FPL GW3 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Dilemmas blog for Gameweek 3 of the FPL 2023/24 season. This blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas FPL managers have this week and offer FPL GW3 tips that will help you address the key dilemmas and maximize your FPL points.

The blog is written by Insanely Football. Do subscribe to his YouTube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. You can also follow him on Instagram for daily FPL updates.

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

Link to all our FPL GW3 blogs including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW3 Tips – Key Questions/Dilemmas Answered

1) Who are the best Gabriel/Shaw/Stones/James replacements?

John Stones, Luke Shaw and Reece James were great picks at the start of the season, but sadly, all three of them are injured right now, and it makes sense to replace them in GW3.

Gabriel hasn’t featured much in Arsenal’s two Premier League games so far, which has prompted many managers to take him out of their FPL teams. The Gabriel situation has changed slightly with the red card to Tomiyasu and Timber getting injured. There is a good chance that Gabriel will start in GW3. Still, if you are not convinced with his medium-long-term potential, you can take him out this week.

In terms of replacements, Ben Chilwell and Pervis Estupinan top the list. Chilwell has looked quite attacking in the Chelsea defence and is expected to do well with a kinder run of fixtures coming up. He has the 2nd highest xGI(1.04) among all defenders and looks like the favourite replacement for Gabriel/Stones/James. 

If money is a problem, get Pervis Estupinan from Brighton. The attacking defender is top for points scored among all defenders this season. He is also 1st for xGI (1.27) for all defenders. He does have slightly tough fixtures, and if you are not convinced, you can even look at the Man City defence.

Though it is challenging to nail the best Man City defender, Ruben Dias is slightly preferred. He has been a mainstay in the City’s defence and is the most expensive option (£5.5m) for the Cityzens. If you can’t spend this much, consider Manuel Akanji the next best alternative. More than 300,000+ managers have already transferred him in, and that number is expected to grow further.

If you are looking for a slightly budget pick, Rico Henry from Brentford is a great alternative. The Brentford defender is 5th among defenders for xGI (0.83) and has 1 assist to his name. He has looked great going forward, and with Brentford having 3 good ‘Home’ fixtures in the next 4 gameweeks, he is a solid buy.

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2) What to do with Fernandes/Rashford Ahead of FPL GW3?

Man United’s poor attacking start to the 2023/24 Premier League means there are a lot of FPL managers who have lost patience with the Man Utd attacking duo of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes.

Both are in the ‘top 10’ for the ‘most transferred out players’ for GW3. So, with managers looking elsewhere, is it the right call? 

Man Utd are facing a Nottingham Forest, a side known to concede many goals, and this could be the week where Man Utd do get it together. Rashford is playing a more central role, which does not suit him or the team. Rashford’s main strength is his pace, and he comes alive when running past opponent defenders. He is pretty ineffective playing as a no 9. For this reason, I feel it’s okay to sell him and get in Foden/Mbuemo instead.

Coming to Bruno Fernandes, there is a case to be made to keep him in GW3. He is not a priority sell this week, and only if you have an extra transfer to make you can sell for a different pick; otherwise, hold him and reassess for GW4. Fernandes has the 2nd highest xGI among all MIDs so far(1.94) and has been quite unlucky not to get any returns. I’d hold him over Rashford. 

Further Read: Top FPL GW3 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Deadline

3) Which forwards to target for FPL GW3 and beyond?

A variety of forwards are competing for the two remaining forward spots, assuming everybody has Haaland in their FPL team. Joao Pedro was popular in GW1, but the Brighton attacker didn’t start in GW2. With the recent Enciso injury news, there is a good chance that Pedro will start in GW3, but it is still a bit risky. You can avoid this risk altogether by getting Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea. 

The Blues striker has started both PL games and can do well, especially with a kinder run of fixtures coming up. Jackson has the 5th highest xGI among all forwards (1.37), having played 180 minutes. We still don’t know if he is the first-choice striker for Chelsea. Maybe Chelsea will sign a new striker, or a different player can replace him in the coming games. All these factors make the transfer risky but worth the risk.

You can even Julián Álvarez from Man City if you are tight on money. With many managers prefer Foden in midfield, you can get Alvarez at 8% ownership playing for one of the best attacks in the league. Like Foden, Alvarez also is at the risk of rotation, but the next two fixtures are against Sheffield Utd and Fulham. Both games look good for huge hauls, and it may be a risk worth taking in the extreme short term.

Yoane Wissa is another excellent budget alternative. He is nailed in the Brentford and has posted strong underlying stats. He is 2nd for xGI among all forwards (1.74) and is 1st for overall FPL points. Yes, it’s just two gameweeks, but Wissa has started the season strongly and is a great buy to cover off the Brentford attack.

Further Read: FPL GW3 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups

4) Should we use our Wildcard in GW3?

With some of the popular picks getting injured and few others not performing according to expectation, many managers are considering using the Wildcard chip this week. I think it’s still very team-dependent. 

Let’s say your team includes injured players like Stones, James and even Gabriel, who may/may not start in GW3. Plus, players from Man Utd and Joao Pedro, who again is a rotation risk, you are likely to make quite a few moves to sort your team out. If you are currently not satisfied with your XI and don’t even have a proper playing first bench option, it’s okay to Wildcard this week.

On the flip side, this week’s Wildcard team will probably not provide you massive gains unless you are going risky with triple Man City alongside double-ups from Brentford and Chelsea. You are still likely to have at least one attacker from Brighton and Arsenal, which negates the gains from a Wildcard this week.

If you are far from the ideal team, using the Wildcard should give you stability, but list the pros and cons before hitting that Wildcard button. Using it now instead of a slightly later gameweek might leave you exposed. Injury concerns can come up over the International Break, plus with the Champions League starting soon, things can get tricky.

I suggest you note the players you do not want and check if you can replace them with ‘1-2 free transfers’ or even a hit. If you can, hold the Wildcard right now and reassess in the upcoming gameweeks.

It’s essential to look at your team, see what you are gaining and letting go, and accordingly take the call. 

In case you are using your Wildcard this week. You can start off with the team below!

That will be all from my side for this week! All the best for FPL Gameweek 3, and I will see you all next week.

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Check out my GW3 team!

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW3

Top FPL GW3 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Deadline
Top FPL Gameweek 3 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL GW3 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas
FPL GW3 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups
Best Chelsea FPL Assets to Target ahead of FPL Gameweek 3
FPL GW3 Transfer Tips- Players to Buy/Hold/Sell Analysis
Best FPL Defenders/Gabriel Replacements for FPL GW3
FPL GW3 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Eye Test & Stats
FPL GW2 Stats Summary
FPL GW3 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

Link to all our FPL GW3 blogs including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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