FPL Gameweek 3 (2025/26): Team, Captain and Transfers
For FPL 2025/26 Gameweek 3 (reconstructed cutoff 30 Aug 2025, 10:00 UTC), the optimiser picked M.Salah as captain and João Pedro as vice, a 3-5-2, and no transfers. Projected squad total was 63.4. It scored 59 net points after hits. This is a reconstructive replay: the cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not a live two-hour freeze.
Cutoff 30 Aug 2025, 10:00 UTCReconstructed cutoff (kickoff − 90 min)sha256:dc98975a…2e2eDownload snapshotSettledReconstructive replay
Key facts
- Captain
- M.Salah (8.7 xP)
- Vice-captain
- João Pedro
- Formation
- 3-5-2
- Transfers
- None
- Bank
- £0.0m
- Hits
- None
- Chip
- None
- Projected
- 63.4 xP
- Points
- 59
- Status
- Settled
Squad
| Pos | Player | Club | Fixture | FDR | £m | xP | Pts | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GKP | Sánchez | CHE | FUL (H) | 3 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 6 | — |
| DEF | Murillo | NFO | WHU (H) | 2 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 1 | — |
| DEF | Tarkowski | EVE | WOL (A) | 2 | 5.8 | 3.6 | 3 | — |
| DEF | Pedro Porro | TOT | BOU (H) | 3 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 4 | — |
| MID | M.Salah | LIV | ARS (H) | 4 | 14.0 | 8.7 | 6 | Captain |
| MID | B.Fernandes | MUN | BUR (H) | 1 | 10.4 | 4.8 | 10 | — |
| MID | Reijnders | MCI | BHA (A) | 4 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 2 | — |
| MID | Palmer | CHE | FUL (H) | 3 | 10.3 | 4.1 | 0 | — |
| MID | Anderson | NFO | WHU (H) | 2 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 2 | — |
| FWD | João Pedro | CHE | FUL (H) | 3 | 7.4 | 5.5 | 9 | Vice-captain |
| FWD | Watkins | AVL | CRY (H) | 3 | 8.7 | 5.4 | 2 | — |
| Bench | ||||||||
| GKP | Dúbravka | BUR | MUN (A) | 4 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2 | Sub #1 |
| DEF | Senesi | BOU | TOT (A) | 3 | 5.2 | 2.5 | 14 | Sub #2 |
| DEF | Rodon | LEE | NEW (H) | 3 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 7 | Sub #3 |
| FWD | Marc Guiu | SUN | BRE (H) | 3 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 1 | Sub #4 |
Why this plan
Reconstructive replay for 2025/26 Gameweek 3. The optimiser captained M.Salah (vice João Pedro), formation 3-5-2, and made no transfers. It scored 59 net points after hits. Pre-cutoff objective was 63.4 expected points.
- The optimiser held the squad this week.
- Evidence-informed finished +0 points versus the optimiser this week.
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
This is a reconstructive historical replay, not a live two-hour freeze. Inputs were rebuilt after the season; see Methods and the limitations on this page.
Limitations of this snapshot
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
- Press and injury notes were not locked before the deadline.
- Prices are not exact pre-deadline quotes.
- Raw community xP tables were not used as the pre-deadline forecast.
Three approaches compared
Template (roll transfers), optimiser (selected plan), and same-state evidence. In this ingest, evidence matched the optimiser every week.
| Approach | Formation | Captain | Transfers | Projected | vs Template | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Template No transfers | 3-5-2 | M.Salah (João Pedro) | 0 | 63.4 | — | 59 | 59 pts net |
Optimiser (selected) No transfers | 3-5-2 | M.Salah (João Pedro) | 0 | 63.4 | — | 59 | 59 pts net |
Evidence No transfers | 3-5-2 | M.Salah (João Pedro) | 0 | 63.4 | — | 59 | 59 pts net |
Chip check
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
How to verify
This Gameweek 3 plan is a reconstructive snapshot hashed with SHA-256 (sha256:dc98975a7cd36dc180bb51fb2a06031fed5d70b8ab98991cce900b1bbfbd2e2e), with cutoff 30 Aug 2025, 10:00 UTC (first kickoff minus 90 minutes). Download the JSON to inspect the rebuilt inputs. This is not a live two-hour freeze.
Who should I captain in Gameweek 3?
The selected plan captains M.Salah (8.7 projected points) against ARS (H). Vice-captain is João Pedro. Same-state evidence matched this captain.
Should I use a chip in Gameweek 3?
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
Is Gameweek 3 a live freeze or a replay?
A reconstructive replay. Inputs were rebuilt after the season. The cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes.