Forward planning for Gameweek 3 and 4

We take a look at forward planning for Gameweek 3 and 4. With the help of the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can utilise its fixture ticker and underlying stats to pick out the best teams and players to target for the Gameweeks ahead.

Forward planning for Gameweek 3 and 4 can be absolutely vital to the success of any given managers season. The early stage of the campaign is one of the most important periods in FPL so being able to target the right teams and players could be key.

Gameweek 3 & 4 fixtures

Who has the best fixtures?

Chelsea, Everton, Brentford, Manchester City and Tottenham all rank amongst the top five teams with the easiest fixtures in Gameweek 3 and 4. This suggests that their assets are worthy of investment moving forward.

Who has the worst fixtures?

Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Sheffield United and Liverpool all rank amongst the bottom five teams with the toughest fixtures in Gameweek 3 and 4. This suggests that their assets are worth avoiding moving forward.

Best players for Gameweek 3 & 4

Here we highlight the teams and players with the most potential for Gameweek 3 & 4. This gives you a better idea of who you should be targeting for the period ahead:

Chelsea – The Blues have two great fixtures ahead against Luton and Nottingham Forest. Their standout defensive assets include left-back Ben Chilwell (£5.6m) but other great options include goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) and centre-back Levi Colwill (£4.5m). In attack the main man is striker Nicolas Jackson (£7m) who leads the frontline.

Everton – They face Wolves and Sheffield United. The Toffees were poor last season but for those looking to invest defensively you could go for goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (£4.5m) or centre-back James Tarkowski (£4.5m). In attack the main man and striker is Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6m). He is the focal point to the attack.

Brentford -The Bees have matches against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. In defence the standout options are goalkeeper Mark Flekken (£4.5m) and full-back Rico Henry (£4.5m). For those looking to invest in attack the standout option and penalty taker is midfielder Bryan Mbeumo (£6.6m). Another great option in attack is striker Yoane Wissa (£6m) who scored in Gameweek 1.

Who else should we be targeting?

Manchester City – The league holders face matches against Sheffield United and Fulham. The standout option is striker Erling Haaland (£14m). However for those looking to further invest the likes of midfielder Phil Foden (£7.5m) and striker Julian Alvarez (£6.5m) could also be great options.

Tottenham – Spurs have two excellent fixtures to attack in Burnley and Bournemouth. The best players to invest in could be midfielders James Maddison (£7.6m) and Richarlison (£7m). In defence full-back Destiny Udogie (£4.5m) has shown early promise.

Other assets with potential

Arsenal – The Gooners have one tough and one easier fixture. The standout option is midfielder Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) but another great option could be midfielder Gabriel Martinelli (£8m). For those looking to invest defensively the safest option in terms of minutes could be centre-back William Saliba (£5.1m).

Brighton – Brighton have matches against West Ham and Newcastle so it could be tough. However defender Pervis Estupinan (£5.1m) and midfielders Solly March (£6.5m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) could be great options still.

Manchester United – The Reds have two players some could deem fixture proof and they are midfielders Marcus Rashford (£9m) and Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m).

Aston Villa – From an attacking point of view Burnley and Liverpool could be great fixtures for striker Ollie Watkins (£8m).

Liverpool – If any player has convinced that they are fixture proof it is midfielder Mohamed Salah (£12.5m).

Should we play a chip?

It is still very early in terms of chip usage – the most experienced FPL managers tend to gather more information and wait for blank and double Gameweeks before using their chips.

The only chip that could be considered this early is the Wildcard. The Wildcard could be justified for those who have many issues to sort out within their squads but also to attack fixture swings. However, if you can do this by using free transfers and small hits and avoid the use of the wildcard then that would be advised.