Fantasy football: FPL Gameweek 3 transfer advice, captain picks and more

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Goal's handy Fantasy Premier League guide aims to assist your team selections over the course of the 2020-21 campaign

Gameweek 2 of the 2020-21 Fantasy Premier League campaign saw Harry Kane (£10.5m) and Heung-min Son (£9m) arrive at the party, with the Tottenham duo recording an incredible 45 points between them.

We've now seen every team in action and Gameweek 3 may tempt FPL managers into early use of their wildcard, with it being clear who's playing, who isn't and which players offer the best value.

From team selection advice to possible captain picks, Goal is on hand to help as you look to turn those arrows green and climb your league tables.

We kick off the weekend with Manchester United facing Brighton at the Amex. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were way off the pace in their season opener against Crystal Palace and there are likely to be a number of changes to the side that were embarrassed at Old Trafford.

To that end, Mason Greenwood (£7.5m) looks a sensible option, with the England forward having only played the final part of the Carabao Cup win over Luton - scoring in his 12-minute cameo - and he'll be raring to play against Brighton having only featured for 45 minutes in the defeat to Palace.

Carlo Ancelotti's Everton have made a hugely impressive start to the 2020-21 season and in Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.3m) they have a confident, in-form striker who is still affordable despite consecutive price rises.

It will be interesting to see how they deal with a Palace side who have also won their first two fixtures - and have their own in-form forward in Wilfried Zaha (£7.1m) - and whether their low-block approach to limit the space in behind that Richarlison (£8m) usually thrives on will work.

James Rodriguez (£7.6m) completes that exciting Toffees forward line and it looks as though he'll offer a consistent points return over the season, especially with him sharing set-piece duties with Lucas Digne (£6.1m).

Chelsea were given a brutal reminder of the size of the task at hand if they want to be Premier League title challengers last time out, although there have been some encouraging signs from an FPL point of view in the opening two weeks.

Big-money summer signing Timo Werner (£9.5m) looks a considerable goal threat, while Kai Havertz's (£8.4m) hat-trick in the Carabao Cup should give him a much-needed lift heading into an away fixture at West Brom.

There won't be a debut for new signing Edouard Mendy (£5m) in goal, however, with Frank Lampard having confirmed he's not yet ready to feature.

Leeds, meanwhile, will be looking to build on their high-scoring start away at Sheffield United and Patrick Bamford (£5.7m) remains a cheap striker option that should be considered, especially if you're stocking your midfield with players valued at £10m+.

It may well be a good time to jump on the Son (£9m) hype train too, with the Tottenham forward soon to be joined by Gareth Bale (£9.5m) - although not until at least the middle of October - to form what looks a devastating front three that includes Kane (£10.5m).

Indeed, Son hasn't seen his price rise despite his four-goal heroics last time out and Spurs face Newcastle and West Ham at home - sandwiched either side of a trip to Manchester United - in their next three fixtures.

We saw the best of Kevin De Bruyne (£11.6m) in Gameweek 2 and he seems certain to record another a high point-scoring season as he aims to better his tally of 251 from the last campaign.

Phil Foden (£6.5m) looks a wise investment too, given he is set for more regular minutes in 2020-21 and has made a fast start in City's opening two matches in all competitions, scoring twice and providing an assist.

Pep Guardiola's assertion that he only has 13 fit first-team players should see Foden start again against Leicester City on Sunday despite the temptation to rest him being there after the 20-year-old played 90 minutes twice in the space of four days.

An injury to Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m), and with Sergio Aguero (£10.4m) already having been ruled out, could mean that young Liam Delap (£4.5m), who scored on his debut for the club in the Carabao Cup, could be handed a start against the Foxes.

The standout fixture of Gameweek 3 sees Arsenal travel to Liverpool, with many FPL bosses deciding that now is the right time to get rid of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.9m).

And you can understand why over 700,000 managers have ditched the Gunners forward this week, with Arsenal facing Jurgen Klopp's side at Anfield ahead of tough matches away at Manchester City and Manchester United, all before Gameweek 8.

Looking at Liverpool, we questioned those that sold Sadio Mane (£11.9m) in last week's column and with good reason as it turned out.

The Senegal star's 16-point return against Chelsea proved he's still one of the top players to have in FPL and offers a warning to those thinking Aubameyang has no chance of doing anything meaningful on Merseyside this weekend.

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We did it again...

Our captain picks from Gameweek 2 were even worse than our opening-weekend suggestions, with both Willian (£8.1m) and Bruno Fernandes (£10.5m) scoring a measly two points each.

We're therefore going to play it as safe as possible this week, with Kane (£10.5m) - who only played 30 minutes of Spurs' Europa League win over Shkendija - on the hunt for goals as Jose Mourinho's men face Newcastle at home.

The alternative pick for Gameweek 3 goes to De Bruyne (£11.6m). Manchester City's talisman only played the final 29 minutes of the Carabao Cup triumph over Bournemouth and his impressive display in Gameweek 2 proved he's anything but rusty at the start of the new campaign.

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2020-09-26 10:00:04