FPL GW3 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 3

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Dilemmas & Preview blog for FPL GW3. This blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas that FPL managers have every week starting from FPL GW3.

Let’s dive right into it. We will start with the first one.

Link to all our FPL GW3 blogs including Fixtures to target, Scout Picks, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, Transfer Trends, Buy/Hold/Sell Analysis and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW3 Preview & Key Dilemmas Answered

1) Should you use the Wildcard in FPL GW3?

Many managers who have started the season poorly are thinking of using the Wildcard in Gameweek 3. To give you a straight answer. It is very team specific. You should look at your team and see how comfortable you are with most picks and the overall team structure. 

If you feel that you are missing 4-5 high potential players and free transfers or maybe even a hit or two won’t be able to get you towards your ideal team, then only hit that Wildcard button. 

Another thing to consider is whether you want to change your team structure. If yes, then how far are you from achieving it? Let’s say you have gone big at the back and now want to take money out of your defence or maybe do the opposite by putting more money and playing a back five. You need to assess if you can achieve this with a few transfers and whether that will be your ideal team. A Wildcard in Gameweek 3 makes sense if you are not convinced.

In my opinion, a strong template has emerged from Gameweek 1, and a wildcard team might not differ from the template at this stage. If you are far from the template, a Wildcard should help you catch up to other FPL managers in the game and not lose more rank. The flip side is that using the chip right now can leave you exposed later on when we have mid-week games and a lot more rotation is expected, especially for the ‘top six teams. 

There is no right or wrong answer to using the Wildcard in Gameweek 3. It is very team and manager-dependent. This week, you need to assess your team and see what you gain from using the Wildcard chip. I feel unless you have got it wrong in Gameweek 1 in terms of team structure and maybe don’t have a lot of high potential FPL assets, using the wildcard can wait. 

If you still want to see what a Wildcard in Gameweek 3 looks like, here is a draft to help you with this crucial decision.

You can also check out my Ultimate Wildcard Guide Video.

Further Read: FPL GW3 Wildcard Team & Drafts To Consider | Wildcard Guide

---

---

2) Who to go for in the Chelsea defence?

Chelsea’s defence was shaky in pre-season, but they look a lot better now with a couple of solid signings. One can expect them to keep a fair amount of clean sheets in the upcoming games. There are a few options that FPL managers can go for, considering they have an excellent run of fixtures coming up.

Reece James (£6m) is currently in more than 40% of FPL teams, which will rise even further. He is the standout option in the Chelsea defence and should be your priority transfer if you haven’t got him yet. James has the most avenues to points amongst all defenders in the game. We know he is on corners and free kicks, which is a massive plus in bonus points.

Then we have Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella; both are likely to compete for the LWB spot for now. We saw Marc Cucurella start a tricky fixture against Spurs, and he did pretty well. That says a lot about how Tuchel sees Cucurella in the Chelsea defence. I feel very few would argue that Cucurella is better at defending than Chilwell. He also appeared to be on some corners and free kicks, so there is definite FPL potential. 

My biggest worry regarding the second Chelsea defender spot is the minutes shared by Cucurella and Chilwell, especially with the five substitution rules in play. Tuchel’s comments indicated that Chilwell is not match fit yet and will only consider him a substitute for the coming games. That nails Cucurella’s position as an LWB in the very short term. 

Another thing to keep an eye on will be if Fofana joins Chelsea. If he does, it reduces the appeal of Cucurella playing as a left-sided centre-back in a back three. Fofana is likely to play in the heart of that Chelsea defence, with Cucurella and Chilwell competing for the LWB spot.

James is the best Chelsea defender to go for if you want to pick one. If you are okay taking a bit of a risk and are looking for a short-term punt, then Cucurella is worth getting as a double-up with James. 

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 3 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold and Sell

3) Who are the best Neto/Bailey replacements right now?

Neto and Bailey were popular picks for Gameweek 1 as they both had a great pre-season, and a lot was expected from them. So far, both options haven’t worked out after blanking in the first two gameweeks, and managers are looking to ship them out this week. 

With only two weeks of information, it is still quite challenging to draw clear answers, but from whatever we have seen so far, there are a few options to target.

