Fantasy Football Tips: FPL Gameweek 3 Guide

Q: How many chips do FPL managers get?

FPL managers get eight chips across a season, two each of Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain. The first set must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline in early January, after which any unused chips from that set expire and a fresh set becomes available for the second half.

Q: When is the Gameweek deadline?

The Gameweek deadline falls 90 minutes before the first match of that gameweek kicks off. Once it passes, your squad locks completely, so any transfers, captaincy changes or chip plays made after that point simply won't count for the gameweek ahead. This is especially important to know when there are Friday night games.

By Mark Fordham

Sep 2nd, 2026 9:42 AM EDT

Fact Checked By Oliver Lines

The Premier League season's back and so is the weekly ritual of staring at a squad screen at midnight convincing yourself Bench Boost is a masterstroke. Gameweek 2 kept the drama going too. Manchester City responded to their shaky start with a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace, and Erling Haaland scoring twice to move within one goal of Andy Cole's Premier League record for August goals. Tottenham's miserable start under Roberto De Zerbi continued with a second straight defeat, this time 2-0 at home to Newcastle.

That's the backdrop heading into Gameweek 3, which kicks off with Liverpool travelling to Ipswich on Friday 4 September at 8pm, with the FPL deadline falling 90 minutes earlier at 6:30pm. Miss it, and you're stuck with last week's squad! You don't want to be making such a rookie mistake this early in the season, particularly with a fixture like this weekend's on the table.

There's plenty else worth planning around across the weekend too, and not just at football betting sites. Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday in an early title-race clash, with both sides enjoying a 100% record. Elsewhere, Spurs' search for a first point continues at home to Nottingham Forest, a fixture De Zerbi can't afford to get wrong.

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Transfer deadline day dominated the headlines just as much as anything on the pitch this week. Enzo Fernandez completed a British record-equalling £125 million move from Chelsea to Manchester City, while Jack Grealish made a return to Everton on loan. Anyone still holding Fernandez in their squad from his Chelsea days will want to keep an eye on how quickly he's integrated at his new club before relying on him for points.

Three Players to Target This Gameweek

Liam Delap - £5.5m - vs Tottenham, 5th September 3pm

Forest have the chance to build on last week’s draw with Liverpool with a home fixture against a Tottenham side who don’t look settled following massive squad turnover. After getting 24 minutes against Liverpool, record signing Liam Delap should make his first start for the Tricky Trees, and he probably couldn’t pick better opponents to be facing. After his career stalled at Chelsea, he will want to get off on the front foot for his new club. A goal or two this weekend will go a long way towards that.

You can currently get 9/4 with Ladbrokes on Delap scoring anytime against Spurs.

Yeremy Pino - £5.5m vs Fulham, 5th September 3pm

Fulham look mightily vulnerable in the early goings this season. It looks, admittedly after just two weeks, that Marco Silva might have been papering over some cracks by keeping the Cottagers comfortably safe over the last few seasons. His departure to Benfica to be replaced by relative rookie in Alvaro Arbeloa has seen two defeats to start the season. Crystal Palace haven’t been any better, but we think it is the west London Fulham who look the more vulnerable, which could play into the hands of winger Yeremy Pino.

Get 13/10 with Betfred on Yeremy Pino to score or assist vs Fulham.

Semi Ajayi - £4.1m - vs Aston Villa, 5th September, 5:30pm

It’s been a dream start to Hull City’s Premier League season with two wins from two, and they’ll fancy their chances against a lacklustre Aston Villa side on Saturday teatime. Semi Ajayi has been a key part of the Tigers defence so far, netting against Manchester United and keeping clean sheets in both games.

Hull will eventually concede at some point, but he’s a potential bargain this week considering Villa haven’t even had a shot on target this season. Ajayi took two bonus points against Man United and was close to adding another against Coventry last weekend.

Get 19/5 with William Hill on Hull to keep a clean sheet vs Aston Villa.

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Captaincy Pick of the Week

Erling Haaland, £15.5m - vs Coventry City, 5th September 3pm

It might be early, but the matchup just looks too good to ignore the triple captain this week. Yes, Erling Haaland is the most expensive player in the game, and yes it is an obvious pick, but you would be foolish to look elsewhere for City’s home game with Coventry. It has been tough sledding for Frank Lampard and co to open the season, with two defeats from two, including losing to Hull last weekend. Haaland has got his campaign up and running, which usually means he’ll go on a long scoring run, and he could get plenty here.

Get 15/2 with Coral on Erling Haaland to score a hat-trick vs Coventry.

Chip Strategy Watch

Nobody needs reminding that chips exist in FPL. What actually matters week-to-week is timing, and the pressure isn't really on this early in the season. Your first Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain all need using before the Gameweek 19 deadline in early January, so there's a good few months of breathing room before that clock starts to matter.

That said, plenty of sharp managers don't wait around. Gameweek 3 is still a reasonable window for a Bench Boost built around a freshly assembled squad, though that window closes fast once injuries and rotation start creeping in. There's no point holding a chip that rewards a full squad once half your bench is carrying a knock.

Triple Captain tends to get saved for a home fixture against one of the three promoted sides, and this week gives you exactly that. Manchester City host Coventry City in Gameweek 3, their first meeting with any of the three promoted clubs. Haaland's record so far this campaign and his record in early season in general makes the case for pulling the trigger here rather than waiting.

