FPL GW3 Tips: The Complete Gameweek 3 Guide, Best Transfers, Captain, Wildcard Picks and Differentials
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Gameweek 3 is here, and the early-season FPL picture is beginning to become clearer.
Two Gameweeks are enough to identify some genuine trends, but not enough to completely rewrite your squad based on a couple of eye-catching performances. That makes GW3 one of the most important decision points of the opening weeks.
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Manchester City have a hugely attractive home fixture against Coventry City. Liverpool travel to Ipswich Town, Manchester United visit Everton, Newcastle United host Bournemouth and Brentford welcome Sunderland.
At the same time, Arsenal face Chelsea in a much tougher fixture, while Tottenham Hotspur remain one of the biggest question marks after failing to score in either of their opening two matches.
So, who should you buy for FPL Gameweek 3? Who should you captain? Is it time to Wildcard? Which differentials could make the difference? And which GW2 performances should managers actually trust?
We’ve brought together everything you need to make those decisions in this complete FPL GW3 tips guide.
FPL GW3 Tips: What Did We Learn From Gameweek 2?
Before making transfers, it is worth stepping back and looking at the bigger picture.
Gameweek 2 produced some enormous individual performances, with Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland both scoring twice against Crystal Palace, while Bruno Fernandes exploded for a hat-trick and an assist as Manchester United beat Ipswich 5-2.
Chelsea also scored four against Brighton, Arsenal maintained their perfect start with another clean sheet and Newcastle United produced an impressive 2-0 win at Tottenham.
But not every result should trigger an immediate FPL transfer.
Our FPL GW3 Key Lessons from Gameweek 2 breaks down the three biggest lessons managers should take from the weekend, including the growing appeal of Bruno Fernandes and Rayan Cherki, Chelsea and Manchester United’s attacking potential and the emergence of players such as Morgan Gibbs-White.
The biggest takeaway is simple: look for sustainable roles and fixtures rather than simply chasing points from the previous Gameweek.
That principle should guide every GW3 decision.
FPL GW3 Fixture Targets
Some fixtures immediately stand out when planning your Gameweek 3 squad.
Manchester City vs Coventry City
This is the obvious fixture to target.
Manchester City host newly promoted Coventry, putting their attackers and defenders firmly on the FPL radar.
Erling Haaland is the headline asset, while Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden offer alternative routes into the City attack. Josko Gvardiol is also attractive at the back after producing attacking returns in each of the opening two matches.
With City expected to dominate possession and create chances, this is the fixture around which many GW3 squads will be built.
Ipswich Town vs Liverpool
Liverpool’s trip to Ipswich is another fixture managers should be watching closely.
Alexander Isak is one of the standout premium forward options, particularly for managers who want to own an elite striker without spending the full £15.5m required for Haaland.
Liverpool’s attacking quality makes their forwards particularly interesting against an Ipswich side that conceded five goals to Manchester United in GW2.
Newcastle United vs Bournemouth
Newcastle’s attack is becoming increasingly interesting.
Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga are both available at £6.1m and offer managers a way into a promising Newcastle attack without sacrificing huge amounts of budget.
Wissa’s arrival has also opened up an intriguing value route in the forward position, while Elanga has already scored in both opening Gameweeks.
Brentford vs Sunderland
This is another fixture worth targeting, particularly for managers looking beyond the obvious premium names.
Kristoffer Ajer has already demonstrated his defensive-contribution potential, while Kevin Schade produced a 10-point haul against Leeds in GW2.
Both offer cheaper routes into a Brentford side that has a favourable home fixture.
FPL GW3 Transfers: Who Should You Buy?
The temptation after GW2 is obvious: buy the players who just scored the most points.
But that isn’t necessarily the correct strategy.
Two Gameweeks remain a tiny sample, so the best transfers combine form, minutes, fixture difficulty, attacking role, price and future potential.
Our full FPL GW3 Transfers: The Best Players to Buy Ahead of Gameweek 3 covers the leading transfer targets in detail.
