With price rises happening fast a number of the contributors have taken to early transfers. So here’s our FPL team tips GW3 article where the 1st group of the FFGeek contributors show their teams for GW3. In this part there’s Rick Porter (now updated), Yaniv Salomon, Andrew Whitfield, Kris O, Mikael Danielsen, Costas Chari and Sergio Torija.
FPL team tips GW3 – 7 FFGeek contributors show their GW3 teams part 1
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Rick Porter (now updated)
See additional words after the new team picture
Rick last 3 seasons overall rank were 1k, 30k and 2k.
GW2 points: 38 (average 41) Total points 130 Gameweek rank 3,749k, Overall Rank: 610k, red arrow 349k , Team Value: £100.2m
Yes, I’ve hit the Wildcard button. No, it’s not too early. Well, I don’t think so anyway…
You have to do what’s right for you. Over the last three years I’ve used my first Wildcard in GW2, GW3 and GW4 respectively and my ranks haven’t been too shabby. It’s there to help when you feel it’s needed and, for me, that’s this week. It helps me combat a couple of larger issues as well as address a few luxury niggles…
Who I want
De Bruyne
The main reason I’m Wildcarding is this man right here. I want De Bruyne now. He looks essential at this point. He’s involved in everything and his next four matches are Bournemouth, Brighton, Norwich and Watford. At 9.5m it’s a no brainer, but – unless I was willing to lose Salah or Sterling – getting him in wouldn’t be possible without at least a -8. That’s not very appealing considering the lack of flexibility I’d have with those transfers and the fact that I’d planned to Wildcard in a couple of weeks anyway.
Pukki
He seems to be the real deal. Unfazed by the transition to the Premier League, he’s apparently just going to keep on scoring. The next few fixtures will be testing, and it’d be easy to argue the case for waiting a few weeks before including him, but he’s already put one past Liverpool, got a hat trick, and he’s just received his third price rise in as many weeks. If he keeps it up he’ll easily be over 7.0m by the international break.
Martial
In short, 7.6m for a mid who’s playing as a forward for a top team is a gift. Two goals already and the fixtures look good going forward.
Lundstrum
At the start I went for Rico over Lundstrum as my 4.0m bencher. It wasn’t a bad choice, all the 4.0m defenders were punts, but Rico didn’t play at all this week while Lundstum has played close to two full matches as a midfielder and scored. He would have been on my bench regardless, so it’s a moot point, but the Wildcard allows me to make luxury transfers like this before his price inflates.
Who I don’t want
I should probably say here that none of the below players need to be removed from my team urgently. Any of them could deliver a haul in GW3 (and it would serve me right if they did). If you have them and you like them… well, stick with them. They are simply the players that I feel have underperformed in what is, admittedly, a very small timeframe. I just fear they might continue to do so when there are better choices emerging.
Ings
My reason for running with Ings was I felt he was a nailed on starter regardless of formation. This weekend showed that this isn’t the case. Yes, he got a goal when he eventually made it onto the pitch – but he shouldn’t have. That was just luck. If he’s not a sure starter (and only playing 60ish mins when he does) then he’s not going to get me the points I want. I can’t rely on inept keepers gifting him goals every match.
TAA/VVD
Speaking of Adrian, his inclusion means that (and I can’t believe I’m staying this) having two Liverpool defenders feels like too much exposure. I’d like to keep one if possible, as there are still plenty of points to be had, but two seems OTT when the clean sheets aren’t as likely and they don’t seem as aggressive as last season. The money can be better spent better elsewhere (ie. on a De Bruyne upgrade).
Wilson
Two weeks, two assists. It’s not the worst return, but considering the opponents and the 8.0m price tag I feel he should have delivered more. The fixtures turn now, starting with Man City, and he’s done nothing to convince me to keep him against the stronger teams.
Perez
I had high hopes for Perez. I’d convinced myself that he was a bargain based upon an excellent pre-season but, as is often the case, things don’t work out the same way once the season actually starts. He’s involved, which is something, but a combination of the position he’s playing and Leicester’s style as a whole means he just doesn’t look like he’ll be the one scoring the points when the goals come. The fixtures become kinder now and he’s a tweak in formation away from being in the goals, but it’s now become too tough to justify his inclusion on potential alone.