Whatever you don't use by that Gameweek 19 deadline vanishes. There's no carrying a Wildcard over into February out of habit. Plan around that deadline rather than being surprised by it in December.

New Rules for 2026/27

A few changes have landed for this season, and you’ll want to be in the know about them rather than half-remembering from a headline.

Gameweek lockdown moved later: Scores used to become final an hour after the last match of a gameweek finished. Now that happens at 9am the following morning instead. It sounds like a small tweak but it gives Opta enough time to finalise bonus points and defensive contribution data, so don’t be hitting refresh on your FPL on the same night unless you want to be disappointed.

The Bonus Points System rebalanced: Full-backs and defensively minded attackers should see a bit more love from the algorithm this season. Be aware, though, Defensive Contributions themselves, the CBIT and CBIRT thresholds, haven't changed. That's a separate system and is staying exactly as it was.

A Price Change Predictor now exists officially: FPL will show you how close a player is to a price rise or fall based on transfer activity, rather than leaving you to guess from third-party sites like everyone's had to do for years.

There's a squad building assistant too: Answer a few quick questions about favourite club, how you like to split your budget, attack or defence, and it'll build you a starting squad. This is handy for anyone starting out, but seasoned managers will probably still want full control.

How to Play Fantasy Premier League

Starting from scratch isn't as difficult as it might seem once you know the shape of it. You get £100m to build a 15-player squad, split as two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. The biggest thing to be aware of is that you can't have more than three players from any single club.

Each gameweek you pick a starting XI from that squad of 15, in a valid formation (4-4-2, 3-5-2 or 3-4-3) and name a captain whose points double for the week. Whoever you don't start sits on your bench as backup, only cashed in if you play the Bench Boost chip, or if one of your starters doesn’t play.

You get one free transfer every gameweek, and if you don't use it, it rolls over, up to a maximum of five banked at once. Anything beyond your free allowance costs four points each, so think carefully before making three panic transfers the week after a bad result.

Deadlines matter more than anything else in this game. Your squad locks 90 minutes before the first match of each gameweek kicks off, and once it's locked, that's it, no late changes, no exceptions for a shock injury news alert five minutes after the whistle. Build the habit of checking your team the night before rather than relying on a lunchtime scramble.

FPL Scoring System Explained

Every action on the pitch translates into points, and the value of that action often depends on which position your player plays. For instance, a defender scoring is going to be worth more points than a striker because of how less likely that is to happen. Here's the full breakdown.

Action	Points
Playing up to 60 minutes	1
Playing 60 minutes or more (excluding stoppage time)	2
Goal scored by a goalkeeper	10
Goal scored by a defender	6
Goal scored by a midfielder	5
Goal scored by a forward	4
Goal assist	3
Clean sheet by a goalkeeper or defender	4
Clean sheet by a midfielder	1
Every 3 shot saves by a goalkeeper	1
10 or more CBIT (defenders)	2
12 or more CBIRT (midfielders and forwards)	2
Penalty save	5
Penalty miss	-2
Bonus points for the best players in a match	1 to 3
Every 2 goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender	-1
Yellow card	-1
Red card	-3
Own goal	-2

A goalkeeper scoring is worth more than any other position precisely because it happens so rarely. It's the game rewarding a real rarity rather than a typo. CBIT stands for clearances, blocked shots, interceptions and tackles. This is the defenders' route to a defensive contribution point. CBIRT adds recoveries into that mix for midfielders and forwards, since defensive work matters less to their usual job. Therefore, the bar sits slightly higher to compensate.

Your captain's points double automatically, and your vice-captain steps in and inherits that double if your actual captain doesn't play at all that gameweek. Bonus points come from an underlying algorithm weighing up everything a player did in a match. It is based on the player(s) who did best in a given game, no matter whether they scored a goal or not.

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Chips Explained

You get four chips, two of each across the season. Each one does something different to the others, so choose wisely when you spend them.

Wildcard: Make unlimited transfers for that gameweek at no points cost. This is a full squad rebuild you'll get without burning through your bank of free transfers one at a time.
Free Hit: Also unlimited transfers, but only for a single gameweek. Once that gameweek's done, your squad snaps straight back to whatever it looked like before you played the chip. This is perfect for a blank gameweek where half your usual squad has no fixture at all or if there's a double gameweek you want to take advantage of.
Bench Boost: Every point scored by your bench that gameweek counts toward your total on top of your starting 11. It is only worth playing when your whole 15 has a decent chance of getting minutes and returning points.
Triple Captain: Your captain's points triple instead of double. Save it for your most explosive player in his single best fixture of the season, not just a random Tuesday because it felt like time to use it.

Fantasy Football Tips FAQs

What is Defensive Contribution scoring?

Defensive Contributions award two points when a defender reaches 10 or more combined clearances, blocked shots, interceptions and tackles in a match, known as CBIT. Midfielders and forwards need 12 or more of the same actions plus recoveries, known as CBIRT, since defensive work is less central to their usual role.

How many chips do FPL managers get?

When is the Gameweek deadline?

About the Author

Mark Fordham

More About Mark

Mark spent over a decade as a sports reporter and editor with Goal.com and Bleacher Report. He is now a Content Manager at Bookies.com covering all manner of sports from the Premier League and cricket to the NBA and NFL. Mark also has years of experience working in the online casino industry and knows how to rate a good one over a bad one.