Rodrigo is one option you can look at if you have some additional money in the bank. Seeing how Leeds has set up in the first two fixtures, it is clear that he is playing quite advanced, almost as a no9 at times and has a significant goal threat. He has already scored three goals and can easily add to that tally in the upcoming games. 

With Bamford’s possible injury, there are chances that Rodrigo also becomes Leeds’s first-choice penalty taker, which significantly increases his FPL potential. In Gamweek 3, he faces Chelsea, so it’s not the ideal gameweek to bring him in, but if you are looking at a slightly long-term punt, Rodrigo is right up there. 

If you are unsure about Leeds and Rodrigo, you can go for Pascal Groß (£5.6m) instead. Brighton has looked strong going forward, and Groß has been their standout player in attack. He got a 15-point haul against Man Utd and was the creative force against Newcastle. His all-around play is excellent, a massive plus in FPL terms.

With Brighton having great fixtures, Groß can be a great Bailey/Neto replacement.

Now, if you don’t have additional money, there is a cheap option. You can go for Mathias Jensen (£5m) if you are looking for a potential starter. We know Brentford will likely play a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2, and Jensen looks nailed in the centre of that midfield. 

For now, he looks like the creative engine in that Brentford team, but that could change soon. With the addition of Damsgaard in midfield, chances are that Jensen’s minutes can be an issue. Still, I feel Damsgaard is likely to rotate with Dasilva (£4.6m) instead. 

To summarise, I like Pascal Groß as the ideal replacement as it allows you to save money over a Rodrigo and get a more balanced option. The fixtures for Brighton from an attacking sense look good. I don’t think there will be a considerable difference between his and Rodrigo’s FPL output over the next few games.

If you want to replace Bailey with no extra money, Dasilva is the option now. Jensen is £5m, and with Bailey dropping in price, you won’t be able to get Jensen. Go Dasilva instead and save that £0.5m for potential upgrades elsewhere.

Check out my detailed take on the ‘Best Budget Mids’ as Bailey/Neto replacements.

4) Which defence to double up on? Liverpool, Man City, or Chelsea?

Which defence to double up on is a very tricky question that many FPL managers have. Chelsea, Liverpool, and Man City are premium defences, so one can expect quite a few clean sheets. In addition, getting in nailed defenders with high attacking potential is the sweet spot.

Liverpool’s defensive combination of Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.5m) and Andrew Robertson (7m) is the most expensive of the lot. We know both players occupy advanced positions in most games, helping them get attacking returns.

My slight worry is that Liverpool has started the season slowly, and injury concerns to Matip and Konate have somewhat weakened their clean sheet potential. Fabinho looking a bit leggy and not having Thiago also doesn’t help. Nevertheless, both players can compensate for it with their attacking potential and look like the best combination on paper.

Then we have Man City, and there is high potential in the City backline. Man City has dominated games against West Ham and Bournemouth so far, and it looks like the trend can continue. Despite not starting with their first-choice centre-back pairing of Dias and Laporte, City looks strong defensively.

Joao Cancelo is the standout option here at 7m. He is playing as an inverted wing-back and occupying a lot of space in midfield. He is also well versed in maintaining the width and carries a lot of creative threat. It bodes well for his bonus points potential as well.  

The second Man City option currently is Kyle Walker, who is playing as the other inverted wing-back in Pep’s setup. He doesn’t provide much-attacking threat going forward, but at 5m, he is the cheapest nailed entry in the Man City defence. For now, it’s easier to double up on Man City’s defence than going for their midfield spot, where we have already seen a lot of rotation. 

Coming to Chelsea and Reece James stands out. Then we have Ben Chilwell and Cucurella competing for the LWB spot where some rotation can happen. James has multiple outlets to FPL points, as discussed earlier in the blog. Cucurella, who should start the next few games, might not possess the same attacking threat as James, but the potential to get huge hauls is still there. 

If I had to choose a double-up option right now, it would be Man City if the idea is to play slightly long-term and a bit safer. If you are a maverick manager and are okay with taking a few risks, then go with Chelsea. Liverpool is no way out of the conversation but considering they cost a lot more than the Man City and Chelsea options, just going for Trent at the moment looks okay. This move can come in handy if you can significantly upgrade other positions in your team with the additional money available.

