The less said about most of our Gameweek 3 captain picks, the better after a frustrating round of fixtures on that front. Marcus Rashford (£9.0m) didn’t totally let us down at least, gaining two assists and 7 FPL points in Man Utd’s 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest. But the rest flattered to deceive, Martin Odegaard (£8.5m) managing just 2 points as Arsenal drew at home to Fulham and Erling Haaland (£14.0m) missing a hatful of chances, not least a penalty against Sheffield Utd. Whilst the Norwegian did finally get on the scoresheet for Man City, 4 fantasy points will not have been seen as an adequate return for a player of his FPL potential vs weak opposition.
ERLING HAALAND MISSES FROM THE PENALTY SPOT! pic.twitter.com/NOt68mK3TR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 27, 2023
Diogo Jota (£8.0m), our choice of differential captain for Gameweek 3 could also return just 4 points, so it was a lean round for all those selections. Now, with the final weekend of Premier League action upon us before the international break, we’ve been analysing those players potentially worthy of the armband in Gameweek 4. As always, three premium captain picks have been picked out, as well as a differential punt ahead of Friday’s 18:30 deadline.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) vs FUL (H)
Could this be the fixture that Erling Haaland finally explodes in FPL this season? Man City’s star striker and his vast ownership have been hugely frustrated across the previous two gameweeks. After blanking at home to Newcastle, Haaland missed numerous opportunities to score against Sheffield Utd last Sunday, not least from the penalty spot. By the time Haaland finally found the net, the damage had been done and his FPL returns were meagre.
FUN FACT: Erling #Haaland has scored as many goals in his first 3 #PL games this season (3) as he did in his first 3 PL games last season (3).
— mancity.fever (@mancityfever2) August 28, 2023
In his 4th game of the 2022/23 season he scored a hat-trick! 👀
Haaland hat-trick against Fulham on Saturday? pic.twitter.com/hY4axg0OiK
Man City welcome Fulham to the Etihad Stadium in Gameweek 4, a side notable for conceding big chances and who have struggled defensively so far this campaign. Facing a team with the worst xGA in the top flight, who have shipped five goals over the course of their most recent two Premier League fixtures heading into this one. It would be no surprise if Haaland rediscovers his ruthless edge here and scores more than once, leading to a big fantasy return for those who captain the Norwegian.
Ben Chilwell (£5.8m) vs NFO (H)
Choosing to captain a defender is always risky in the world of FPL, but when taking into account the attacking nature of Ben Chilwell (£5.8m) over the course of the season so far, he certainly warrants consideration. The Chelsea left-back has found himself in the opposition’s penalty area far more often than not and was guilty of a glaring miss in Gameweek 3 vs Luton, which would have seen him score in consecutive home league fixtures. In the end, owners had to settle for just a clean sheet and 6 fantasy points.
For those wondering about the Chilwell miss pic.twitter.com/0yqcCANgYh
— Dave Aston (@fpl_mug) August 25, 2023
Chilwell’s FPL ownership continues to grow ahead of Gameweek 4, which sees Chelsea welcome Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge. Provided the England international continues to find himself in the offensive positions that he has across the season so far, then he should have chances to record further attacking returns and substantially boost his FPL score.
James Maddison (£7.7m) vs BUR (a)
For many FPL managers, it was a case of wait and see with James Maddison (£7.7m) following his move to Spurs from relegated Leicester this summer. Now that three gameweeks have passed, it’s clear to see that Maddison is going to be a lucrative fantasy asset and as such, his ownership is now increasing by the day. The creative midfielder has already racked up three attacking returns in the Premier League so far in 2023-24, all three of those coming away from home with two assists against Brentford in Gameweek 1 and most recently his first goal for Spurs away at Bournemouth in Gameweek 3.
3. James Maddison vs BUR (A)
— ChewieFPL (@chewiefpl) August 31, 2023
Against Burnley, I also like Maddison for captaincy.
Everything flows through him at the moment at Spurs, he’s the focal point of every attack, creating chances in the half spaces or on a set-piece, as shown by his 3.0 key passes per game average. pic.twitter.com/npD5nElmS8
Ange Postecoglou’s side are on the road again come Gameweek 4, this time up north against newly-promoted Burnley. The Clarets are yet to pick up a point this season and have conceded three goals in each of their two fixtures played so far, both at Turf Moor. When taking into account Maddison’s ever-growing popularity, naming him your FPL captain looks an enticing move to make.
DIFFERENTIAL OPTION
James Ward-Prowse (£6.0m) vs LUT (a)
A player who has gone under the radar, but one who has proven himself for years as a viable FPL asset at his old club Southampton, James Ward-Prowse (£6.0m) has made a brilliant start to life at West Ham from an attacking point of view. After just two league games played for the Hammers since joining the club, the central midfielder and set-piece specialist has two assists, a goal and 15 fantasy points to his name.
Even with City & Liverpool on the horizon, Ward-Prowse (£6m) has the attributes to return against anyone, with set pieces in his locker and West Ham's counter-attack specialty. Luton next… JWP's 4.6% ownership won't be this low for a while! #FPLdifferential #FPLcommunity #FPL pic.twitter.com/2i07tDMna6
— FPL Player-Manager (Sam) (@FFplayermanager) August 30, 2023
West Ham will be the first team to visit Kenilworth Road this season in Gameweek 4, but that certainly won’t phase them when considering that Luton have already given up seven goals in two top flight matches. This bodes well for Ward-Prowse in terms of him potentially gaining further FPL returns here and those on the hunt for a differential skipper should take a serious look.