Here are the names at the top of the list.
1. Erling Haaland
£15.5m | Manchester City | Coventry (H)
If you don’t own Haaland, GW3 is arguably the week to seriously consider finding the money for him.
The fixture is outstanding, City are in excellent attacking form and Haaland arrives after scoring twice against Crystal Palace.
The problem, of course, is the price.
Bringing him in may require sacrificing another premium player or weakening the depth of your squad. But this is exactly why fixture timing matters.
2. Rayan Cherki
£7.7m | Manchester City | Coventry (H)
Cherki has rapidly become one of the biggest FPL talking points of the opening season.
Two goals and two assists across the first two Gameweeks have put him firmly on the radar, while his £7.7m price still makes him considerably easier to accommodate than a premium midfielder.
The one major concern is minutes.
Manchester City’s attacking depth means rotation remains a possibility, but the upside against Coventry is difficult to ignore.
3. Yoane Wissa
£6.1m | Newcastle United | Bournemouth (H)
Wissa could be one of the most useful players for managers trying to restructure their squads around premium midfielders.
At £6.1m, he provides a cheap forward option while playing for a team with an attractive fixture.
4. Alexander Isak
Liverpool | Ipswich (A)
Isak provides another route into Liverpool’s attack and could be particularly appealing to managers who cannot fit Haaland into their squad.
The combination of Liverpool’s attacking quality and Ipswich’s recent defensive problems makes him one of the week’s most interesting premium forwards.
5. Anthony Elanga
£6.1m | Newcastle United | Bournemouth (H)
Elanga has scored in both of his opening matches and now gets a home fixture against Bournemouth.
His price makes him particularly attractive for managers looking to add attacking potential without destroying their squad structure.
FPL GW3 Captain: Who Should Get the Armband?
This is arguably the biggest decision of the Gameweek.
The standout captaincy fixture is Manchester City against Coventry, which puts Erling Haaland firmly at the top of the conversation.
Haaland scored twice in GW2 and now faces a newly promoted side at the Etihad.
He is also surrounded by alternative City options, with Cherki and Foden both offering considerable upside.
Liverpool’s Alexander Isak is another option, while managers looking for a genuine differential could consider Foden or Cherki.
We’ve gone into the captaincy decision in much greater detail in our dedicated FPL GW3 Captain Picks: Haaland vs Isak vs Foden vs Cherki guide.
Our FPL GW3 Captaincy Ranking
- Erling Haaland — safest combination of fixture, form and explosive potential
- Rayan Cherki — enormous upside at a cheaper price
- Alexander Isak — attractive Liverpool fixture
- Phil Foden — high-upside differential
If you’re looking for the highest-ceiling captain, Haaland is the obvious starting point.
Should You Triple-Captain Haaland in GW3?
This is where things become more interesting.
Haaland’s fixture against Coventry is sufficiently attractive that the Triple Captain conversation is already beginning.
However, managers should be careful about using a chip simply because a fixture looks excellent.
The Triple Captain is one of the most valuable chips in FPL, and there will be other opportunities later in the season.
If you’re considering it, our captaincy guide examines the case for Haaland against the alternative captain options.
For most managers, however, the regular captaincy decision is much easier than the Triple Captain decision.
FPL GW3 Wildcard: Should You Activate the Chip?
GW3 is also becoming a popular point for early Wildcards.
The advantage is obvious: after two Gameweeks, we have considerably more information than we had before the season began.
But that doesn’t automatically mean you should Wildcard.
If your squad already contains Haaland, Cherki, Saka and other high-value players, making multiple transfers simply because other players have started quickly could create more problems than it solves.
For managers who do want to Wildcard, there isn’t one universally correct structure.
Our FPL GW3 Wildcard: Four Best Team Drafts for Different Strategies looks at four different approaches.
Strategy 1: Go Big at the Back
Arsenal’s defensive numbers make premium defenders particularly attractive.
