This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
If you didn't grab Teemu Pukki before last week, you may have missed the boat. For one, he's no longer a differential as the fifth-most owned forward, soon to be fourth-most. The problem is that three of Norwich's next five matches are away and the two at home are against Chelsea and Manchester City. I liked him last week, but you needed that hat trick for him to be worth it.
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
The first place I'm looking for Gameweek 3 is the team across the field from Norwich. Chelsea have one of the more favorable upcoming slates with home matches against Sheffield United and Brighton following the trip to Norwich. While matches against Wolves and Liverpool are before Brighton, the schedule is still better than most. Mason Mount has my eye because he's still less owned than Ross Barkley despite being maybe Chelsea's best attacker in their opening matches, providing five shots on goal and five chances created. Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen are also in that boat as cheaper defenders who have started both matches. They may not have a clean sheet, but I'd be willing to bet they'll have at least two following the match against Brighton.
Man City and Man United also have two of the better upcoming schedules, though their players are already plenty popular. City will continue to mix up their lineup, which doesn't help in fantasy, but I'd grab John Stones if he returns to training this week. If he doesn't, Luke Shaw
If you didn't grab Teemu Pukki before last week, you may have missed the boat. For one, he's no longer a differential as the fifth-most owned forward, soon to be fourth-most. The problem is that three of Norwich's next five matches are away and the two at home are against Chelsea and Manchester City. I liked him last week, but you needed that hat trick for him to be worth it.
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
The first place I'm looking for Gameweek 3 is the team across the field from Norwich. Chelsea have one of the more favorable upcoming slates with home matches against Sheffield United and Brighton following the trip to Norwich. While matches against Wolves and Liverpool are before Brighton, the schedule is still better than most. Mason Mount has my eye because he's still less owned than Ross Barkley despite being maybe Chelsea's best attacker in their opening matches, providing five shots on goal and five chances created. Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen are also in that boat as cheaper defenders who have started both matches. They may not have a clean sheet, but I'd be willing to bet they'll have at least two following the match against Brighton.
Man City and Man United also have two of the better upcoming schedules, though their players are already plenty popular. City will continue to mix up their lineup, which doesn't help in fantasy, but I'd grab John Stones if he returns to training this week. If he doesn't, Luke Shaw is strangely on just two percent of teams at the official Fantasy Premier League game and worth adding, as well. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire were the big additions in the offseason, but Shaw is still there and getting up the field on the left flank. Daniel James is someone to keep an eye on if he remains in the starting XI, though the return of Alexis Sanchez could change that.
If one of your cheaper players isn't working out, there are other places to turn, and I'm not talking about John Lundstram, who could be one of the most popular defenders in a few weeks. Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham all have favorable schedules in the next three gameweeks. The Hammers probably have the easiest slate, home to Norwich, as well as at Watford and Villa, but there's been little reason to trust them. Villa may be more intriguing because even though they don't have a point, they're all about attacking, with the fifth-most shots in the league (29). If you don't think Jack Grealish is worth the extra money, Trezeguet, John McGinn and Anwar El Ghazi have all started the first two matches. And while they're allowing goals, Tyrone Mings isn't a bad addition as a fourth or fifth defender.
FANTRAX FINDS
The situation is a little different in draft leagues because most of those guys are already rostered. Staying with Villa, Douglas Luiz should be on radars, and not only because he scored last match. He should have a viable floor from defensive stats, playing in a central midfield role. The only worry is that he has to beat out Conor Hourihane for a spot in the starting XI every week. Otherwise, the main place to look for forwards and midfielders is Sheffield United because no one wants to touch them. David McGoldrick has started the first two matches, so he at least has that. Lundstram oddly has the same ownership at Fantrax as at FPL, though that'll likely change soon. While I said to wait on Norwich for FPL, it's best to grab them if you need players who are playing every match, whether it's Todd Cantwell in an attacking role or Ben Godfrey and Tom Trybull in more defensive positions. Given Sheffield United's defensive nature, I'd also consider adding Jack O'Connell, especially with upcoming home fixtures against Leicester and Southampton.
CAPTAIN DEEP DIVES
For those who need a player in a pinch, there are three underrated teams I'd bet on for Gameweek 3: Brighton (v. Southampton), Watford (v. West Ham) and Wolves (v. Burnley) are all slight home favorites and all fit the mold of Norwich last week. There's a chance one of those three teams scores three goals and makes you look smart. Watford won't be a popular bet because they still haven't scored, but it's not like West Ham have looked good. My long shot was Troy Deeney and then he had knee surgery in the middle of the week. Instead, I'll turn to Gerard Deulofeu, who may be most likely to play a full 90 in Watford's attack. Andre Gray could start, but Danny Welbeck and Ismaila Sarr are likely to replace him if that happens. If you're not that bold, Raul Jimenez should've scored against Man United and has a good chance to do so against Burnley.
