FPL Top Picks For Gameweek 3

Лучшие прогнозы FPL на третью неделю

Week 3 is the last week before the first international break of the 2025/26 season, which means it is make-or-break for managers who need to shore up on points after failures in weeks 1 and 2.

If you didn’t use your free transfer in week 2, you will be able to perform two free transfers in week 3, giving you more options to rotate your squad. There are also a few more signings that have come on board for several teams, giving you more options to choose from.

As you plan your strategy for the upcoming week, here is our comprehensive analysis that you can use to guide your Fantasy Premier League week 3 exploits.

Анализ игровой недели

Gemweek 3’s match schedule looks like this:

• Chelsea v Fulham
• Manchester United v Burnley
• Sunderland v Brentford
• Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth
• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
• Leeds United v Newcastle United
• Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester City
• Nottingham Forest v West Ham United
• Liverpool v Arsenal
• Aston Villa v Crystal Palace

This week is also a good time to use either your first Free Hit or Wildcard chip. Already, more than 130,000 managers have activated their Free Hit chips for week 3. A key reason is the injuries to certain assets with the potential to have a good season, like Bukayo Saka (£10.0m), Jeremie Frimpong (£5.9m), Rayan Aït-Nouri (£6.1m) and Cole Palmer (£10.5m).

On the other hand, almost 400,000 managers have activated their Wildcard chips instead, with many of them doing it for the same reasons. However, the permanence of the Wildcard chip suggests that a few good assets are being looked into, like Dan Ndoye (£6.0m), Cody Gakpo (£7.5m), and Brennan Johnson (£7.0m), who have produced attacking returns in the first two gameweeks.

Also, it is always advisable to round off every experiment by gameweek 3 when playing Fantasy Premier League, making now the best time to use your first transfers-related chip.

Best Budget/Differential Picks for Gameweek 3

If you are looking for cheap options, here are our best differential picks for gameweek 3 of the 2025/26 FPL season.

Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) — Tottenham Hotspur

Thomas Frank has changed their fortunes over at the North London club and now many people consider them genuine title contenders for the first time since Mauricio Pochettino.

One of the pillars of this team is van de Ven, the Dutch defender who is quickly rising in profile. The injuries to premium defensive assets make him a great pick to start this week, especially with Bournemouth in their sights for week 3. He also has two shots in the box, second only to Richarlison for Spurs.

Sepp van den Berg (£4.5m) — Brentford

Brentford are still finding their feet in the league, but this Dutchman has been able to bring many FPL managers joy. He is one of the seven defenders who have maxed out on the rule changes to defensive contributions. With the injuries to premium assets and Sunderland in Brentford’s sights, he could prove to be a great addition to your team.

Harvey Barnes (£6.5m) — Newcastle United

Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) will be out for three games thanks to the red card he picked up last week against Liverpool. This means that Harvey Barnes is next in line. He is owned by only 0.7% of FPL managers, and is in pole position to start on that wing as Newcastle face Leeds in week 3, Wolves in week 4 and Bournemouth in week 5.

Best FPL Players for Week 3

Matheus Cunha (£8.1m) — Manchester United

Manchester United assets are a risky bet, but they face Burnley at home in week 3. This will be something for Cunha to take advantage of and make the most of the great individual start he is having, despite the attacking returns drought.

Cunha has taken seven shots in the first two gameweeks, with only two players having taken more. Of those seven, four were on target, and nobody has a higher tally. He also has proven to be a flat-track bully, having racked up an average of 11.3 points per match from four meetings against promoted sides last season, in which he scored five goals and provided three assists.

Dan Burn (£5.0m) — Newcastle United

The Newcastle United defender is one of only seven defenders to have earned more points for managers this season. He is also showing the levels he showed last season, in which he would have added 22 more points to managers’ tallies if this rule had been in effect last season.

That is more than 50% of the defenders in the league and 10 more than his own teammates. With Leeds United up next, we don’t see why not. Also, Leeds have conceded two set-piece goals in the opening two game weeks. Dan Burn is one of the tallest in the Magpies squad, making him a goalscoring threat as well for week 2.

Chris Wood (£7.6m) — Nottingham Forest

Our captain recommendation for week 3 is Chris Wood, because Nottingham Forest are facing off against West Ham United. Graham Potter’s side look set for a bad season.

Things could change as time goes on, but at the moment, they look bleak. This entire situation is to the New Zealander’s benefit. He has already scored a brace this season, and with the Hammers ahead of him, what’s to say he will not score another brace? Also, every data point puts him at 43% and above for the “any time goalscorer” metric for week 3, which greatly counts towards his value.