Many FPL manager’s rue the international break but it gives us some time to reflect and plan. We all miss FPL for that time and it’s tempting to use that time playing around with your team. We at FPLtoolbox have tried to stay calm and ready our plans for the coming weeks.

Here’s our thoughts following gameweek 3 and the international break but we would love for this to be a chance for you to get your questions answered so if you have any FPL questions you want us to address, message @FPLwithStu on X.

Patience can pay off

A number of players who were tipped to star this year have not set the world alight. Isak, Solanke, Nkunku, Ollie Watkins, Gvardiol, Bruno Fernandes, among others (we’ve all got ours!).

Personally, I chose not to do a transfer last week and this largely paid off. There’s a couple on that list (Nkunku and Fernandes) who are definite candidates to sell but others have not become bad FPL picks in the few short weeks we’ve had. Isak and Watkins have made a slow start but it may be a bit premature to get rid of them given good fixtures ahead.

Remember, you picked them for a reason and you’ve got to ask yourself what has changed? Transfers are valuable – don’t waste them.

Haaland and Salah both feel essential

Both players have been in exceptional form so far and those who went for both from the start will be laughing.

Image source: liverpool.com

I’ll be honest, I’m looking at getting both in. It’s just a matter of how – with Palmer and Saka also making solid starts to the season, the difficult choice about which premiums we go for hasn’t really changed.

Haaland in particular looks incredible and shows no signs of slowing. I also think the Cuty team is increasingly working to maximise his goal returns.

Liverpool is slightly different in my opinion. Salah is key and a top quality FPL player but there are options outside of him like Luis Diaz who is considerably cheaper.

Early contenders for bargain picks of the year

There’s a few key things to master to achieve a top FPL score.

To name a few – getting the right captain pick consistently, using your chips wisely, timing your transfers well, ensuring adequate bench cover, having good rotation of players to target easier fixtures.

But one that I think is crucial, is finding those players who outperform their cost. Take Cole Palmer last year; at £5m he was a joke and there’s a reason he started at £10.5m this year. But who bought him in early enough last year to benefit most from his scoring feats? And Mitoma the year before was a similar case. If you’ve got a £5-6m player performing like a £10m+ player, then you will not only get their points but the points from being able to spend more money elsewhere.

So who could be an early contender this year?

Rodgers of Aston Villa – at £5.1m playing a very attacking role for a really good side he’s got to be in there. He’s yet to return but one to watch for sure.

Sticking with Aston Villa…Onana could be the new Douglas Luiz. Luiz was quality for Villa last year and his replacement Onana has hit the ground running with 20 points from 3 games making him a great pick so far. If he can keep it up, then he’s a must have.

Image source: nytimes

Minteh of Brighton. I could name a few Brighton players like Joao Pedro and Mitoma, both of which are solid picks but at £5.5m and with 2 assists already, he looks good.

Semenyo of Bournemouth is another who has shone so far with 2 goals and an assist. Can he keep it up? The fixtures are mixed so if you’re bringing him in now, then he’s one to rotate a bit.

Smith-Rowe of Fulham. Similar to Palmer last year, he’s left a top side to get more game-time. 15 points so far is a good return for a £5.6m player. Fulham have strengthened well and Smith-Rowe could be central to their successes this year.

Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest. Appears to be nailed on upfront for Forest and has scored 2 in 3 so far. Liverpool away next but after that the fixtures are very kind so could carry on his great form.

Mbeumo of Brentford. Perhaps not quite a bargain at £7.1m but now Toney has gone he will have penalties and don’t underestimate Brentford. Toney going could allow Mbeumo to shine even more.

Top transfers so far

Image source: FPL

I think the transfers this week reflect the fact many have hit Wildcard. Unlimited free transfers will mean managers can completely reconfigure their team and this shows with Haaland and Salah featuring among those who have been heavily bought in. If you can have them both, do it.

Luis Diaz is also a sensible choice given his early form and lower price than Salah.

Onana and Pedro have made great starts to the season and make complete sense too. There’s not a player on that list that I wouldn’t want in my team.

As for transfers out, this is interesting…

Isak is a lot of money and hasn’t yet hit the heights expected of him. I expect his sale is helping to finance a lot of Salah and Haaland purchases. Personally, holding him one more week to play against a leaky Wolves defense might pay off.

Again, Watkins is expensive, not returned any goals yet and has been subbed off on the 60 minute mark each game so far. I worry, like many, that he’s being managed so Villa can focus on the Champions League. This was always a worry but Villa’s next 6 games look good on paper so be wary of jumping too soon. He’s also flagged as an injury doubt which is another concern for owners. Tough call this one.

Saka is interesting. I see why given a couple of tough fixtures and that money being moved elsewhere in the team. The 3 games after should be excellent for him so I’d ideally want to have him back by then. You might want a route back to him.

Image source: goal.com

Gvardiol just simply isn’t as attacking as last year and many will see Arsenal’s defence as a better bet and Rico Lewis as a cheaper and more attacking player from Man City’s.

Gordon was excellent last season, so consistent, but Newcastle haven’t made the best start to the season. Harvey Barnes is also a fair bit cheaper so perhaps a better way to access Newcastle’s attack. Too early to say Newcastle won’t come good but it’s been a less than impressive start.

We’ll be back with some more ahead gameweek 4, including our team reveal. If you have any comments or questions you want us to answer message us @FPLwithStu on X.