FPL Wildcard GW3: The Best Teams, Players and Strategies to Consider
With many FantasyPremier League managers turning to their Wildcards in Gameweek 3, we use Solio Analytics’ projections to compare different FPL team structures, identify the best players to target and assess the impact of the transfer window.
A significant number of FPL managers are planning to use their Wildcard chip this week. For some, it is a reaction to a lacklustre start, allowing them to correct mistakes that felt like brilliant decisions only a couple of weeks ago. For others, however, this was always part of the plan.
One strategy that gained prominence this season was to use the Bench Boost chip in GW1 or GW2, before following that up with a Wildcard in GW3 (WC3).
This allowed managers to target the opening two Gameweeks in isolation, without having to worry about players whose fixtures became less appealing from GW3 onwards.
Building a strong enough bench meant spreading funds more evenly across the squad, so sacrifices had to be made elsewhere. For many, that meant going without the game’s most expensive player, Erling Haaland (£15.5m), and instead building around Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m). As well as being cheaper, Fernandes also had the benefit of facing two newly promoted clubs.
This was not necessarily because managers doubted Haaland’s ability to deliver points; it was more a question of whether they could get away with taking him on for two matches while benefiting from a deeper squad that targeted teams with the best opening fixtures.
Now, however, the calculation changes. One reason many managers are Wildcarding in GW3, rather than waiting another week or two to gather more information, is the prospect of not owning Haaland for his GW3 match at home against Coventry City.
But Haaland is only one part of the WC3 equation, and there are several aspects to consider when using the chip.
How much money should be invested in premium players? Which immediate fixtures are worth targeting? Should players whose teams aren’t competing in Europe be prioritised? Which new signings are of interest, and how might their arrivals affect their teammates’ FPL prospects?
Let’s use Solio Analytics’ squad-planning tool to explore a few notable WC3 approaches.
Building Around “The Big Three “
Haaland, Fernandes and Gabriel Magalhães were the three highest-scoring players in FPL last season, and all three became mainstays of many successful squads.
But while they cost a combined £29.0m at the start of 2025-26, their starting prices rose to £35.5m this season. Building around all three required managers to make considerable sacrifices elsewhere.
Have enough suitable lower-priced players emerged over the opening two Gameweeks to make a “Big Three” structure more viable?
Here’s how a WC3 squad containing all three could look:
This squad balances the considerable expenditure on the Big Three by using cost-effective options such as Yoane Wissa, Diego Gómez and Ezri Konsa.
According to Solio’s projections for the next six Gameweeks (GW3-8), each of those players ranks first or second among players in their position at their respective price points.
With Bench Boost out of the way, managers can also fill the bench with minimum-price options such as Regan Slater (£4.5m) and John Egan (£4.0m), who they actually never intend to play, with more focus on funding the main starters.
Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden join Haaland to complete a Manchester City triple-up against Coventry in GW3. Despite facing Arsenal in GW3, João Pedro is included with Chelsea’s home fixture against Hull City in mind. Chelsea coverage can then be increased by replacing Cherki with Morgan Rogers the following week, creating several potential captaincy options.
After accounting for Solio’s suggested transfers over the subsequent Gameweeks, this squad is projected to earn 368.6 points across six Gameweeks. It retains each of the Big Three up to GW8, when Haaland is replaced by Igor Thiago.
Avoiding The Big Three
Other managers may be of the opinion that none of the Big Three offers sufficient value at their respective prices.
Avoiding them frees up funds to select multiple players who nonetheless have high ceilings, such as Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Alexander Isak.
It also enables a big-at-the-back approach and an overall deeper squad better equipped to absorb injuries, suspensions and unexpected rotation.
Here’s how that squad could look:
The money freed up by going without Haaland, Fernandes and Gabriel allows for a premium defence.
The most expensive goalkeeper in the game, David Raya, is in goal, with no rotation option needed on the bench. Nico O’Reilly, Riccardo Calafiori, James Tarkowski and Jaydee Canvot rank second, fourth, sixth and eighth respectively among defenders for projected points over the next six Gameweeks, offering a combination of attacking potential, clean-sheet prospects and DEFCON points.
