The five most captained Fantasy Premier League players failed to score a single goal between them in Gameweek 3. It was one of those weeks.
Kevin De Bruyne returned two points as did Timo Werner, while Son Heung-min registered just a solitary point after being forced off through injury at half-time.
Only Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane provided any attacking returns of the highly-fancied quintet, but those who captained them would have hoped for more than five points apiece in home games against Arsenal and Newcastle respectively.
It was an odd weekend overall with a number of surprising results taking place. Nobody could have foreseen Manchester City losing 5-2 at home to Leicester, for instance, while West Ham’s 4-0 thrashing of Wolves was equally bewildering.
As for i‘s picks, we had returns from Dominic Calvert-Lewin (six points) and Kane (five), while three of our five tips in Gameweek 2 belatedly delivered impressive hauls: Jamie Vardy (17), Bruno Fernandes (12) and Stuart Dallas (six).
After the absurdity of Gameweek 3 it is almost impossible to predict what is going to happen in Gameweek 4 but here are the five players we expect to perform well over the weekend.
Harvey Barnes (Leicester City), MID, £7.0m
Only three players have fired off more shots inside the penalty area than Harvey Barnes’ 10 in the opening three gameweeks – Mohamed Salah (13), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (12) and Richarlison (11).
The 22-year-old has looked extremely lively in each of Leicester‘s three Premier League matches so far and has been unfortunate to not register more returns than his goal and assist against Burnley in Gameweek 2.
While he blanked against City, Barnes played the ball through to Vardy for both of the penalties that he won and subsequently converted and with home fixtures against West Ham and Aston Villa to come, he offers goal and assist potential.
Lucas Digne (Everton), DEF, £6.1m
In beating Crystal Palace at the weekend, Everton ensured that they have won their first three Premier League fixtures of the season for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign.
Given their form, it is no surprise to see FPL managers target Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and James Rodriguez over the past few weeks, but Lucas Digne is another excellent option at the other end of the pitch.
The Frenchman earned his second FPL assist this season in rather fortuitous circumstances when his header onto Joel Ward’s arm led to a penalty but his regular forays into forward areas boosts his FPL appeal.
Danny Ings (Southampton), FWD, £8.4m
After missing out on last season’s Golden Boot by a solitary goal to Vardy, Danny Ings seems hellbent on trying to win it this term, registering three goals in as many games at the start of 2020-21.
Ings was the match-winner in Southampton‘s 1-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday, combining with strike partner Che Adams for the only goal of the game in the fifth minute with a predatory finish.
The 28-year-old, who has seemingly ousted James Ward-Prowse from penalty-taking duty this season too, faces a West Brom defence that has allowed more shots on their goal (52) than any other Premier League team.
Riyad Mahrez (Man City), MID, £8.4m
Plenty of FPL managers will be scrambling around looking for a Son Heung-min replacement with Tottenham’s South Korean set for a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Perhaps the pick of the options at a similar price point to Son – who is valued at £9.0m – is Riyad Mahrez who was the only Manchester City player to emerge from Sunday’s humiliation against Leicester with any credit.
The Algerian scored a superb goal – on his weaker right foot – registered the assist for Nathan Ake and earned 12 points overall. With Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva all injured, Mahrez’s starting place is more secure than it has been in previous seasons.
Raul Jimenez (Wolves), FWD, £8.6m
Raul Jimenez scored an own goal against West Ham, meaning he recorded zero points despite playing the entire game. But crucially, his next game is against Fulham at Molineux.
Wolves delivered unquestionably their worst performance in the Premier League since achieving promotion in 2018 at the London Stadium but in Fulham, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have the perfect opponent to bounce back against.
The Cottagers have conceded three or more goals in all of their Premier League matches so far letting in 10 overall and Jimenez looks set to become the latest player to profit from their porous backline.
i readers league update
This season, we will be providing regular updates on the best weekly scores from the i sport readers league – which can be joined here if you have not already.
As was the case last week, Brian Spina and his team “Brainpains” remains top of the i readers league on a total of 256 points despite suffering his worst gameweek of the season.
Brian did manage some captain returns by handing the armband to Harry Kane, while Bruno Fernandes’ 12 point haul against Brighton also boosted his score.
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How to get involved with i…
Join i’s league on the official Fantasy Premier League game to pit your wits against fellow readers – and our hapless sports desk team. Code: gepj18
Join our Facebook group where you can swap tricks and tactics with hundreds of other i readers throughout the campaign.
More FPL tips
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How the chips work
- How the ‘Bench Boost’ works – and when best to use it
- How the ‘Free Hit’ works – and when best to use it
- How the ‘Triple Captain’ works – and when best to use it
- How the ‘Wildcard’ works – and when best to use it
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