Gameweek 3 of the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League season gives managers plenty to think about.
Manchester City have an enticing home fixture against promoted Coventry City, while Manchester United travel to Everton and Liverpool head to Ipswich Town.
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Chelsea meet in one of the more difficult fixtures to call from a Fantasy perspective.
FPL Gameweek 3 Scout Picks in a 4-4-2 formation
Formation: 4-4-2
Position| Player| Club| Price
GK| David Raya| Arsenal| £6.0m
DEF| Josko Gvardiol| Man City| £5.6m
DEF| Maxim De Cuyper| Brighton| £4.7m
DEF| Kristoffer Ajer| Brentford| £4.5m
DEF| Bobby Thomas| Coventry| £4.0m
MID| Bruno Fernandes| Man Utd| £12.0m
MID| Rayan Cherki| Man City| £7.7m
MID| Bukayo Saka| Arsenal| £9.5m
MID| Mamadou Sangare| Brentford| £5.5m
FWD| Erling Haaland (C)| Man City| £15.5m
FWD| Joao Pedro| Chelsea| £7.6m
Bench GK| Antonin Kinsky| Tottenham| £4.5m
Bench DEF| John Egan| Hull City| £4.0m
Bench MID| Jules Ahoka| Sunderland| £4.5m
Bench FWD| Juan Riquelme Angulo| Sunderland| £4.5m
| Total| | £100.0m
Goalkeeper: David Raya
David Raya gets the nod between the posts. Arsenal’s matchup with Chelsea isn’t the easiest goalkeeper fixture on the board, but the Gunners have shown plenty of defensive reliability early in the season.
Raya also offers a reasonable combination of clean-sheet potential and save points if Chelsea manage to test Arsenal’s defense.
With premium attackers taking up a large portion of the budget, however, we have deliberately avoided spending heavily on a second goalkeeper. Antonin Kinsky provides affordable cover on the bench.
Defense
Josko Gvardiol — Manchester City (£5.6m)
Gvardiol is one of the standout defensive picks for Gameweek 3. Manchester City host Coventry, and that fixture immediately makes their defenders appealing. Gvardiol also offers more than just clean-sheet potential because of his attacking involvement.
The Croatian has produced attacking returns in all of the two matches played so far this season, making him one of the more attractive City defenders for Fantasy managers.
With Manchester City expected to dominate possession against Coventry, Gvardiol has the potential for points at both ends of the pitch.
Maxim De Cuyper — Brighton (£4.7m)
De Cuyper has quickly become one of the most interesting budget defenders in FPL. His attacking positioning gives him considerably more upside than the average £4.7m defender. Brighton also have a favorable home matchup with Leeds United.
His price increased to £4.7m following heavy Gameweek 3 interest, but that still represents excellent value for a player capable of contributing in the final third.
Kristoffer Ajer — Brentford (£4.5m)
Ajer has quietly become one of the most attractive budget defenders in the game. The Brentford center-back has earned defensive-contribution points in each of the opening two Gameweeks, putting him among the small group of defenders who have already shown consistency in the new scoring environment.
Brentford’s home meeting with Sunderland makes the Norwegian even more appealing.
At £4.5m, there is very little financial risk attached to the pick.
Bobby Thomas — Coventry (£4.0m)
Thomas is our fourth starting defender and the key player that allows this squad to fit under £100m. Thomas stands out because of his defensive-contribution potential and previous attacking numbers in the Championship. Last season he scored three goals and providing four assists.
The fixture against Manchester City is obviously far from ideal, but this isn’t a matchup we’re targeting for points.
Thomas is effectively our budget enabler.
Midfield
Bruno Fernandes — Manchester United (£12.0m)
Bruno Fernandes remains one of the most expensive midfielders in FPL, but his role makes him extremely difficult to ignore. Manchester United travel to Everton, and Bruno’s ability to contribute both goals and assists gives him multiple routes to points.
He’s also capable of collecting bonus points when he plays well, while his set-piece responsibilities and penalty involvement increase his ceiling.
His price means selecting him requires sacrifices elsewhere, but Gameweek 3 is exactly the type of week where paying for proven involvement makes sense.
Rayan Cherki — Manchester City (£7.7m)
Cherki is arguably the most exciting mid-priced midfielder heading into Gameweek 3.
After two matches, the Frenchman has already produced two goals and two assists, giving him 22 FPL points and making him the second-highest scorer in the game behind the early leaders.