Palmer and Saka, both of whom are absent from the Big Three squad but are proven FPL assets, make up the bulk of the midfield expenditure, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Pascal Groß also offering a steady source of points from set-pieces.
Isak headlines the forwards and is joined by João Pedro and Wissa.
This team includes Manchester City and Liverpool players for their attractive GW3 fixtures against Coventry and Ipswich respectively, while Palmer and João Pedro are already in place before Chelsea host Hull in GW4. Those who wish to go all in on Chelsea assets can also remove Semenyo for Rogers in GW4.
This setup is projected to earn 367.1 points across the next six Gameweeks, slightly lower than the projected 368.6 points forecasted in the Big Three approach.
This team avoids the Big Three up to GW7, when it is recommended that Haaland is transferred in for his game against Ipswich Town.
Arsenal Defence and DEFCON Midfield
The previous two approaches both feature two players from Arsenal’s back five. Continuing the pattern from last season, the Gunners have been the league’s standout defence so far, conceding chances worth only 0.54 expected goals (xG) across their opening two matches.
With doubts lingering over the defensive credentials of the other leading teams, some managers are opting for three Arsenal defensive assets and trusting the clean sheets to follow.
Raya and Gabriel are obvious starting points for managers targeting Arsenal’s clean sheets, but they come at a cost, and Konsa’s low price makes him the most accommodating third option.
Three Man City assets are included for their game against Coventry, with Semenyo and Haaland included for their expected minutes and firepower, while Elliot Anderson provides an alternative route to points through his defensive contributions.
Anderson is joined by Mamadou Sangaré to form a pair of DEFCON-focused midfielders. It’s early days, but both appear to have carried their defensive output into their new surroundings: Anderson is averaging 12.4 DEFCONs per 90 minutes, while Sangaré is averaging 14.6.
The threshold for achieving DEFCON points is 12 for midfielders and forwards, and 10 for defenders. Solio offer projections for which players are most likely to reach those thresholds. Here are the 10 best midfielders by this measure for the next six Gameweeks:
The inclusions of Anderson and Sangaré give the squad routes to points that aren’t dependent on goals or assists, although its midfield inevitably lacks some of the attacking potential found in the other two approaches.
This squad is projected to earn 366.9 points across six Gameweeks. It starts with two members of the Big Three and adds a third in Fernandes later on.
Despite the substantial differences between the three approaches we have outlined, only 1.7 projected points separate them across the six Gameweeks, or around 0.5%.
Big Three: 368.6 points
No Big Three: 367.1 points
Arsenal Defence and DEFCON Midfield: 366.9 points
Crucially, these projections also account for planned transfers. Managers are not committing to the same structure indefinitely, instead selecting the best starting point from which to navigate the next six Gameweeks.
This should reassure managers that they don’t need to follow a specific template for fear of immediately falling behind. Whether defending a good start or attempting to recover from a poor one, several notably different WC3 structures can produce similar projected returns with an appropriate transfer plan.
Solio’s continuously updated projections already account for the latest transfers and their potential effects on players’ minutes, roles and output, but there is inevitably a limit to what can be inferred.
The squad-planning tool therefore allows users to adjust those assumptions and see how their own expectations affect each player’s projected output.
With several late-window transfers reshaping the FPL landscape, let’s take a look at the players and teams attracting the most attention for WC3.
Man City Assets
Thanks to home matches against Coventry in GW3 and Ipswich in GW7, Solio project Man City to score the most goals (13.2) and keep the second-most clean sheets (2.1) of any team across the next six Gameweeks.
Selecting the correct combination of assets from their team is therefore an incredibly important decision for managers, but their deadline-day signings of Enzo Fernández and Iliman Ndiaye complicate matters.
Ndiaye can play on either flank, so his arrival could restrict the minutes available to Semenyo and Jérémy Doku, as well as Foden, who has started on the right amid City’s shortage of wingers. Another new signing, Allan, must be accounted for here too.
Go Deeper:
Premier League
Doku, Cherki, and Now Ndiaye? Man City’s Penchant for Dribblers Is No Coincidence
2 days ago Ryan Benson
Fernández can operate in several midfield roles, but his time under Enzo Maresca at Chelsea suggests he is likely to be used in an advanced role. This would have implications for Cherki, Foden, and also O’Reilly, who has himself started back-to-back games in midfield. If O’Reilly moves back to left-back permanently, he could see his minutes reduced by Joško Gvardiol, which could impact the entire backline.
