Ahead of this Gameweek, we have made a possible list of players to watch, with stocks rising, you don't want to be left in the mud.
Over 650,000 managers have played the Wildcard chip ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 GMT deadline, which makes Gameweek 3 the week with the most-popular use for the Wildcard so far this campaign.
But ahead of this Gameweek, we have made a possible list of players to watch, with stocks rising, you don’t want to be left in the mud.
Cole Palmer (£10.5m)
Owned by 3.2 million managers going into Gameweek 1, a blank against champions Manchester City saw nearly 200,000 fantasy managers part ways with the Englishman.
They were quickly punished for this decision, with a 17 point haul against Wolves reminding people of the pedigree of last years top FPL points scorer.
At the time of writing, nearly a million managers have moved for Palmer, with other big hitters like Bukayo Saka (£10.0m), Phil Foden (£9.5m) and even Erling Haaland (£15m) all being considered as potential sales to fund Chelsea’s talisman.
But is the hype justified? The stats from the Wolves game tell a completely different story to what transpired on the pitch. Wolves actually bettered Chelsea for their xG (expected goals) tally (1.92 vs. 1.65) despite losing the game 6-2. Palmer managed 4 attacking returns in this game with his goal and hattrick of assists, all of which came from an xGi of just 0.82.
Palmer is no stranger to overperforming on his xGi, with his 22 goals and 13 assists from last season coming from an xGI of just 25.52. It is however hard to remember too many capitulations like Wolves managed in 14 minutes against their London based opponents, where Noni Madueke (£6.5m) also scored a hattrick.
What’s evident though is that Palmer has announced himself as Chelsea’s key player ahead of a brilliant run of fixtures that starts with Crystal Palace (H) and then goes in to Bournemouth (a), West Ham (A), Brighton (H) and Nottingham Forest (H).
In Gameweek 3, Palmer is, in my opinion, the strongest captaincy option.
Whether he justifies his price this season remains to be seen, particularly as he is playing in a Chelsea team that is still very much in transition, but the signs are promising and he’d be a shrewd transfer for this Gameweek and beyond as I have a feeling he may end up as the standout premium asset over the next 5 Gameweeks.
Ollie Watkins (£9.0m)
Oh Ollie, what happened against Arsenal? You had two glorious chances, put up an xG of 0.87 but failed to score. Well, this may actually be good news for the eagle eyed Fantasy manager as Watkins approaches a price drop due to nearly 500,000 players parting ways due to successive blanks.
But, if we look at the fixtures, this is the time people should be buying Watkins, not selling. The next four Gameweeks could not be better, with Watkins playing two promoted teams (Leicester and Ipswich) and Everton and Wolves who have shipped 7 and 8 goals respectively in just two matches.
Watkins – and indeed Aston Villa – look far from their best heading into the third round of fixtures, but this obliging run of games is likely to turn that on its head. It’s come at a good time too, with Alexander Isak (£8.5m) flattering to deceive in his opening two games and injuries to Dominic Solanke (£7.5m).
If you can move a player like Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) down to one of the excellent budget assets, such as Emile Smith-Rowe (£5.5m), Antoine Semenyo (£5.5m) or Morgan Rogers (£5.0m) this may free up a bit of money to move for Watkins and cash in while others have got rid.
I have a feeling everyone will want Watkins by the time they play Everton in Gameweek 4.
Bryan Mbeumo (£7.0m)
Mbeumo was devastating at the start of last season when Ivan Toney (£7.3m) was suspended.
An injury around Christmas time curtailed his season somewhat, but he proved that he could be an elite Fantasy asset as he took up the goalscoring burden of the team and even responsibility for penalties, to reward those who backed him early on.
Now it looks like history is repeating itself with Toney seemingly out of the picture and Mbeumo stepping up once again to become the key figure in the team.
A nine point return in Gameweek 1 was followed with a blank at Anfield, but a fixture against newly promoted Southampton looks primed for returns for the Cameroon international. The fixtures dry up a bit after that, with trips to Manchester City and Spurs less than ideal, but from Gameweek 6 Brentford have an incredible run which lasts right the way to Gameweek 14.
The best thing about Mbeumo, and unlike the other two players I’ve discussed on this list, is that he is a massive differential, with just 5% ownership at the time of writing.
I’d be very surprised if he came away with nothing against the Saints, and might even be an interesting captain option for those without Haaland or Palmer and looking to roll the dice.
For more in-depth analysis from one of the best FPL tipsters in the game, follow @Ballgist on all platforms.