The structure prioritises players such as David Raya and Gabriel while adding attacking potential from full-backs.
Strategy 2: Build Around Midfield
The 3-5-2 structure concentrates money in midfield with names such as:
- Bukayo Saka
- Cole Palmer
- Bruno Fernandes
- Dominik Szoboszlai
- Pascal Groß
This is the most midfield-heavy approach and prioritises attacking and set-piece potential.
Strategy 3: Go Big Up Front
The attacking strategy focuses on:
- Erling Haaland
- Alexander Isak
- Yoane Wissa
The logic is straightforward: Haaland provides the premium ceiling, Isak provides Liverpool coverage and Wissa supplies the value.
Strategy 4: The Four-Premium Draft
This is the aggressive option.
Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka can all fit into the same squad, but doing so leaves very little money for the rest of the team.
It’s a high-risk, high-reward structure aimed particularly at managers chasing rank.
FPL GW3 Scout Picks
If you don’t want to completely rebuild your team, the Scout Picks provide a useful blueprint for the players worth prioritising.
Our FPL GW3 Scout Picks: Best 4-4-2 XI uses a £100m squad in a 4-4-2 formation.
The XI includes:
GK: David Raya
DEF: Josko Gvardiol, Maxim De Cuyper, Kristoffer Ajer, Bobby Thomas
MID: Bruno Fernandes, Rayan Cherki, Bukayo Saka, Mamadou Sangare
FWD: Erling Haaland, João Pedro
Haaland gets the captaincy, while Bruno, Cherki and Saka provide a premium midfield core.
There is also an important lesson here for non-Wildcard managers: you don’t need every player from the latest bandwagon.
A strong GW3 team can be built by combining proven premium assets with carefully selected budget players.
FPL GW3 Differentials: Who Could Explode?
If your goal is to climb the rankings, differentials are worth considering.
But a differential shouldn’t simply mean “low ownership.”
The ideal differential has a combination of:
- Low ownership
- Strong fixture
- Secure minutes
- Attacking or defensive involvement
- A realistic route to points
Our full FPL GW3 Differential Picks: 10 Players to Consider features several intriguing options.
Morgan Gibbs-White
9.3% ownership | Tottenham (H)
Gibbs-White scored 13 points against Liverpool and could be particularly interesting against a Tottenham side that has failed to score in either of its opening matches.
Anthony Elanga
8.2% ownership | Bournemouth (H)
Two goals from two matches make Elanga one of the more appealing low-owned attacking options.
Semi Ajayi
7.9% ownership | Aston Villa (H)
Ajayi has already produced 17 points across the first two Gameweeks and offers a cheap defensive differential.
Phil Foden
Around 5% ownership | Coventry (H)
Foden could be one of the most explosive differentials of GW3.
Two assists in his opening matches combined with City’s fixture against Coventry make him particularly appealing.
Kristoffer Ajer
Around 5% ownership | Sunderland (H)
Ajer’s defensive-contribution potential gives him a route to points beyond clean sheets.
Diego Gomez
Around 4.5% ownership | Leeds (H)
Two assists in two appearances make Gomez an intriguing budget midfielder.
Kevin Schade
Around 4% ownership | Sunderland (H)
Schade enters GW3 after a 10-point performance against Leeds.
Diogo Dalot
Around 2% ownership | Everton (A)
Dalot’s attacking numbers against Ipswich suggest there may be more potential in his FPL profile than his raw points total indicates.
Victor Munoz
Around 1% ownership | Ipswich (A)
One of the biggest punts of the week, Munoz offers extremely low ownership and attacking potential.
FPL GW3 Players to Hold
Not every difficult fixture requires a transfer.
This is particularly important for managers with players who have strong long-term prospects.
Cole Palmer is a perfect example.
Chelsea face Arsenal in GW3, which isn’t an ideal fixture, but Chelsea’s schedule improves considerably from GW4, including a meeting with Hull.
