The third Fantasy Premier League gameweek is upon us and managers are faced with a few dilemmas to contend with for the first time this season. Mo Salah and Heung-min Son blanked and Erling Haaland only managed an assist in a difficult weekend for the popular captain choices. But the main story was saved for Monday night as Darwin Nunez launched a headbutt at Joachim Andersen, and was shown a straight red card.
Now out for the next three games, it comes as no surprise that he is the most transferred out player in the game this week, as 760,000 managers have cut their losses and got rid of the £9.0m forward. It leaves a gap in the squad and funds in the bank, so for our gameweek three preview, we’ve looked at how to get the most out of your forward line without Nunez.
Whether you are on the Haaland hype or staying loyal to Harry Kane, it seems crazy to go without one of the two premium forwards this season. The England captain got off the mark against Chelsea in the dying seconds following on from Haaland’s brace on the opening day, but given the 0.3 price difference that has emerged between the two, it is difficult to jump to the Man City forward from Kane.
READ MORE:
- Jamie Carragher names the greatest PL player ever
- Gabriel Jesus is Arsenal's front man with the golden touch
- Ranking every Manchester United signing since 2013
Given Kane faces Wolves at home in the early kick-off, it is a case of staying put with what you have in terms of premium forwards. However, in the other two spots, we have excellent options. A must-own for Fantasy Premier League this season, and especially over the next few weeks, has to be Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus.
The Gunners’ front man scored twice and got two assists on his home debut against Leicester, returning a whopping 19 points - the highest from a single player across the entire weekend. His price has now risen to £8.1m, but he is still a bargain. With Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa to come in Arsenal’s next three, this is a bandwagon you can’t miss. He’s now owned by 77% of managers in the game, which is the highest ever, so missing out on his points will see your rank drop drastically.
So that is two spots filled, and now we have reached a point in the game where it seems sensible to spend a bit more up front to make sure you have three starting forwards. The value picks in midfield, aside from Rodrigo, haven’t paid off and neither have those premium defenders, with Liverpool failing to keep a clean sheet in their opening two games.
So going for a three-pronged attack seems like a sensible option, and there are some top strikers available at a lower price point. Ollie Watkins at £7.4m proved himself to be a key man for Aston Villa in GW2 with two assists, having been dropped in GW1 and Steven Gerrard got a much better display out of his side when Watkins was on the pitch.
However, Villa are approaching a rough patch of fixtures so it may be worth biding your time on Watkins and looking elsewhere. Aleksandr Mitrovic got off to a flyer with a brace against Liverpool and should have been on the scoresheet against Wolves but unfortunately missed his penalty. All the signs so far point to the £6.6m man continuing his goalscoring form from the Championship this time around and with a game against Brentford, he could hit the net again.
But the top pick around this price point has to be Ivan Toney. He surprisingly failed to score against a beleaguered Manchester United in that 4-0 win but he did register two assists and is now flying into a green run of games. Fulham, Everton, Crystal Palace, Leeds and Southampton are as easy as it gets in the Premier League, and Toney will be looking to bag a hatful over the next month. His price has increased to £7.1m as his ownership goes above 10%, but it's still decent value for a striker of his ability, who also takes penalties.
Whichever forwards you decide to plump for this week, it is always worth keeping your transfer free where possible, and certainly not spending more than four points per gameweek. Look ahead to the next six fixtures, and make your selections with your head, not your heart.
