Last updated on August 26th, 2021
By Matthew Petersen – @Matt_Petersen13
The 2nd gameweek of the season saw wins for Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham, Brighton, and Tottenham as they remain the only sides to have perfect records. Manchester City bounced back from their GW1 loss vs. Spurs to trounce Norwich 5-0. Meanwhile, Man United would have been disappointed not to come away with 3 points against Southampton, drawing that game 1-1. For GW2 of FPL, an average of 56 points this week meant another high-scoring GW, with some of the standout performers listed below. Impressively, 4 of my 6 picks from last week returned points so we’ll be hoping to build on that this week. Let’s take a look at the top performers of GW2 as well as who are my 6 picks that passed the eye-test for GW3.
Gameweek 2 top 3 performers:
Reece James (£5.5m) – 18 points (1 goal, 1 assist, clean sheet, 3 BPS);
Michail Antonio (£7.7m) – 16 points (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 BPS);
Tyrone Mings (£5.0m) – 15 points (2 assists, clean sheet, 3 BPS);
Let’s have a look at the players who make our ones to watch list, reviewing their GW2 performance and their potential for GW3.
1. Dele Alli – £6.5m (MID); 2.7% ownership
GW2 review – 9 points (90 minutes, 1 goal, 1 BPS)
GW3 preview – Watford (H)
Dele Alli is thriving under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo and is starting to find the same form he had under Mauricio Pochettino. Having scored the game’s only goal from the spot, with Kane still on the bench but with Son on the field, that could be a promising addition to your squad as a starting mid-ranged midfielder. Alli currently pays as the most advanced of a midfield three, and with Son possibly out of the game this weekend due to him hobbling off vs. Wolves, that could see Alli further involved in the attack. With Kane also returning to the starting XI, Alli now has an outlet for assists too. Keep an eye on him as the season develops.
2. Mason Greenwood – £7.6m (MID); 12.0% ownership
GW2 review – 10 points (90 minutes, 1 goal, 3 BPS)
GW3 preview – Wolves (A)
Mason Greenwood has made a blazing start to the season, netting in both games for Man United so far this season. With Marcus Rashford (£9.4m) still sidelined and Edinson Cavani (£8.5m) having just returned to the squad, Greenwood is likely to keep his place in the team and should start ahead of Anthony Martial (£7.8m), either playing out wide or leading the line. His natural finishing prowess with both feet makes him a threat, and should he be deployed as a striker, that makes him a brilliant out-of-position (OOP) option. With a favourable fixture against a Wolves side still trying to find their feet under Bruno Lage, this is a perfect opportunity for United to get back to winning ways and for Greenwood to add to his goal tally this season.
3. Patrick Bamford – £8.0m (FOR); 14.6% ownership
GW2 review – 4 points (90 minutes, 1 assist, 1 yellow card)
GW3 preview – Burnley (H)
Bamford has had a slow start to the season, judging at least on his performance last season, and I’m sure the striker wants to avoid the label of ‘one-season wonder’ at all costs. A home game against Burnley represents an excellent opportunity for him to do that. Having picked up an assist last time out against Everton, Bamford and his owners will hope he goes one better and notches his first goal of the season. Still highly backed and capable of scoring, Bamford and Leeds will be keen to get their first win of the season and get their season up and running.
4. Hugo Lloris – £5.5m (GK); 6.4% ownership
GW2 review – 11 points (90 minutes, clean sheet, 4 saves, 3BPS)
GW3 preview – Watford (H)
The Spurs captain is the 2nd Spurs player to make the list this week, and having hauled double-digit points in both gameweeks so far, he is undoubtedly the form keeper. Having notched a couple of saves against both Man City and Wolves, there is a strong chance that Lloris can follow that up with a 3rd clean sheet in a favourable home game vs. Watford this weekend. He is fixture-proof too, and with Spurs looking a lot more resolute defensively, Lloris could be a brilliant option not only for this week but going forward too.
5. Jamie Vardy – £10.5m (FOR); 15.1% ownership
GW2 review – 2 points (80 minutes)
GW3 preview – Norwich (A)
Leicester’s goalscoring machine had a quiet evening on Monday against a rampant West Ham so expect Rodgers and his troops to rally back against poor Norwich. The latter face their 3rd consecutive top 5 team in the first three gameweeks. As the side’s talisman, Vardy will be raring to go again and get back on the score sheet, and this game represents the perfect chance for him to do so. Both Iheanacho (£7.4m) and Patson Daka (£7.3m) found themselves on the bench vs West Ham, and it is unlikely that Vardy will get dropped for either of them rather that they will play alongside him. Vardy remains fixture-proof and is, of course, the Leicester penalty-taker and with his style of play and running in behind, could find himself winning and scoring plenty of penalties this season. Keep an eye on him going forward.
6. Dominic Calvert-Lewin – £8.01m (FOR); 15.8% ownership
GW2 review – 7 points (90 minutes, 1 goal, 1 BPS)
GW3 preview – Brighton (A)
Calvert-Lewin found the back of the net for the 2nd gameweek in a row, scoring from the spot and seemingly taking over that duty from Richarlison (£7.6m). Last season, Calvert-Lewin showed off his goalscoring credentials and proved he was capable of scoring at the highest level. This game against a solid Brighton defence will be a good challenge for him, but he should be ready for it, and Everton, under Rafa Benitez, should be more than able to deal with this sort of test and expect DCL to be the main threat for goals. Everton do have favourable fixtures going forward, too, so he could stay in teams far beyond this gameweek.
To see the ones to watch from our GW1 and GW2 review and preview, click the link below:
