New Options
Hugo Lloris has put his name up in lights as the standout goalkeeper, with Tottenham conceding the most shots this season. Whether that keeps on occurring remains to be seen.
Chelsea defender Reece James got a goal and an assist last time out and remains relatively cheap, while Brighton’s Shane Duffy backed up his enterprising opening game with a goal in Gameweek 2.
West Ham midfielder Said Benrahma starred on Gameweek 1 and delivered again, making him one of the most popular options this round.
Dele Alli reminder a few of his quality and is still relatively cheap, although his goal came from the penalty spot and Harry Kane will likely resume that duty soon.
Michail Antonio was another flagged in pre-season and he is providing the goods, with two goals for West Ham making him the top scoring forward.
Romelu Lukaku scored on his Chelsea return but could you bring him in with the Blues taking on Liverpool, or do you wait?
Previous week lessons
After being treated by popular pair Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes on Gameweek 1 as captains, Gameweek 2 taught us you cannot always rely on the stars.
That is a particularly pertinent lesson this round, with several of the top clubs having tricky fixtures, including Salah’s Liverpool hosting Chelsea.
Another well-owned Luke Shaw is beginning to test the patience after two underwhelming scores, which will have coaches questioning whether to trade, with the likes of Marcos Alonso impressing elsewhere.
West Ham are red hot, namely the aforementioned Benrahma and Antonio. The Hammers finished sixth last term and some thought they may drop off, particularly with Jesse Lingard gone, but they remain strong and full of points.
Who to captain?
We’ve half addressed this question above, with the challenging fixtures meaning this isn’t simple. Fernandes’ Manchester United are away to Wolverhampton which isnt simple but it is enticing.
Harry Kane’s return at Tottenham may impact Son Heung-Min’s ability to score. Or it may aid the South Korean given their lethal partnership seen last season. That’s a tough call.
Salah against Chelsea doesn’t seem wise although he is good at Anfield, while some coaches have spent big on Romelu Lukaku but they’d be wise not to put the C on him at Liverpool.
Other left-field options are Patrick Bamford with Leeds at Burnley, or Jamie Vardy with Leicester going to Norwich City who have shipped eight goals already. Antonio’s West Ham host Crystal Palace too.
Injury front
Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson is back in the frame after an ankle injury, declaring himself ‘ready to play’ although it remains to be seen if he comes straight back into the starting XI.
Leicester City will be without new signing Jannik Vastergaard once again due to a knee issue, while Ryan Bertrand is in contention after recovering from COVID-19.
Everton boss Rafa Benitez revealed during the week that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is playing with a toe problem.
Arsenal’s Ben White and Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic are out with COVID-19, while Man City have suspended Benjamin Mendy with a police investigation pending.