Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 3

Welcome to Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 3!

Want a tip? Don’t WC In GW3. I should know. I’ve done it 5 times. This is my 6th season of FPL. Be better than me.

That said, it’s easy to do. Looking at this week’s price rises it’s clear that the tide has turned. Or at least you would think so given the ludicrous rate at which some players are being snapped up.

You can’t blame the masses though. Lukaku scored on his debut, he could have had a hatful. Fixtures? Pah. Buy him and buy him now. Tsimikas scored 12pts. But he will be on the bench next week. I can’t hear you. Get in my team.

Duffy is 4.0 and scored 15pts. But he’s not nailed, he’s 58 and Brighton would have sold him in the summer if anyone had shown even the slightest of interest. Shhhhhh. Let’s all buy him right this minute.

You get the picture. It’s early doors, can we all settle the f@ck down?

So, should we follow the crowd? Do our own thing? We all have 2FTs right? Course you do, nobody makes a transfer in GW2 right? Oh, you did. Well, that’s ok, no judgment here (cough casual cough). Just teasing. Tips anyone?

Smash – Defenders and Keepers

(Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images )

It’s unlikely you’ll be shopping for a new goalkeeper this game week with both popular choices Sanchez and Martinez having solid starts and remaining decent picks going forward. However, if you are shopping for a new stopper then it should be noted that Spurs have back-to-back clean sheets, with Hugo Lloris (£5.5m) sitting pretty as the keeper with the most FPL points, collecting maximum bonus on both occasions. The Frenchman has already made 10 saves this season, again a total no other goalkeeper can beat.

Alternatively, Sa (£5m) at Wolves could be a good option as they have only conceded two goals so far against Leicester and Spurs. He has a good run of fixtures United (H), Watford (A), Brentford (H), Saints (A), and Newcastle (H). He’s also made 9 saves in just two matches.

Trent Alexander Arnold Is the stand-out defender with the stand-out price. He’s £7.5m for a reason as he’s the best defender in the game to own. 21 crosses (2nd) 9 successful (1st), 10 Chances Created (1st), 2 Big Chances Created (2nd) & an xA of 1.22 (1st) In fact, he’s been unlucky not to get more attacking returns. With the return of VVD in defence and Liverpool having fit centre-backs (in general) TAA is THE defender to own and one that does not need to be downgraded to fund another attacking big hitter. Zero goals conceded so far for Liverpool and with the Tsimikas dream coming to an end imminently. Whisper it quietly could Joel Matip (only £5m) be a cheap double up or alternative to Trent for Liverpool? 4 shots in the box so far is the 3rd best for a defender so there could be a goal coming soon.

Sometimes we overcomplicate it with defenders. Which two teams have the best defences and generally concede the least goals? Chelsea and Manchester City have the best xGC of 0.63 and 1.24 respectively and have been largely ignored by many. Reece James (£5.5m) scored and came away with an assist in the last game and is playing for in the best defence in the league. 4 goal attempts (3rd) 4 chances created (6th), 9 crosses (6th) are pretty impressive stats for a man who has only started one game so far. There is currently a lack of competition for the RWB position at Chelsea too. Liverpool(A), Spurs(A), and City at home in the next four might not look pretty on paper but with two clean sheets out of two so far they could be fixture proof. The fixtures after look very good. Tony Rudiger (£5.5m) is a more nailed alternative.

At City Ruben Dias is the least likely player to be rotated. At £6m he really is a set and forget asset. Just watch the clean sheet points roll in. He even had an assist last time out against Norwich on top of the (customary) clean sheet. The next three are Arsenal (H), Leicester (A), and Saints (H). Don’t be surprised to see two or three clean sheets there. Kyle Walker at £5.5m is the cheaper alternative. The team that finishes above City will win the title so why wait on getting a City defender in your team?

Spurs under Nuno are yet to concede, with 1-0 wins over City and Wolves. Watford(h) and Crystal Palace(a) are next for Spurs which could see another two clean sheets. Reguillon (£5m) is the defender to own from Spurs if you want more than clean sheets having created two chances already. However, these attacking stats might not be worth the £0.5m saving you could get from Eric Dier who seems slightly more likely to keep his place over Davinson Sanchez, with new big signing Romero expected to come in for one of them.

Shane Duffy (£4.1m) really is good value if he continues to get starts, that’s the big question though. Over the two GW’s has most shots in the box for the Seagulls(7), with xG of 0.61. Seven goal attempts is the best of all defenders. It should be noted, however, that Veltman (and the now training again) Lamptey should see Duffy back on the bench soon enough. He also had a poor season last year at Celtic and was not fancied by Potter as a ball-playing CB so be wary with this one. Two wins out of two for Brighton and their decent defensive stats have continued as they left off last season. BHA had an xGC of 0.4 (2nd). Conceded just 1 Shot on Target (2nd) with 0 Big Chances conceded (1st) in the last GW. It could be worth a short term risk.

Livramento is my tip for the best £4m defender. He’s started the last two for Southampton and has impressed. Last match he was even awarded the MOTM award against Manchester United. He has a big reputation from his Chelsea youth days and could be a regular all season if he keeps up his early form.