Summary
So that’s the deal. Sure, I didn’t need to Wildcard. I could have dropped 8-12 points, sorted some of the above and then nibbled away at the rest over the coming weeks but, as I mentioned before, I would have probably been Wildcarding in two weeks anyway. I’ll just try and save the next two transfers so I have some flexibility over the break. This way I get everything I want immediately, I catch all the price rises whilst avoiding the drops, and I don’t give up 8-12 points.
I suppose it all comes down to what you think the first Wildcard is worth… 8 points? 12? 16 maybe… The second Wildcard is obviously invaluable in traversing the doubles/blanks but, in my view, the first is useful for the exact the reason I’m using it – it allows you to adjust your starting team once you’re a couple of weeks in and you’ve started to identify the value choices, damp squibs, form players and bandwagons.
Yeah, I’d have liked another couple of weeks to study the players and give some of my starting choices a better run, but the price changes are crazy this year and I’m not prepared to wait and miss out on the players I want for the sake of a extra couple of weeks to review – Pukki, De Bruyne and Martial are unlikely to be considered poor assets in two weeks time.
The Team
As it stands, in order to squeeze all the names I mentioned above into the team, there had to be sacrifices. My Liverpool defenders (both of them) have gone and Salah has switched to Mane. This obviously makes me uncomfortable considering the ownership numbers involved, but come GW5 I plan on downgrading someone to Ceballos for the better Arsenal fixtures (if he continues to play like he did at the weekend). This would free up enough cash to bring Salah and VVD back in.
This weekend is okay. I’ll cope without the Liverpool defence, I have Mane as cover, and I imagine Sterling will be captain favourite over Salah due to the fixtures and the blank last week. The Burnley match in GW4, however, will be a nervy affair.
Of course, I may not keep it like this. The Liverpool ownerships scare the hell out of me and the press conferences could easily push me in another direction.
Here’s the updated team picture:
An update to my wildcard team.
After a bit of thought I decided to future-proof my team a little. Probably sensible as I won’t have a wildcard to rely on. Mendy will be ready very soon, and I don’t want to have to burn a transfer moving Zinchenko out, so I’ve upgraded him to Laporte. Having Laporte also gives me an easy transfer to VVD if my lack of Liverpool defenders looks like it’s going to burn me. I’ve also switched Mina to Digne. He’s apparently fit to play and he’s certainly a better bet than Mina long-term. To fund these changes I’ve downgraded Barnes to Wickham (who will warm the third spot on my bench forever or until I have the money to swap him out) and used the spare cash to switch Kelly to Soyuncu who rotates well with Lundstram and Cantwell.
Andrew Whitfield
Andrew finished with an overall rank of 6k last season and 19k in 17/18
GW2 points: 44 (average 41) Total points 127 Gameweek rank 2,191k, Overall Rank: 755k, red arrow 5k , Team Value: £100.1m
Well after 83 points in GW1, it was back down to earth with a bump with 44 points in GW2. Only four “returners” and a captain blank is always going to have you struggling. The saving grace of course is that GW2 was a much lower scoring round with an average of only 41 points.
The 14 Lundstram points sat on the bench as first sub would have turned an average week to a very good one, so it’s fine margins as always. Full credit to those who played him but a few were also fortunate to have his points drop in from their bench which is very nice if you were one of them. I had 11 starters so didn’t.
All the talk prior to the gameweek was whether to captain Salah or Sterling. I am still amazed Salah was such a clear poll leader after his 120 mins in Turkey midweek, when Sterling looked an altogether so much better option to me. I went with Salah as “a shield”. In the end it proved irrelevant and only a 3 point loss, even though Sterling scored. ( 6+6 rather than 3+12)
What went well
This section is a lot shorter than last week !!!!
1 – Lucas Digne was my shining light with his 2nd successive clean sheet as well as an assist for 11 points. Just a pity he left the field early and is flagged. Unless something sinister comes out in the pressers, he will stay.
2 – Another goal for Sterling. This is a player in top form. A dangerous player not to own, so happy with my team built around Salah and Sterling in a “two premium” strategy.
3 – My triple Bournemouth had an element of payback for GW1, Wilson being brought down and King converting the pen. I got my hopes up when “Wilson “ scored – alas it was Harry Wilson !!
What didn’t go as well
1 – Double Liverpool clean sheet disappearing after 83 mins !! That’s pretty close to a double and all the more frustrating that it came from an error from the stand in keeper.
2 – Salah blanking as captain, when I did prefer Sterling, though I was always going to captain him once I saw the one sided polls, as part of my managed risk strategy.