Anderson’s output could also be affected by Fernández. Much of Anderson’s value comes from his DEFCON potential, but it may well be that he loses some corners from the left to Fernández, after already appearing to be behind Cherki in the pecking order.
This would likely dent his returns across the season, and if Anderson (£6.4m) is largely restricted to DEFCON points, cheaper alternatives who also excel in this area while still providing set-piece threat could provide more value.
Anton Stach (£6.0m) and Alex Scott (£6.0m) would be two obvious names to consider. As well as ranking first and second respectively among midfielders for DEFCONs, with 32 and 26, both are primary set-piece takers for their teams. They both also already have a goal to their names.
Arsenal Assets
Arsenal had the best defence in the Premier League last season, and the early signs are that they could dominate in this area again, despite the absences of William Saliba and Jurriën Timber.
The Gunners have faced the fewest shots (11), the fewest shots on target (1) and allowed their opponents the lowest xG (0.54) across the first two matchdays of the Premier League season.
Solio also project them to keep the most clean sheets of any team across the next six Gameweeks (2.7), so picking the correct defenders from their team is an important decision for WC3.
Calafiori is the joint-highest-scoring defender in FPL this season, with 20 points, but the lingering presence of Piero Hincapié is bound to become an issue at some point.
Calafiori has been substituted off in 24 of his 35 starts for Arsenal in the Premier League, with seven of those coming before the 60th minute. With the UEFA Champions League starting next week, this issue could rear its head sooner than owners wish to believe.
His injury record is of concern, too. Calafiori missed 15 games in all competitions last season due to injuries, and 29 games the season before.
Ben White seems more secure right now given the main challenger for his position, Timber, is injured, but the Dutchman is likely to make a return within this Wildcard window.
Konsa is the defender that many on WC3 are gravitating towards because of his cheap price tag (£4.4m), but he is far from a certainty, especially given that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has played down injury concerns regarding Cristhian Mosquera.
The unfortunate truth is that the most expensive options, Gabriel (£8.0m) and Raya (£6.0m), are the only members of Arsenal’s back line who appear certain to start. That security comes at a cost.
WC3 also offers managers the opportunity to bring in Bukayo Saka, who wasn’t present in many GW1 teams due to doubts about his fitness, but has scored in both games for Arsenal.
Saka currently ranks third for projected points per game over the next six Gameweeks (5.73), with a boost that he could be on penalties given that Viktor Gyökeres is yet to feature.
Christos Tzolis, meanwhile, was a popular pick at the start of the season but is unlikely to feature in WC3 plans after his half-time substitution against Aston Villa.
Liverpool Assets
Bradley Barcola has signed for Liverpool for a fee worth up to £123m once potential add-ons are included. The fee alone should tell you how highly regarded the winger is.
Barcola put up great numbers in Ligue 1 for Paris Saint-Germain, particularly in 2024-25, when he scored or assisted a goal every 91 minutes, second only to teammate Ousmane Dembelé among players to start at least 20 games.
His overall goal-involvement figures declined last season, partly because he registered only one assist from 4.5 expected assists. Nonetheless, among Ligue 1 players who made at least 20 starts, only Estéban Lepaul (every 150 minutes) scored a non-penalty goal more often than Barcola (every 159 minutes).
Barcola to Liverpool Analysed:
Ligue 1
Goals, Carries, and Runs in Behind: Bradley Barcola Could Be Perfect for Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool
4 weeks ago David Segar
Barcola’s impressive returns have seen him priced at £8.0m in FPL, which is higher than Liverpool teammates such as Florian Wirtz (£7.5m), Cody Gakpo (£7.0m) and Szoboszlai (£7.0m).
Solio project Liverpool to be the second-highest scoring team across the next six Gameweeks (11.7 goals), and this could tempt some to bring Barcola straight in on WC3 – but this would be a huge risk.
Liverpool’s projected goal output is front-loaded with fixtures against Ipswich in GW3 and Fulham in GW4, and given that Barcola has not played since the FIFA World Cup, it remains doubtful that he will start either game.
