The fitness has been found, the bearings have been gotten and the Premier League season is well and truly underway.
With the transfer window closing after this gameweek, expect wildcards aplenty to be played in the next seven days but first there’s the little matter of gameweek 4 to contend with.
Liverpool and City are all but guaranteed wins and we’ve banked on former teammates to rack up the points while a certain Nathan Redmond can capitalise on Southampton’s slow start.
Three players to sign
Philippe Coutinho
Fixture: Liverpool v West Ham
Value: £8.1m
Selected by: 21.1%
The last time West Ham beat Liverpool at Anfield was in 1963 and, having double-checked with our resident mathematician, we can confirm that that was ages ago.
Logic dictates that that should mean Christian Benteke is the man to bring in but a whopping 40.3% of players have the big Belgian so we’ve gone for the slightly less popular Philippe Coutinho for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, he’s the player with the most shots on goal of any in the Premier League since the start of the season with 15 and if he’s raining shots like that down on a West Ham side that conceded four to Bournemouth last week, expect him to get on the scoresheet.
Secondly, West Ham still have Darren Randolph deputising because of Adrian’s suspension which means this could be one of the Reds’ heaviest wins this season.
Raheem Sterling
Fixture: Manchester City v Watford
Value: £8.9m
Selected by: 12.8%
It wouldn’t be fair to call Mr Moneybags a disappointment because he’s accrued 12 points in his first three games but a lot more will be expected of Raheem Sterling than one assist a month.
This weekend could be the time that he repays the £8.9m asked of him in Fantasy Football world as he comes up against the fairly untested Allan Nyom in Watford’s right back position.
A trip to the Etihad will be the Hornets’ biggest challenge since promotion to the Premier League and with Manuel Pellegrini’s side having scored eight combined goals against three much more difficult defences than Watford’s, it could be a long Saturday for the newcomers.
Sterling has looked like he’s improved in each game since his move from Liverpool and Quique Flores’ men will be the ideal opponents for him to break his duck at his new club.
Nathan Redmond
Fixture: Southampton v Norwich
Value: £5.6m
Selected by: 6.8%
We blinked and all of a sudden Nathan Redmond became the third highest points scoring midfielder in Fantasy Football.
The pacy winger has provided a goal or assist in each of his three games this season and can avail of the lethargic full backs at Southampton.
Ronald Koeman’s side have conceded two goals from counter attacks this season and the absence of Ryan Bertrand, to injury, and Nathaniel Clyne, to Liverpool, has made Southampton quite a slow team.
There will be even less energy in the legs of the Saints players after their midweek exertions in the Europa League and Redmond will love the opportunity to run at the Southampton back four with a goal or two on the cards for the 21-year-old who better bloody declare for Ireland.
Three players to sell
Daley Blind
Fixture: Swansea v Manchester United
Value: £5.5m
Selected by: 1.3%
Before United fans get all uppity about us getting rid of one of their favourite players for the week, hear us out.
United’s clean sheet frenzy this season has to end some time and we fancy Swansea to be the side that breaks them down.
Bafetimbi Gomis has finally become the Wilfried Bony replacement that Swans supporters had backed him to be.
Garry Monk’s front man is an absolute nightmare to defend against and he could very well boss United’s makeshift centre-half Daley Blind.
He’s stronger and faster than the Dutchman and United lost both fixtures to Swansea last year so don’t bank on four Premier League clean sheets out of four for Louis van Gaal.
Hector Bellerin
Fixture: Newcastle v Arsenal
Value: £5.5m
Selected by: 6.5%
John Carver has gone and Newcastle are beginning to look like more of a threat which wouldn’t be too difficult because a Santi Cazorla dirty look was more menacing than the Magpies last season.
Aleksandar Mitrovic looked a real handful against Manchester United last week and while he may be an absolute basket case, he appears to have an eye for goal.
Add to that the acquisition of Florian Thauvin and you’d have to think that the Gunners are going to have some difficulty in Saturday’s early kickoff.
Callum Chambers and Gabriel look likely to retain their places at the heart of the Arsenal defence for their trip to St. James Park and that relatively shaky centre-back pairing means that there could well be a goal in Newcastle.
Bellerin’s a great full back but don’t let his centre-halves drag his score down. Get him out.
Dimitri Payet
Fixture: Liverpool v West Ham
Value: £7.6m
Selected by: 8.4%
Dimitri Payet is going to be a revelation this season for Fantasy Football players but this is the perfect time to give him a break from your side.
The Frenchman creates chances for fun but Slaven Bilic faces trips to the resolute Liverpool and Man City over the next three weekends so we’d hasten to take Payet out for the month.
Liverpool haven’t conceded yet this season and Brendan Rodgers looks to have remedied the calamitous defending that resulted in the Reds finishing in sixth place last season.
West Ham shouldn’t score at Anfield, they should concede more than one, that means there’s nothing in this gameweek for Mr Payet.