3 – Pérez and Fraser have now blanked twice, the latter against two promoted teams.
4 – Not collecting the Lundstram points that many did. I deliberated between him and Perez but benched the blade. Then saw fellow FPL players collect his points, some through not having 11 starters.
Keep your cool
It’s easy to play FPL after a good GW1 , make no changes and be happy. A drier week means a test of character, all part of FPL of course. Keep calm, don’t panic. There have been a raft of price changes that have forced early transfers , caused a few hasty moves. It’s all about keeping a calm head just now.
Issues to consider
Many people seem to be abandoning ship on the double Liverpool defence. They haven’t looked great defensively and Robbo doesn’t seem to be carrying the same threat, the keeper situation doesn’t help. But I am not abandoning a key element of my strategy after two games. Liverpool came within 7 mins of a clean sheet. If people had landed the double clean sheet, would they really be panicking and in meltdown like now ? Exactly. Remember that the two full backs got 25 assists between them last season and 20 clean sheets each. Caution !!
Whether to make compromises and switch to a “three premiums” approach. Those playing three in GW1 came out on top. When Kane scores a double on the opening weekend and faces the same Newcastle team that Pukki put three past, it does make me nervous about not owning Kane. Very nervous.
I am left with the aftermath of my triple cherries attack. It brought one goal and two assists from two games. Now they have Man City in GW3 !! The schedule after that is pretty good but I think the time is right to make the planned exit of two of them after those two juicy fixtures only brought moderate success.
Players like Pukki, Martial, Rashford, De Bruyne and Kane are all on the “ would like to own” list. So how best to get them in ??
Possible transfers :
My two players I am looking to move on are Fraser and Wilson as Cherries have Man City and King wont raise me the funds I need. Perez survives for another week.
I have seen a few people making the Wilson to Kane switch and funding it by switching out a 7M defender to a 4M one. Too radical for me. Trent and Robbo are not negotiable for now. I missed the Fraser price drop to swap to a 4.5m mid and I don’t really want to take a hit with three moves, particularly if I need to commit early.
De Bruyne is another key target. He looks back to his best. But again, I am not disturbing my Liverpool back line, I don’t want to dilute my midfield or take a hit. I considered Wilson to Pukki, Fraser to De Bruyne and funding it with a hit and Perez to Ceballos, but the latter is at Anfield against my double Liverpool defence and still needs to prove his consistently after one great game.
So I am going Fraser to Martial which is an easy transfer when Fraser has blanked against two promoted sides and Martial is 2 goals in 2 and playing out of position as a striker. I missed the straight swap opportunity with prices going against me both ways so it needs funding. I also want to get on the Pukki train. This guy looks like he might be able to score against anyone. The double deal also gives me 1.1M in the bank. No point taking a hit just to use it but plenty of flexibility for one or even two moves next week with the spare cash.
Line up and captain
Captain is on Sterling, at Bournemouth , my top choice, and this is backed up with a poll advantage over Salah. Kane is the man to fear this week after it was Auba last week.
Line up is tricky this week. I have the same Lundstram v Perez decision and with a certain irony, they line up against each other. I fear being bitten by the blade again but if I choose him over Perez, you just know Perez will stick one in the top corner in the last minute and deny me the clean sheet. So I am considering playing them both and benching King v Man City. Yes he could easily land a spot kick but he is up against a solid City defence with my Zinchenko in it.
Potentially playing an unusual 541 this week !!! King might still get in of course if Digne fails to recover from injury.
Good luck in GW3. Take note of the advice of the contributors, but go with what YOU think feels right for your team !!!!
Yaniv Salomon
Yaniv finished with an overall rank of 4k last season and 8k in 17/18
GW2 points: 35 (average 41) Total points 118 Gameweek rank 4,335k, Overall Rank: 1,441k, red arrow 691k , Team Value: £100.1m
Hi all,
So after a disastrous opening to my season, finally its time for me to make some transfers, and early ones not as I usually do, due to the need tocatch price raises..
After watching the City game, I thought , if KDB keeps that form up he must be the player of the season, and I thought no matter what I get him.. so that’s what I did.. Fraser had to go together with Stones (as I had 3 City players) to KDB and El Mohamady (amazing game this GW with 3 bonus points without a CS!) , I was missing 1.0m so took a risk bringing in Mane for Salah, especially due to his amazing form, so hope I will survive after this GW.
