Gameweek 2 seemed to go to plan for a large chunk of FPL players, with Liverpool defenders and West Ham forward Michail Antonio bailing people out in what was a tough week.
Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes, the leading choices for most as captain, both failed to fire, and it was defenders that got the job done this week.
Reece James, Tyrone Mings, Shane Duffy, Aymeric Laporte and Trent Alexander-Arnold all reached double digits in GWK2, while Said Benrahma and Antonio rewarded players for taking a chance on them with returns of 12 and 16 respectively.
Those that followed our team last week should have scored 73 points, but it depends if readers decided to stick with Salah as captain.
Heading into Gameweek 3, there is lots to think about. Tottenham seem to have started well, and Harry Kane’s decision to stay means he comes into consideration.
Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku looks like he could score for fun this season, while the Premier League’s stance on the international break has changed everything for GWK4.
Premier League clubs announced on Tuesday that they have decided not to allow players to play international matches in red-list countries, meaning Salah, Raphinha and Emiliano Martinez could all end up staying put.
It could well be that this situation isn’t fully closed, but in the FPL world, we have to deal with the here and now.
Goalkeeper – Robert Sanchez
Eight points from two games means Sanchez keeps his place in our team for the week. The Seagulls are looking organised at the back and their run of fixtures does not look too bad either, even with high-scoring Everton up next.
Defenders – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw, and Tino Livramento
Sadly for Konstantinos Tsimikas, it looks like we need to say goodbye. The left-back was always likely to be a short-term measure until Andrew Robertson recovered from injury. He has served FPL players well, scoring 17 points so far, but with his place under threat, it means Livramento takes centre stage.
The Ex-Chelsea star might have only scored three points so far, but Saints face Newcastle this week and he could add to that total with ease, with Southampton to win to nil a bet to consider at odds of 9/2.
TAA is a no brainer, as usual, thanks to his attacking threat, while Shaw faces a shy Wolves defence.
Midfielders – Bruno Fernandes, Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez, Raphinha, Harvey Barnes
Even though they let us down last week, Fernandes and Salah retain their place and it would take a huge event for that to not be a regular theme throughout the season.
Mahrez repaid those that stood by him with a goal against Norwich, while Raphinha also found the back of the net in Leeds United’s 2-2 draw against Everton.
Barnes is only staying put due to Leicester’s fixture with the Canaries; if he blanks again, it is time to wield the axe in the international break, with Benrahma a cheaper alternative.
Strikers – Michail Antonio and Ivan Toney
In a normal week, Toney would have lost his spot after four points from two games, but the saga surrounding the international break means we need to bide our time.
Toney faces Aston Villa and while he may struggle, keeping one transfer in the tank looks to be a wise move.
Those with strong benches may want to adopt a different formation but, for now, it makes sense to give Toney another go at breaking his Premier League duck.
Antonio continues to reward his loyal fans in the FPL world, with 16 points from GWK2. If you want a relaxed season, pick him week in week out, unless he gets one of his troublesome injuries.
Summary and Captain Help:
With Chelsea up next for Liverpool, it looks wise to swerve any of their players for captaincy.
The likes of Fernandes, Mahrez and Antonio all catch the eye, and the latter could offer further returns, with Crystal Palace next up for the Hammers. Antonio is 7/5 score anytime and that looks too good to turn down considering Palace’s form in defence.
In terms of transfers, Livramento and Benrahma look like the two standout picks but, as always, have fun and stick to your guns!
*All odds correct at time of writing.