We are now three weeks into the new Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, and it has already been a cracker. With results like Leeds beating Chelsea and Newcastle drawing with Manchester City, it can be difficult to say for sure which teams will perform week in, week out. Here, however, are three players that I have in my team that have taken me into the top 150,000 managers so far.
Gabriel Martinelli
Priced at £6.0m at the start of the season, Martinelli was an absolute bargain in FPL. Despite his price being raised to £6.4m following a string of great results and attacking returns, the Arsenal midfielder is by far the best at his price point.
Totalling 22 points in the first three games, he has out-scored Bukayo Saka – who would set you back an additional two million pounds.
He also has Fulham and Aston Villa as his next two games, both of which are reasonably easy fixtures. The fact that both are at home only solidifies the fact that Arsenal will score, and it is hard to see Martinelli not being involved in these goals.
Selected by 41.6% of players, he is not a differential, but this ownership still means that over half of FPL managers have not brought in the Arsenal star yet. This ownership is far less than Gabriel Jesus, and I would not be surprised if Martinelli does not get similar returns to the Brazilian striker in the coming weeks.
To have a player who is guaranteed minutes in a very strong Arsenal squad at £6.4m makes Martinelli a nailed-on pick for me in my FPL squad.
Ivan Perisic
Perisic was in many managers’ initial drafts, but was taken out very quickly as his minutes were very low in the first couple of weeks. His twelve point haul in game week three, however, makes him an extremely useful asset.
Priced at £5.5m, I believe that his value will only increase throughout the season as he becomes more of a staple in a strong Tottenham side. Playing in more of a midfield role, he will also have the opportunity for numerous attacking returns, despite being classed as a defender in FPL.
With fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Fulham in his next three, his fixtures only increase his potential points. The strong Spurs defence could keep clean sheets in both games, only adding to his potential returns at the other end.
With his ownership down at 22.9%, I believe that bringing him in before any more price rises could be a great addition to any FPL side. With Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool’s defences also looking leaky, the Spurs defence could be a good one to bet on in the coming weeks.
William Saliba
The highest scoring defender so far in FPL, it is hard to overlook Saliba as a quality FPL pick. He is the only one of the three who was not in my initial team, as I favoured his teammate Gabriel.
Despite him having the highest points score of any defender in FPL so far, it is important to remember that he will not have massive hauls, like his fourteen point week against Bournemouth, every time he steps on the pitch. That being said, the Arsenal defence looks very solid. The combination of Aaron Ramsdale, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel and others means that clean sheet bonuses could be common for the side.
As with Martinelli, Arsenal face Fulham and Aston Villa next – both of which are fantastic opportunities for returns.
Priced at just £4.6m with an ownership of 10%, he is the lowest priced and owned player of the three in this list. This means that he is a true budget player that could be classed as a differential, but I would expect his ownership to creep up if his performances do not start to drop off. Therefore, it could be a good idea to get him in before his price and ownership begin to rise.
Overall
Overall, all three of these players are great options that should be considered in every FPL side. With the unpredictability of Liverpool’s results, and Pep Guardiola’s rotation in Manchester City’s side, means that these Spurs and Arsenal picks should be grabbing consistent points in the coming weeks.
FPL is never an exact science, so who else should be considered as a must-have for FPL this season?