Yahoo Sports FPL GW3 Best Captain: Palmer, Salah, Haaland & More
So far this season’s Fantasy Premier League has proved to be a mixed bag for much of the 11.5 million players, with only six forwards surprisingly providing a return in GW2.
Deciding which players you feel are going to push you to the top of your mini-league can be difficult, but we’re having a look at the best captaincy picks ahead of this week’s tricky round of fixtures. So buckle your seatbelts; here are the GW3 best captain choices!
GW3 Best Captain: The Options
Erling Haaland (15.1m)
Already the joint-leading point scorer in the game after two fixtures, the Norwegian bagged a hattrick at home last week against newly promoted Ipswich Town.
The hunger shown last season to become the league’s top scorer doesn’t seem to have declined at all over the summer, as the 24-year-old has started the season in top form, scoring 4 goals in his opening 2 matches.
With such a high price, a number of FPL managers were undecided whether to include the goal machine in their squads at the beginning of the season. So far, he has paid them back in bucketloads with a return of 24 points already as we approach only the 3rd week in a long season.
His return of 17 points against the Tractor Boys last week was likely to attract a huge number of players that will be naming the Manchester City striker as their captain for the week ahead.
This week will no doubt be tougher as they head to play West Ham away and they’re up against a defence that has only conceded two goals in the opening couple of weeks of the season. The fact they’re also coming off an impressive clean sheet away to Crystal Palace last week will mean confidence will be high in the camp.
With big-money summer signing Max Kilman playing a key role at the heart of the Hammers defence, they are already looking very solid in front of former PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
Haaland will have his work cut out to notch this weekend, but his three goals at the London Stadium (including a brace on his Premier League debut) in an already short career will give him plenty of hope.
His expected point return of 7.3 is an example of how in-form the number 9 is right now. He is probably the best captaincy choice for GW3.
Cole Palmer (10.5m)
After providing a hat-trick of assists for Noni Madueke and chipping in with a goal himself, Palmer really showed his class last weekend at the Molineux.
Having only returned a paltry two points in GW1 against his former club Manchester City, there were doubts creeping in if the Chelsea midfielder was worth the big price tag.
He answered all questions last week with a brilliant return of 17 points, including 2 bonus points.
The Englishman comes up against Palace this week and has yet to score in his two top-flight appearances against the Eagles.
That stat wouldn’t fill you with confidence going into the weekend, but as the main man in a Chelsea attack that has numerous options, Palmer is always an option when it comes to selecting a captain.
Palmer’s quality from set pieces is another reason he has to be considered as your captain for this gameweek. His nine goals from the penalty spot in the Premier League last season were the highest of any other player in the league.
It’s no surprise the 22-year-old has an expected points tally of 7.0 heading into this week’s round of fixtures.
If you don’t own Haaland in FPL and you have Palmer, this is the obvious FPL captain for this week.
Mo Salah (12.6m)
The Egyptian King. The FPL King.
As the joint leading top scorer with Erling Haaland over the first two gameweeks, the Egyptian King is showing no sign of slowing down as he begins his 10th season in the Premier League.
Having hit the back of the net against newly promoted Ipswich in GW1 and following it up with another goal at home to Brentford last week, he heads to Old Trafford this week with a brilliant record against Liverpool’s biggest rivals.
The Liverpool wideman has bagged 11 goals in 13 appearances against the Red Devils, and after coming off the back of a last-minute defeat to Brighton last week, Eric Ten Haag’s men will not fancy the thought of Salah adding to that record.
He will be up against one of United’s better performers over the last 12 months in Diogo Dalot in what could be a match-defining battle between the pair.
These heavyweight clashes do tend to be cagey affairs at times, but with United having the home advantage, there’ll be an expectation to attack, and the possibility of an open game is definitely higher.
As captaincy picks go, the 32-year-old is an attractive option given his record against United and also how clinical he can be when a penalty opportunity arises. His expected points are 6.9 and that is understandable when you take all the elements into consideration.
However, the Red Devils have recently thwarted Liverpool, and with new manager Slot, there are a lot of unknowns. We would veer away, but we wouldn’t be opposed to taking a punt if you don’t own any of the other players on this list.
Bukayo Saka (10.0m)
Still yet to hit the heights of last season, Saka has already amassed 18 points over the first couple of gameweeks, no doubt pleasing the 34.2% of players that currently own the Englishman.
Having netted his first goal of the season on the opening day at home to Wolves, the winger will hope to keep up his run of scoring at the Emirates by netting against Brighton at lunchtime on Saturday.
The Seagulls enter GW3 with maximum points and will be full of confidence having come out on top with a last-minute winner against Manchester United last week.
They’ve only conceded one goal so far this season; manager Fabian Hürzeler seems to have assembled a squad that could challenge for Europe, with centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke performing particularly impressively.
With the form Brighton are in, the Gunners may find it hard to break the Seagulls down on Saturday, and a low scoring match could be on the cards. Saka’s return may be limited this weekend and a tussle with fellow young Englishman Jack Hinshelwood will be interesting.
Saka has an expected points return of 6.8 this week. But with 6 of his 16 Premier League goals coming from the penalty spot last season, there is always an opportunity of picking up points even in the tightest of games.
Saka probably isn’t the best FPL captain this week, but he isn’t the worst. If you want to gamble on him, go ahead, but he isn’t our favourite option.
Writer’s Choice: Yoane Wissa (6.1m)
Subject to transfer rumours and a bid from Nottingham Forest during the week, Congo International Yoane Wissa has confirmed he is staying with Thomas Frank’s Bees for this season at least.
Having notched a goal and an assist on the opening day of the season at home to Crystal Palace, Wissa is a man on form.
With Brentford’s main man, Ivan Toney, on the move to Saudi Arabia from the London-based club, it gives Wissa the opportunity to step up and take the mantle that Toney has left behind.
Having scored twice in his 4 appearances against Southampton, the Likelihood is that the 27-year-old will be on the scoresheet again when the teams meet on Saturday afternoon.
Newly promoted Southampton come into the tie looking to claim their first points of the season after falling to two defeats against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest so far.
They’ll no doubt be nervous ahead of such a big game and Brentford can take advantage of that with Wissa to the fore. With an expected points return of 5.0 heading into the tie, Brentford’s electric forward can easily outperform that amount, and with a price tag of 6.1 million for a guaranteed starter, making him captain ahead of this week’s matches would not be the worst decision in the world.
Wissa is definitely a major punt, and one that has lots of upside. However, we only recommend this FPL captain if you are chasing a massive gap in points in your mini-leagues!
