the rebound). Is it time for FPL managers to move on from the Liverpool legend?
- Euan: I’ve had Mohamed Salah for the opening two gameweeks, and it’s time to move on. He outscored Erling Haaland last weekend, but it wasn’t impressive. At £12.5M, moving Mo to a £6.5M midfielder or another Arsenal asset will allow me to upgrade Cameron Archer to Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson or Brentford’s Yoanne Wissa with money to spare.
- Jamie: I’m not moving on from him yet, but I certainly think it will be considerably harder to have success rostering Salah and Haaland. With Haaland over 90% rostered, he is almost a must roster to avoid losing pace with the front runners. Salah might find himself expendable in the coming weeks.
After an encouraging opening gameweek, Chelsea was bashed by West Ham. Would you still invest your precious FPL pounds in the Stamford Bridge side?
- Euan: Chelsea was better on Sunday but couldn’t finish when it mattered most. Still, Nicolas Jackson stood out for me in the attack, and his minutes seem secure. With their upcoming run of fixtures (see below), now is the time to jump on the Blues. If you go now, you can beat the bandwagon by one or two weeks.
- Jamie: Ben Chilwell still looked impressive, and Nicolas Jackson flashed his potential again. Until Reece James returns, I’d not look at anyone else from Chelsea. They have arguably the easiest run of games through to early October, so I wouldn’t be abandoning ship.
Chelsea’s Fixtures from Gameweek 3-8
Gabriel has been benched in the first two gameweeks. If he was in your FPL squad, would you move to another Arsenal defender or a play from a different team?
- Euan: Through two weeks, having Gabriel in my Fantasy Premier League squad has been incredibly frustrating. I blame Mikel Arteta, as it seems the Spanish manager has turned to the dark side of Pep Roulette 2.0. Unfortunately for Gabriel, I have two free transfers, and one will certainly be to remove him from my lineup, probably for the likes of Josko Gvardiol (£5.0M) at Manchester City, Rico Henry (£4.6M) at Brentford or Malo Gusto (£4.0M) at Chelsea.
- Jamie: I still believe once Oleksandr Zinchenko is fully fit, he returns at left-back, with Ben White returning to right-back and Gabriel featuring centrally more. Takehiro Tomiyasu’s suspension means Zinchenko might have to start this week. It was notable that Gabriel also got the Captain’s armband on Monday when Martin Odegaard was taken off.
Who’s keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 3?
- Euan: It’s tough to picture a world where Sheffield United manages to crack the Man City defense on Sunday afternoon. It took an absolute worldie from Gustavo Hamer to beat Nottingham Forest’s Matt Turner, and that’s not happening against the Sky Blues. Ederson and any Man City defender (if you are brave enough to go there) should score at least six FPL points this weekend.
- Jamie: Manchester United kept more home clean sheets than any other team last season. Nottingham Forest scored the fewest away goals team last season. It feels so obvious that André Onana keeps a clean sheet this weekend. It feels like a trap, but one I’m willing to fall into.
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan: In Luton Town’s first game against Brighton, Pervis Estupinan tore them apart. Now, it’s Ben Chilwell’s turn to torture their left wing. The Chelsea defender looked sharp against West Ham, and the 60th-minute substitution was tactical, with Mykhalio Mudryk occupying a similar place on the pitch. The Blues won’t need to chase the game against Luton as they did versus West Ham. Therefore, the points will continue to roll in for Ben Chilwell on Friday evening.
- Jamie: I like Lucas Digne to chip in with an assist this week. Burnley struggled to defend corners in the Championship last season, and Manchester City exploited that area of weakness with balls in the box on the opening weekend. Only two players have put in more crosses than Digne this season, and the Villa full-back has also been on part-time corner duties in the first two games.
Who’s a midfielder or forward rostered on less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan: Eddie Nketiah (6.1 TSB%) had a great game against Crystal Palace on Monday night. He produced 0.81 expected goals (xG) and drew the game-winning penalty for Arsenal. That should keep him in the starting lineup for another week, as he now has a goal and a (FPL) assist through two games. Per fbref.com, Fulham has conceded 6.4 xG through two games this season, and that’s the worst in the Premier League by 2.0 xG. Arsenal will pile on the pain for their London neighbors, and Nketiah will have some tidy FPL points by the end of the gameweek.
- Jamie: Luton Town allowed 26 shots (11 on target) in their first game of the season. While I’m not sold on Chelsea yet, Raheem Sterling did link up well with Jackson for large parts of their defeat against West Ham. Sterling is only ~2% rostered, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he bagged a nice-points haul on Friday.
With Gabriel Jesus out, is Eddie Nketiah starting to look like a bargain at £5.5m before the international break? 🤔#FPL pic.twitter.com/DPMVtFdC0S
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 22, 2023
Who is the player you want to, but can’t, have for the Gameweek 3 fixtures in Fantasy Premier League?
- Euan: Julian Alvarez would be a fantastic addition to my Fantasy Premier League squad, but it won’t work out. I already have two City players (Haaland, Foden), and if I’m going to bring in a third one, it will be Gvardiol for Gabriel or Ederson for Jordan Pickford in the net. Still, the Argentinian is a terrific pick, and I’ll be jealous of anyone who has him in their starting XI.
- Jamie: Martin Odegaard is someone I rostered up until the final draft. The fact he’s now Arsenal’s primary penalty-taker adds more value, and I like his chances of adding a goal or assist to his record this weekend. I had to replace the injured Reece James this week and don’t want to take a minus or use my chip at this stage.
With Martin Odegaard taking Arsenal's latest penalty, are you considering your selection choices? 🤔#FPL pic.twitter.com/PHp4PD9p5Z
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 22, 2023
Who’s wearing the Captain’s armband for Gameweek 3 of the Fantasy Premier League season?
- Euan: Erling Haaland against a newly-promoted side feels like David versus Goliath. The Norwegian scored twice in Gameweek 1 and should’ve added to his tally in Gameweek 2 if not for some below-par (for him) finishing. There could be a hattrick in the cards for the top of City’s spear on Sunday.
- Jamie: It’s so difficult not going with Haaland because if he scores another couple of goals, you’re missing out against a massive percentage of your opponents. I might be tempted to go with Gabriel Martinelli at home to a Fulham side that has flattered to deceive so far.
Finally, what’s your bold prediction for Gameweek 3?
- Euan: Nicolas Jackson scores a brace as Chelsea bags its first win of the 2023/24 season. Bryan Mbeumo scores his third penalty in as many games to begin the year. And finally, Liverpool raises some eyebrows with a surprising win at St. James Park over Newcastle United.
- Jamie: I have a sneaky feeling that West Ham gets something at Brighton. Their style of play might suit facing Brighton as it did for much of the game against Chelsea. If they can keep things tight, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them leave the South Coast with a point.
Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on Twitter @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