His price has subsequently risen to £7.7m, reflecting the enormous demand from FPL managers.
The major concern is minutes. Manchester City’s attacking depth means Cherki isn’t guaranteed to play every minute, but the potential reward against Coventry is simply too good to ignore.
Bukayo Saka — Arsenal (£9.5m)
Saka is our premium Arsenal midfielder. The Chelsea fixture isn’t particularly attractive, but Saka has already shown that he’s back to full fitness and capable of producing immediately.
He scored in Arsenal’s two opening fixtures and remains one of the most reliable attacking players in the league when healthy.
Mamadou Sangare — Brentford (£5.5m)
Sangare is our budget midfield enabler. The Brentford midfielder offers something particularly valuable under the current FPL scoring system: attacking potential combined with defensive-contribution upside.
In 29 Ligue 1 starts for Lens last season, Sangare recorded three goals and four assists. He also had a 59.4 percent defensive-contribution success rate, demonstrating that his fantasy appeal isn’t based solely on attacking returns.
At £5.6m, he’s an excellent way to balance the squad.
Forwards
Erling Haaland — Manchester City (£15.5m)
Captain
This is the easiest selection of the week. Erling Haaland is our Gameweek 3 captain.
Manchester City welcome Coventry City to the Etihad, giving Haaland arguably the best fixture of any premium attacker. He also arrives after a huge 13-point performance against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 2.
Perhaps even more encouragingly, Haaland averages 9.4 FPL points per start against promoted teams at the Etihad, including massive hauls against Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town and Burnley. That makes the captaincy decision straightforward.
Haaland gets the armband.
Joao Pedro — Chelsea (£7.6m)
Joao Pedro completes our attack. The Chelsea forward has started the campaign brilliantly, producing attacking returns in both opening Gameweeks.
The obvious concern is the trip to Arsenal. Chelsea’s fixture isn’t favorable, but Joao Pedro’s early form makes him difficult to leave out, particularly at £7.6m.
The key point is that Chelsea’s schedule improves significantly after this fixture, so this is not necessarily a player we’d be looking to remove simply because Arsenal are the opponent.
The Bench
Antonin Kinsky — Tottenham (£4.5m)
Kinsky is our backup goalkeeper. He is identified as one of the standout budget goalkeeper options at £4.5m, with Tottenham’s defensive numbers under Roberto De Zerbi providing additional encouragement.
He isn’t expected to start ahead of Raya in this XI, but he provides legitimate goalkeeper cover.
John Egan — Hull City (£4.0m)
Egan is our first defensive substitute. At £4.0m, he’s primarily here to preserve the budget, but he isn’t a completely dead bench option. Promoted defenders have shown considerable defensive-contribution potential early in the campaign.
Egan has already demonstrated that potential, recording 21 defensive contributions in Hull’s opening match.
Jules Ahoka — Sunderland (£4.5m)
Ahoka fills the midfield bench slot at £4.5m.
The priority with this position is budget efficiency rather than expecting a major Gameweek return. His inclusion allows us to maintain the premium-heavy starting XI without exceeding the £100m limit.
Juan Riquelme Angulo — Sunderland (£4.5m)
Riquelme Angulo completes the squad. The Sunderland forward was added to FPL at £4.5m following the transfer deadline, making him one of the available budget options at the position.
He’s unlikely to displace Joao Pedro or Haaland from the starting XI, but having an actual £4.5m forward completes the squad without forcing another expensive downgrade elsewhere.
In summary, Gameweek 3 is shaping up as an excellent opportunity to invest heavily in Manchester City.
Haaland is the obvious captain against Coventry, while Cherki provides an intriguing alternative route into City’s attack at a much cheaper price. Bruno Fernandes brings an elite combination of creativity and goal involvement, while Saka offers proven quality despite Arsenal’s difficult matchup with Chelsea.
The defensive picks are more about value and upside. Gvardiol provides attacking potential, De Cuyper offers an advanced role from defense, and Ajer has already demonstrated his defensive-contribution potential.
The biggest risks are Cherki’s minutes and the difficult fixtures for Saka and Joao Pedro. But for a Gameweek-specific Scout Picks team, we’re prepared to accept those risks.
Haaland gets the armband, City gets three players, and the squad lands exactly on the £100m budget.
- READ MORE: FPL GW3 Differential Picks: 10 Players to Consider