Lastly, I will finish on a differential. Matt Richie (£5m) has been posting good attacking numbers. 9 chances created (2nd), 9 corners (2nd) 21 crosses (1st), and xA 0.84 (2nd). These stats suggest he’s been incredibly unlucky not to get more than one assist so far. Southampton (H), United (A), Leeds (H), Watford (A), and Wolves (A) are not the worst fixtures for an attacking defender punt. Special mention to Brentford who have yet to concede a goal. They have several decent £4.5m defenders and the Bees have an xGC of 1.73 (the fifth-best in the league). Can they keep it up though?

Matt – Midfielders

I think I could have written exclusively about Manchester United midfielders this week, but I feel obliged to give you other options. I will still give you the two options that not everyone has, although this could change very soon. I will be leaving Bruno out (as most have him) and you all know how good he is. Mason Greenwood (£7.6m) is the key player I think we should all pick up ASAP. He has two goals in two games, looks to be on fire, and should be nailed with Cavani not yet back in, Rashford out for months and Martial being a bit rubbish. Greenwood has been very attacking; 5 shots, however, only one of those was on target, it did hit the back of the net so I guess this just means he is very clinical!

The one player that seems to be the ultimate tease in FPL is Graeme Souness’ best friend, Paul Pogba (£7.7). Pogba got 4 assists in the GW1 and another at the game against Southampton. Clearly showcasing the talent we all know he has. Pogba wasn’t just trying to assist goals he was having shots too, coming second to Greenwood for most shots taken vs the Saints, 4.2 of those were wide and the other 2 were blocked, but if Pogba can stay on this form and stay in what appears to be his best position (on the left-wing) then he could be a brilliant option! Bruno, Pogba, and Greenwood triple-up, anyone?

I was thinking a Spurs player might be a must this weekend. The main reason for this thinking is that Watford has conceded 4 goals in 2 games and Bachmann has made one save… ONE! There were five shots on target against Watford, meaning Bachmann stopped just one of those, the other four hitting the back of the net. Goal conversion rates should be high for anyone who can get a shot on target which would be great for most sides. However, after just seeing the stats of the Spurs vs Wolves match, I’m no longer dead set on it.

Before that Wolves game, I was tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to get Son (£10m) in and he may still be an amazing option, but he only had a single shot on goal which was saved. Spurs were woeful in the first half and their only shot was the penalty which Dele Alli (£6.5m) took. In the second half things started to pick up for Tottenham and they got another seven shots, but no more goals. We also saw the return of Harry Kane which will take Alli off penalties but that’s only if Kane is on the pitch and more importantly, at the club, which following his statement, it appears that he will be.

With Kane now focused on the club that pays his handsome wage, we may see the return of KaneSon, that deadly duo we all loved last year. I would still expect Spurs to beat Watford and with it being a London derby I think it could offer goals. If Tottenham carries the momentum they were building throughout the second half in GW2 into this Watford game then this could be a big haul for the Lilywhites.

Said Benrahma! (£6.1m) Do I need to say more? I suppose I do. Get this man into your team at whatever cost. He is on fire right now with everything seeming to flow through him. What a player! He had a goal and an assist against Newcastle in GW1, which saw him pick up 12 points. He followed that up with another goal and another assist against Leicester which got him another 12 points. Who’s to say he can’t do a triple and get 12 points in his next match, and considering the opponents, it’s possible.

West Ham come up against London rivals Crystal Palace this weekend and if West Ham’s form is red hot, then I would say Palace is tepid at best. They opened the season with a 3-0 loss to Chelsea before struggling to a 0-0 stalemate against Brentford. Looking at the stats it’s a wonder Brentford didn’t score to be honest. This means that West Ham and Benrahma could rack up quite a score against the Eagles, and if they do then I would expect the Algerian to be right in amongst the action.

Loud Atlas – Forwards

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Now with 114 Premier League goals to his name, the return of a certain Romelu Lukaku (11.5m) was everything we had hoped it would be. He adds bulk to a dominant Chelsea side who are going from strength to strength. With eight shots, 11 touches in their box, and a 95% pass completion to add to his goal, it’s fair to say that he was all over Arsenal,
You’ll need to ask yourself if you’re going to tear your team to shreds to get him in or wait until GW7 when the fixtures get easier. But, thinking about it, are any of their games really that ‘hard’? Just watch Lukaku make an utter mockery of them all!

A quick word on one of the better mid-priced strikers so far: Danny Ings (8.1m). Two goals in two games (one pen and one acrobatic bicycle kick!) and he faces Brentford at home next. Ideal. But after the international break, he and Aston Villa face – in order – Chelsea, Everton, Manchester Utd, and Spurs. Oo-er. Keep him for Brentford but prepare to offload him soon.

Gabriel Jesus (8.5m) had a jolly good time against Norwich. With proud father-like tears brimming in his eyes, Guardiola was quick to heap praise on his striker. He had two assists against Norwich, along with 87 touches, nine touches in the box and three chances created. He was even awarded the Man of the Match award. But with all that, does that mean he starts against a beleaguered Arsenal? Probably.

If your team is missing an in-form player then look no further. Michail Antonio (7.7m) is becoming one of the must-haves this season. He’s cheap, nailed, and playing in a thriving team who are league leaders. He will face a pretty poor Palace team next who are yet to score and look perilously below par. So far this season he has three goals, three assists, and two sets of maximum bonus points. With favourable fixtures on the horizon, Antonio’s one to keep hold of for the long haul.

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 3. This article was written by Rosco, Smash, Matt and Loud Atlas.

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