Fantasy Premier League tips: Who should you sign and sell ahead of GW3? (Image: GETTY)
Fantasy Premier League bosses have just a few hours remaining to tinker with their squads before Aston Villa and Everton kick-off the weekend’s action at Villa Park tonight.
The early deadline compared to the usual Saturday morning cut-off is sure to catch out a number of FPL gaffers so make sure all your deals are done with plenty of time to spare.
Plenty of managers are expected to overhaul their teams following some high-scoring opening gameweeks, with the likes of Teemu Pukki, Raheem Sterling and Dani Ceballos all in demand.
Conversely, FPL favourites Mohamed Salah and Callum Wilson are being dropped after a tough start to the campaign – so who should you sign and hand the captain’s armband to this weekend?
Top FPL transfer tips for GW3
DEF: Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City) – £4.5m
Consecutive starts in the centre of the Leicester defence suggests Soyuncu has established himself as first-choice alongside Jonny Evans following the departure of Harry Maguire.
A clean sheet on the opening day and another encouraging performance against Chelsea means more points should be on the way when the Foxes take on Sheffield United.
MID: Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) – £6.0m
Harry Kane is the obvious Tottenham pick with a home clash against Newcastle coming up but Lamela scored and provided an assist last time out against City to stake his claim.
The Argentine is only £6m and is unlikely to be dropped after such an eye-catching outing.
FWD: Ashley Barnes (Burnley) – £6.6m
The hitman, who is eligible for Austria, is one of the form strikers during the early stages of the season after three goals in his first two matches.
Wolves are next up and they could still be suffering a European hangover after their Europa League play-off first-leg against Torino.
Fantasy Premier League tips: Ashley Barnes has scored three goals already this season (Image: GETTY)
In-form FPL players for GW3
FWD: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) – 9.5 form
Paul Pogba’s penalty miss against Wolves could have ramifications for FPL bosses owning Rashford, with the England international now favourite to take over spot-kick duties at Old Trafford.
A home match against toothless Crystal Palace should provide another good platform to impress as Rashford looks to add to his two goals so far this season.
FWD: Teemu Pukki (Norwich City) – 12.0 form
Pukki has attracted heavy investment after his hat-trick against Newcastle, with the Finn’s price shooting up as a result.
Chelsea will prove a tough nut to crack but the Norwich frontman has already scored against Liverpool and is sure to cause problems for a side without a clean sheet this season.
MID: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) – 13.0 form
Sterling has four goals in his first two matches, backing up a hat-trick on the opening weekend against West Ham with another strike last time out against Tottenham.
The Manchester City winger is owned by more than 42 per cent of FPL managers and should be a threat against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Fantasy Premier League tips: Raheem Sterling is the most in-form player after the first two matches (Image: GETTY)
Best-value FPL players for GW3
DEF: Erik Pieters (Burnley) – 3.3 points per million
The Dutch left-back was a low-key arrival at Burnley this summer but appears to have ousted Charlie Taylor as first-choice under Sean Dyche.
Pieters picked up two assists and a clean sheet against Southampton and is still excellent value despite a price rise up to £4.6m.
FWD: Teemu Pukki (Norwich City) – 3.6 points per million
Pukki has shot up three price points already following his hat-trick heroics against Newcastle but is now the second-highest scorer in FPL this season and is well worth the money.
The Canaries frontman is still pulling in a healthy amount of points per million for new owners, but those who had him before GW1 will be feeling very smug.
DEF: John Lundstram (Sheffield United) – 4.2 points per million
Lundstram was identified as ideal bench-filler before the start of the campaign, having featured heavily in midfield during pre-season.
But the Sheffield United ace is proving more than just a cheap enabler, with the 25-year-old scoring the winner and claiming all three bonus points against Crystal Palace.
Most-transferred FPL players for GW3
OUT – 5. Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) – 201,676
OUT – 4. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) – 207,363
OUT – 3. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) – 227,198
OUT – 2. Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) – 290,656
OUT – 1. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 300,995
IN – 5. John Lundstram (Sheffield United) – 363,194
IN – 4. Anthony Martial (Manchester United) – 368,861
IN – 3. Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City) – 399,336
IN – 2. Dani Ceballos (Arsenal) – 431,719
IN – 1. Teemu Pukki (Norwich City) – 826,037
Fantasy Premier League tips: Teemu Pukki is the most signed player ahead of the weekend (Image: GETTY)
Who should I captain in FPL GW3?
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) vs Arsenal (H)
Salah enjoyed a 12-point haul on the opening day of the season against Norwich but blanked against Southampton and was withdrawn after just 78 minutes following an exhausting UEFA Super Cup epic against Chelsea.
Managers have been quick to abandon last season’s joint-top scorer but they could immediately regret their decision if he fires against the Gunners.
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) vs Bournemouth (A)
The go-to candidate every week with Sterling possessing the firepower to hurt any defence in the Premier League.
Four goals in two matches represents an excellent return from the England winger and Bournemouth are notoriously expansive at home, which Pep Guardiola’s side will hope to exploit.
TOP CHOICE: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) vs Newcastle United (H)
Two goals against Aston Villa showed Kane’s August troubles are a thing of the past and while he failed to provide any attacking returns against City, that could all be forgotten this weekend.
Newcastle look rudderless and ripe for the taking after conceding three against Norwich last time out, so expect plenty of bosses to hand the England captain their fantasy football armband.
