Welcome to AM’s Five Players To Watch for Gameweek 3. As long-time readers of my columns will know, my advice in seasons gone by had revolved around games that would allow you to make unlimited transfers each gameweek, selecting an entirely new 11 players if you so wished. Unfortunately Yahoo Fantasy Premier League is a glorious but distant memory, while Togga, sadly, was not able to return for this campaign which put an end to the Perfect XI column I’d been penning for the past two years.
This season I’ll be a bit more general in my advice. Whether you’re playing Official FPL, FPL or Fantrax Draft, Fantrax Salary Cap, Sky Sports, The Sun, The Telegraph or any number of other the fantasy games available to fans each season, I’ll be offering my top five picks for the week ahead, mixing “must-haves” with hunch picks and players flying under the radar. Hopefully this will offer something for everyone, whether you’re considering captain options, looking to make a transfers or pick up a free agent in draft.
Before we move on to Gameweek 3, a quick look back to last weekend. The five players I recommended were:
- Kenedy
- Christian Eriksen
- Seamus Coleman
- Sergio Aguero
- Marko Arnautovic
So let’s start off with an apology for recommending Kenedy. The Newcastle man’s overall performance against Cardiff was one of the worst I’ve witnessed in the Premier League era. He should’ve been sent off for kicking out, failed to complete a pass in the first 45 minutes and missed an injury time penalty to cap a miserable day. Don’t expect him to feature here again for the foreseeable future. Eriksen was busy but missed two excellent chances and was hampered by Kieran Tripper taking away many of his set pieces, instantly decreasing the Dane’s value. Coleman also disappointed as Everton failed to keep the expected clean sheet at home to Southampton. Thankfully, I got a couple of things right. Aguero did indeed go goal-crazy against Huddersfield, bagging a hattrick and an assist, while Arnautovic slotted in from the spot, with both players picking up bonus points in official FPL.
On to Gameweek 3. Here are the fixtures ...
Saturday 25 August
Wolves v Man City
Arsenal v West Ham
Bournemouth v Everton
Huddersfield v Cardiff
Southampton v Leicester
Liverpool v Brighton
Sunday 26 August
Watford v Crystal Palace
Fulham v Burnley
Newcastle v Chelsea
Monday 27 August
Man Utd v Spurs
Liverpool at home to Brighton are the pick of the bunch, with Arsenal at home to West Ham and Manchester City at Wolves close behind. I also like Fulham at home to Burnley, Southampton at home to Leicester and Chelsea away at Newcastle. With that in mind, here are my five ....
Aleksandar Mitrovic (FW - Fulham v Burnley) - The first player to make a second appearance in the column this season. Fulham may have zero points after two matches but they created plenty of chances against Palace in Gameweek 1 and were the better side against Spurs for a solid 30 minute spell last weekend. The main threat comes from Aleksandar Mitrovic, who grabbed a smart goal at Wembley and caused Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Davison Sanchez plenty of problems. The Cottagers host Burnley on Sunday in a game the home side will already feel they must win. I’m backing them to do just that with Mitrovic finding the back of net again.
Marcos Alonso (DF - Chelsea @ Newcastle) - Many people (myself included) were convinced Marcos Alonso‘s fantasy output would suffer under Maurizio Sarri, who prefers to play a system with a flat back four rather than wing-backs. Alonso has stuck two-fingers up at that prediction and continued to play with surprising attacking freedom, popping up in the opposition’s half more than his own and bagging a goal plus two assists in the opening two matches. The Spaniard has also continued taking free-kicks in-and-around the penalty area and looks a threat on most occasions. I’m currently planning to squeeze him in to my FPL team and I’d advise you to do the same if you can, with Chelsea travelling to Newcastle.
Danny Ings (FW - Southampton v Leicester) - Last season Southampton created more chances and had more shots than 14 other Premier League teams but finished up in 17th position. What does this tell us? It tells us they were desperately wasteful in front of goal. What about this season? Well, they’ve created 27 chances in the opening two matches which is the third highest after Manchester City and Chelsea. Those two teams have scored 14 times between them while Southampton have found the net just once. However, there is brightness on the horizon and it takes the form of Danny Ings. Ings - when fit - is one of the most potent finishers in the top tier and he’ll be full of confidence after opening his Saints account in Week 2. Leicester beware.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (MF - Arsenal v West Ham) - Henrikh Mkhitaryan‘s performance against Chelsea was a mixed bag. A goal and assist is a terrific return for a midfielder, particularly away at Stamford Bridge, but there were plenty of moments that left Arsenal fans groaning. The Armenian disappointed with his general passing (72% completion) and failed to help track back defensively or win a single tackle over 90 minutes, which left his teammates exposed. West Ham at the Emirates is a different proposition with the Gunners sure to see far more of the ball and therefore have far more opportunities to attack. After a tough start in their opening two fixtures they have a fantastic opportunity to get points on the board and I expect the home side to win comfortably with Mkhitaryan pulling the strings.
Mohamed Salah (MF - Liverpool v Brighton) - As stated in last week’s column, the fifth player listed each week will be my “must-have” captain choice for the weekend ahead. I’ve toyed with the idea of handing the armband to Sadio Mane for the home game against Brighton as he’s looked the brightest of Liverpool’s attacking players so far, but I just can’t pull the trigger. The reason is simple - Salah’s ownership percentage in all the fantasy games I compete in (Official FPL, Fantrax Salary Cap and Sky Fantasy) is extremely high, and the majority will captain him given the relatively easy Week 3 Anfield fixture. While doing “something different” is always commendable, it’s not something I’m willing to risk so early in the season. My advice is to play it safe with Salah this weekend.
Honourable mentions - Benjamin Mendy (@ Wolves), Andrew Robertson (v Brighton), Raheem Sterling (@ Wolves), Sadio Mane (v Brighton), Eden Hazard (@ Newcastle), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (v West Ham), Callum Wilson (v Everton)
That’s it for Gameweek 3. Check out the Rotoworld Features page to access a host of fantastic content to get you ready for the new season. If you have any questions about a specific player or your own fantasy team then feel free to post them in the comments below or hit me on Twitter (@nikarg) and I will get back to you.
Thanks for reading - good luck to all managers this weekend.