Further Read: FPL GW3 Fixtures & Players To Target | Best Matchups | FPL Paz

5) What to do with Tottenham players?

Another dilemma that many managers have at the moment is whether to buy, sell or keep Tottenham players for Gameweek 3 and beyond. Tottenham looked strong in the attack against Southampton, and while they were off the pace against Chelsea, they still managed to score twice and draw level in the game.

Starting with Perisic first, he has only featured for 35 minutes in the two games Spurs have played so far. It was always a significant risk to go with Perisic in the first place. The pre-season hype around him swayed a lot of FPL managers to get him on their FPL team for Gameweek 1. 

For managers who still own him, it’s quite a tricky situation to be in. Sessegnon didn’t have the best of games against Chelsea, and there are chances that Perisic starts in Gameweek 3 against Wolves. Conte is working towards getting Perisic fully fit to start more games. If you have held Perisic till now, there is more upside in keeping him unless you want to get to James, Trent or a Cancelo. I won’t necessarily buy him this week.

In midfield, we have Son and Kulusevski as standout picks. Kulusevski scored 13 points and looked excellent against Southampton in Gameweek 1. He was quiet against Chelsea, but with better fixtures and no standout players in the 8m price category, I think there is merit in holding him. If you are moving on from Mount or Saka, you can even replace them with Kulusevski this week.

Son’s position is a bit awkward. He is undoubtedly not in the same form as last season yet. There is a case where you can either replace him with Kevin De Bruyne or downgrade to a cheaper option. We are yet to see the best from Son, and things can change very quickly with a slightly easier run of fixtures. 

With Richarlison now back, there is a slight concern regarding Son’s minutes per game. There is a high chance that Son may not last 90 minutes as Tottenham has quite an able replacement available on the bench. Still, I would at least give Son the next 2-3 gameweeks before replacing him with a different option. He won’t be a priority buy this week, though. 

Among forwards, Kane is still the standout pick. I feel that if you have kept faith in Kane ahead of Haaland all this while, you hold him now. Haaland was not surprisingly not involved much against Bournemouth, and his true FPL potential is still a bit of an unknown. Kane can score against any upcoming opposition, and keeping him looks like the right call.

All the best for FPL GW3, and I will see you all next week!

You can also subscribe to my Youtube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. Follow me on Instagram for daily FPL updates. 

If you like our content do consider supporting us by contributing to the website. ALLABOUTFPL is run by the community and for the community. All our content is and will always remain free.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW3

FPL Gameweek 3 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold and Sell
Top FPL Gameweek 3 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL GW3 Scout Picks | FPLDaggaFC & AllAboutFPL
FPL GW3 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW3 Deadline
FPL GW3 Transfer Trends, Best Transfer Combinations & Tips
FPL GW3 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 3
Best £4.5-5.5 Midfielders- Bailey Replacements Ahead Of FPL GW3
SPITCH Matchday 3 Preview | Top Picks, Tips & Team Reveal
FPL GW3 Fixtures & Players To Target | Best Matchups | FPL Paz
Predicted GW3 Lineups of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL Stats Of Shithousery | GW2 Team Of The Weak
FPL GW2 Review Based on Eye Test & Stats | FPL Trybe
FPL GW3 Wildcard Team & Drafts To Consider | Wildcard Guide
How Premier League Footballers fared as FPL Managers in GW2?
FPL GW3 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

Link to all our FPL GW3 blogs including fixtures to target, predicted 11, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW3 Preview Stream on our YouTube Channel

In 60 mins we cover WC drafts, Leon Bailey replacements, what to do with Robbo, Captaincy, and Differentials, players, and fixtures to target. Do give it a watch and subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Thanks for reading the “FPL GW3 Preview” blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 80,000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates.

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 3 of the 2022/23 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering player comparisons, differential picks, transfer trends, Buy, Hold, Sell analysis, eye test report, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, FPL GW3 tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

FPL Gameweek 3 FPL Deadline Countdown

Login and set your team for FPL GW3 now!