Who To Target for Fantasy Premier League 2024/25 Gameweek 3?

Welcome to our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) guide for Gameweek 3!

In this weekly series, we analyse the standout performers from the previous Gameweek, review the latest FPL transfer trends, and highlight the must-have players to target for the upcoming Gameweek.

Stay ahead in your FPL journey with our expert insights and strategic tips!

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FPL Gameweek 3: Which Players to Target?

xFPL Review - A look at the Stats

Haaland tops the Custom Stats xFPL table for Gameweek 2 with a score of 11.9. The Norwegian international was afforded more 'big chances' (three) than any other player over the weekend while only Muniz (seven) took more shots in the box than his six.

Andreas was the weekend's most creative player with seven attempted assists but none of these was classified as a 'big chance' created by Opta which meant a low xFPL score of just 4.1. De Bruyne and Palmer both created two 'big chances' each and also found the back of the net. Despite taking no shots in the box, the Belgian international (9.3) notched a higher xFPL score than Palmer (7.7) as he was afforded a 'big chance' as well from Muric's error.

Hattrick hero Madueke was top for shots on target (five), the winger scored three goals from his five shots in the box but only two of these attempts were classified as 'big chances' which led to a relatively low xFPL score of 10.1.

What is xFPL?

xFPL is calculated primarily using expected goals (xG), assists (xA), which combine as Fantasy Premier League (FPL) involvements (xG + xA = xI), as well as expected clean sheets (xCS). These numbers are a result of underlying statistics (i.e. shot type and location will give a probability of scoring = xG). xFPL is the combination of these statistics and factors in appearance and bonus points to give an overall expected FPL point score.

Early FPL Transfer Activity Analysed - Which Players are FPL managers buying and selling?

As the below image from our Transfer Analytics feature shows, Smith Rowe is the most popular transfer in for Gameweek 3 so far with nearly 400,000 FPL managers bringing him in already.

Madueke, Haaland and Palmer are all popular acqusitions with the trio all hauling big in Gameweek 2 while Welbeck looks to be the most popular budget forward. Solanke and Foden missed out entirely last weekend and the duo have been sold by nearly 650,000 FPL managers. With just one assist in two matches, FPL managers are losing faith in Isak as well.

Nkunku is being sold in droves after back to back one-pointers and accounts for three of the top 10 midfield transfer combinations across FPL, with Rogers, Smith Rowe and Madueke the beneficiaries.

Amongst forwards, Solanke accounts for five of the top 10 transfers out with Welbeck, Pedro, Watkins, Muniz and Wissa seeing new owners. In defence, budget assets are in vogue with Faes, Robinson, and Konsa the beneficiaries from Barco, Mykolenko and Quansah being sold.

Danny Welbeck vs João Pedro - Who is the better FPL pick?

As the above image from our Opta Player Heatmaps feature shows, Welbeck has outscored Pedro by 11 FPL points (21 vs 10) over the two Gameweeks, with the duo playing a similar number of minutes

A look at the underlying numbers shows that despite having a similar number of shots (five vs four), Welbeck is significantly ahead for 'Expected Goals' (xG) (1.04 vs 0.43). He has taken five shots in the box compared to just two for Pedro while he has also created more chances (four to two). However, it is interesting to note that despite that, Pedro is ahead for 'Expected Assists' (xA) (0.23 vs 0.51). It is also worth mentioning that Pedro is likely on penalty duties.

This week may not be the best entry point with the Seagulls travelling to the Emirates but once that is out of the way, Welbeck looks like a great buy.

For tips on the best players and team reveals, visit our Latest Content section. While loads of our information is free, our best tools - including the Elite Team Reveal and AI recommended transfers - are available exclusively to fantasy football fix Premium members.

Get fantasy football fix Premium – check out the latest offers now!