Selling Palmer now and then trying to bring him back could simply create unnecessary transfer costs.
The same principle applies to premium assets who have secure minutes, penalties, set pieces or elite attacking roles.
Don’t confuse a difficult fixture with a bad FPL asset.
FPL GW3 Players to Avoid
The opposite is also true.
A player shouldn’t remain in your squad simply because you bought him before the season started.
Tottenham’s attack is an obvious area of concern after two consecutive blanks.
Spurs have now lost both opening matches, scored zero goals and conceded five, making their attacking assets particularly difficult to trust until there is evidence of improvement.
Defensive assets from Chelsea and Manchester United also require caution after both teams conceded multiple goals in GW2.
The lesson from our three key GW3 lessons is worth repeating: Chelsea and Manchester United look considerably more attractive from an attacking perspective than defensively right now.
The Biggest FPL GW3 Fixture Swings
One of the smartest ways to approach transfers is to think beyond a single Gameweek.
A player facing Arsenal this week could become one of the best assets in GW4.
A player with a brilliant fixture now might then face a difficult run.
This is particularly important when deciding whether to Wildcard.
Chelsea is a good example. Their GW3 meeting with Arsenal is difficult, but their schedule improves from GW4.
Newcastle is another team worth monitoring, with their upcoming fixture run making players such as Wissa and Elanga increasingly interesting.
That is why fixture runs should influence your transfers, but not completely dictate them.
FPL GW3 Tips: Five Rules for the Deadline
If you’re still undecided, use these five rules before locking in your squad.
1. Don’t chase every GW2 haul
Bruno Fernandes’ 23-point explosion is impressive, but buying every player who returned last weekend is not a strategy.
Look at role, minutes and fixtures.
2. Prioritise Manchester City
City’s fixture against Coventry is simply too attractive to ignore.
Haaland is the obvious target, while Cherki, Foden and Gvardiol offer alternative routes.
3. Give your captaincy decision serious attention
Haaland has the strongest combination of fixture and explosive potential.
If you want to go against the obvious choice, Isak, Cherki and Foden provide credible alternatives.
4. Don’t Wildcard just because your team isn’t perfect
After only two Gameweeks, some uncertainty is normal.
Wildcard when your squad genuinely needs restructuring, not simply because another manager has scored more points.
5. Think beyond GW3
The best FPL decisions don’t just maximise one Gameweek.
Consider the next three to six fixtures, player price, minutes and how easily you’ll be able to make future transfers.
FPL GW3 Tips: Our Final Verdict
Gameweek 3 looks like a week where Manchester City should dominate the FPL conversation.
Haaland is the standout captaincy option, while Cherki provides one of the most attractive mid-priced routes into City’s attack. Foden is an intriguing differential for managers looking to gain rank.
Liverpool’s Isak is another premium forward worth considering, particularly for managers who cannot accommodate Haaland.
Further down the price spectrum, Wissa and Elanga provide interesting Newcastle options, while Gibbs-White, Ajer, Schade and Dalot are among the differentials capable of producing a rank-changing return.
At the other end of the spectrum, don’t overreact to difficult fixtures for premium players. Chelsea’s attack, Arsenal’s key assets and other proven FPL options may still be worth holding even when the immediate fixture isn’t ideal.
Ultimately, the best FPL GW3 strategy is to combine what we learned from the first two Gameweeks with the fixtures ahead.
Don’t chase points. Chase opportunity.
And if you want to go deeper before the deadline, use our complete GW3 coverage:
- FPL GW3 Captain Picks: Haaland vs Isak vs Foden vs Cherki
- Premier League Gameweek 2 Review: Biggest Talking Points and Takeaways
- FPL GW3 Wildcard: Four Best Team Drafts
- FPL GW3 Scout Picks: Best 4-4-2 XI
- FPL GW3 Differential Picks: 10 Players to Consider
- FPL GW3 Transfers: The Best Players to Buy
- FPL GW3 Tips: 3 Key Lessons From Gameweek 2