Isak leads all Liverpool players for projected points per game over the next six Gameweeks (4.92), but Szoboszlai is a close second (4.81) despite being considerably cheaper. The Hungarian already provided value, but his projections look even healthier after taking Liverpool’s penalty against Newcastle over Isak.
Barcola promises to be a dangerous FPL asset once his minutes are secure, but for now attention is best focused on the aforementioned duo.
Chelsea Assets
Solio project Chelsea to keep the third-most clean sheets (1.8) and score the fourth-most goals (10.6) across the next six Gameweeks, and this is despite facing Arsenal away from home in GW3.
Indeed, it’s their fixture against Arsenal which is causing a headache for those on WC3. That’s why some managers who already own Chelsea assets have opted to use the Free Hit chip instead.
Chelsea’s GW4 fixture at home against Hull should be targeted – even if it is less appealing on the back of Hull winning their opening two games without conceding – but the timing is awkward.
One approach may be to own one Chelsea player who can be benched in GW3 before starting again in GW4, while planning a transfer for an additional asset ahead of the Hull fixture.
Palmer (7.36), João Pedro (6.67) and Rogers (6.62) currently project as GW4’s best captaincy picks, so this is an important consideration to make.
There may be some managers who are bullish on Chelsea’s chances to score against Arsenal, though. Xabi Alonso’s side scored three goals with 38% possession against Fulham and four goals with 26% possession against Brighton.
Their possession figure against Brighton was their lowest on record in a Premier League game, which is quite astonishing considering they were at home and did not have a player sent off.
Might the system currently employed by Alonso provide more danger to Arsenal than some suspect?
Palmer leads all Chelsea players with an average of 5.48 projected points across the next six Gameweeks, with João Pedro (5.01) and Morgan Rogers (4.94) not too far behind for a lower price.
Maxence Lacroix is Chelsea’s most expensive defender (£6.0m), but he is also the most trusted source of points, with an average of 4.17.
One of the benefits that comes with owning Chelsea assets is the security of starts. The club’s collective poor performance last season saw them miss out on European football entirely. This is potentially great for Fantasy purposes, with players less likely to be rotated to avoid fatigue. Alonso’s favoured line-up should soon become clear.
Newcastle Assets
Newcastle are another side who could offer security of starts due to failing to qualify for Europe last season. The club have had a promising start to life under Matthias Jaissle and their players are likely to be popular picks for those on WC3 as a result.
Solio’s projections agree: Newcastle rank sixth for projected goals across the next six Gameweeks (10.0) and fourth for projected clean sheets (1.7).
Wissa is the standout selection, with a projected 4.92 points per game over the next six Gameweeks. Haaland, at 6.74, and João Pedro, at 5.01, are the only forwards projected to outperform him over that period.
Newcastle’s deadline-day signing of Matias Fernandez-Pardo shouldn’t diminish Wissa’s appeal. The Belgian was among Ligue 1’s fastest players last season, and he is expected to form a strong dynamic with Wissa, with one player dropping deep while the other stretches the opposition backline.
Fernandez-Pardo’s arrival also allowed Nick Woltemade to leave to join Juventus on loan, which could solidify Wissa as Newcastle’s penalty taker.
Harvey Barnes (4.01) and Malick Thiaw (3.88) rank second and third among Newcastle players for projected points per game up to GW8, but Anthony Elanga and Lewis Hall, who have scored 17 and 14 points respectively, deserve strong consideration too.
Meanwhile, those looking at the impressive Amar Dedić should be aware of the potential return of Tino Livramento.
Above all, WC3 offers managers the chance to target matches like Man City vs Coventry, Liverpool vs Ipswich and Chelsea vs Hull, while moving quickly for emerging options such as Wissa and Konsa.
As detailed above, another major benefit is the opportunity to adjust immediately for the potential impacts of transfers completed late in the window.
Solio’s projections show that there are many ways to approach WC3, whether building around the Big Three, investing heavily in defence or spreading funds across the squad.
Combine your own beliefs with the data and find an approach you’re most confident in, and don’t be afraid to reconsider key aspects when new information becomes available.
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as apreferred source by clicking here.
_Subscribe to ourfootball newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on _X** ,Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.**