I still have some problems with Jota, Perez and double Liverpool defense (beacuse of Adrian or is it Barthez?), if everything still goes wrong so the WC is very close!
Good luck everyone!
Kris O
Kris’s last 3 seasons overall rank were 44k, 46k and 23k
GW2 points: 59 (average 41) Total points 143 Gameweek rank 370k, Overall Rank: 150k, green arrow 519k , Team Value: £100.3m
GW2 comments
A solid GW2 catapulted by Lundstram’s surprising performance. Firmino, King and Martial also served me well. Captain change to Sterling felt like an amazing decision when Salah blanked, but in the end was only worth an extra three points. That decision was outweighed by the transfer of Moura to McGinn which lost four points and some transfer flexibility. I feel a bit unlucky, especially with McGinn getting the full 90 at home to Bournemouth and Moura getting 34 mins away at Citeh.
GW3 transfer
My initial plan had been to take a four point hit moving Robertson (7.0) to Soyuncu (4.5), combining with my 2m itb to upgrade King (6.5) to Kane (11.0). With City looking so good I was left with the quandary of bringing in De Bruyne instead of Kane. I concluded that a team with De Bruyne replacing Pérez (6.5) and Wan-Bissaka (5.5) for Robertson served better for the long term – helping to stave off using my wildcard (famous last words!). Unfortunately I made that decision after De Bruyne went up to 9.6m, so I only have 0.4m itb.
Looking forward I’ll be keeping an eye on the form of Ceballos, Pukki, along with players at Chelski and West Ham who have great fixtures. As mentioned last week I am also considering Salah to Mané; which could help with the funds for upgrading Firmino to Kane or Aubameyang.
GW3 team
My selection is a weigh up of three of four from Lundstram, Femenia, King and McGinn. Currently leaving King out but that might change.
Martial captain at home against palace – I have two City and Pool attackers which provide some hedge for any successful captain picks from either team. Again this might still change.
Good luck for GW3 and especially for those wildcarding.
Mikael L Danielsen
Mikael’s last 3 seasons overall rank were 12k, 100k and 5k
GW2 points: 51 (average 41) Total points 133 Gameweek rank 1,012k, Overall Rank: 438k, green arrow 401k , Team Value: £100.1m
Had two FT’s, and I made three early transfers Saturday/Sunday for a -4 pts hit
Saturday: Wilson out Pukki in
Sunday: Lucas Moura and Fraser out De Bruyne and Ndombele in
Sergio Torija
Sergio’s last 3 seasons were 596k, 17k and 21k
GW2 points: 56 (average 41) Total points 134 Gameweek rank 529k, Overall Rank: 394k, green arrow 836k , Team Value: £100.1m
Ive done my transfer and happy with the team, see below. Cheers. Sergio
‘
A good week last with GW rank around 500K, two massive hauls in defence from Digne and Lundstram were key. I went with Siggy as captain who blanked, but so did Salah.
With 2 free transfers and a million in the bank I faced GW3 in a good position. I am giving Siggy some more time, Salah is also staying, so not a way to bring City players yet. I considered upgrading Rico to Walker-Peters, but I am still not clear he will keep his place and it is Arsenal away after this week, so it can wait. Then, it is Robinson to Mount, with the former being an injury doubt. I will save the second transfer unless something happens between now and Friday.
Captain Kane at home to Newcastle.
Good luck this week Geekers!
Costas Chari
Costas’s last 3 seasons overall ranks were 84k, 29k and 27k
GW2 points: 51 (average 41) Total points 132 Gameweek rank 1,012k, Overall Rank: 482k, green arrow 448k , Team Value: £100.1m
Not a bad week with 10 points above average and a few 100ks green arrow. It was Lundstram who saved the day although I give my self credit for benching Zinchenko for him.
2 free transfers this week!
1) Fraser out Martial in. I just had get Martial in. He is playing CF and is a great finisher! This will be his breakthrough year.
2) TAA out AWB in. The Liverpool D doubleup never paid off so I am shipping TAA out instead of VVD in order to save me some more funds. AWB is a beast and along with Maguire will make man united better defensively.
Still have 2.4mil in the bank which will be used next week to upgraded Siggy if he blanks again to KDB…. probably.
Captain – currently on Sterling but I really fancy taking a chance with Martial home to Palace… will see
Good luck!
Other GW3 posts
Analysing 10 top FPL managers teams
Early thoughts on the FFGeek team
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