FPL
GW3 Captain Board: Haaland Back on Top. Isak Took the Haul.
7 September 2026
This is the GW3 piece in the captain series, following on from the GW2 captain board. The freeze went in at 16:21 on 4 September, an hour before the deadline. Haaland was back on top because the fixture had changed, not because we forgot Palace.
- Haaland 8.01, Coventry at home. He scored the only goal and finished on 9. Captain: 18.
- Bruno was second, away at Everton, and blanked in a 2-2. Saka was third, at home to Chelsea, and blanked too.
- Isak was fourth at 6.16 and scored 13 at Ipswich. That was the haul the board did not quite put first.
- Semenyo was a whisker under his number. Six points against 6.14. A miss by a rounding.
- Next: the GW4 captain board.
The five
| Player | Fixture | xPts | Points | Captain | Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haaland | Coventry (H) | 8.01 | 9 | 18 | Yes |
| Bruno Fernandes | Everton (A) | 6.56 | 2 | 4 | No |
| Saka | Chelsea (H) | 6.52 | 2 | 4 | No |
| Isak | Ipswich (A) | 6.16 | 13 | 26 | Yes |
| Semenyo | Coventry (H) | 6.14 | 6 | 12 | No |
Demon's readCoventry at home put Haaland back on top. Ipswich is where the haul was.
Coventry at the Etihad is a different question from Palace away
GW2 had Haaland second because Selhurst is a real away game. GW3 had him first, at 8.01, because Coventry at home is the match you buy him for. Promoted, already leaking goals, and City had the crowd. That is not the same projection with a new label on it. The opponent changed, so the rank changed.
City won 1-0. Haaland headed in Semenyo's cross on 26 minutes. FotMob had City at 1.84 xG to Coventry's 1.23, 78% of the ball, 15 shots to 12, and only four on target. Coventry still made three big chances. Nine points, 18 with the armband. He beat 8.01 without a hat-trick. A captain pick does not owe you three goals. It owes you the chances, and he had the best one on the pitch.
Bruno at Goodison and Saka against Chelsea were the misses
Bruno at 6.56 was the GW2 captain going again, this time away at Everton. That is a worse seat. Everton do not give you Old Trafford space. It finished 2-2, Mbeumo and Sesko on the scoresheet for United, George and Maitland-Niles for Everton. Bruno finished on two. The armband from last week does not travel. Away, a rival who can score, and a midfielder who is not guaranteed the box. Two points, doubled to four. A miss.
Saka at 6.52 was the home favourite against Chelsea, and Chelsea are not Coventry. A top-six game at the Emirates can still be a two-pointer if the shot falls to someone else. He finished on two. Same number as Bruno, different reason. One was the away trap. One was a tight home game the xPts treated a bit too kindly.
Isak was the one who cooked
Ipswich away is the fixture Bruno had just destroyed. Isak was only fourth, at 6.16, because the model still had the City and United names above a Liverpool striker on the road. He returned 13. Gakpo returned 11 in the same 2-0. 26 with the armband, the best captain score of the five, from the fourth name. If you want the pattern: promoted sides at home to a full attack are where the board's fourth name can lap the second.
Semenyo assisted the winner and finished on six, against 6.14. That is a miss on the rule we are using, and it is a ridiculous one. He did the job. The number was a hair high. Do not read that row as a bad pick. Read it as a projection that landed on the nose and lost the tie-break.
The GW4 captain board moves off Haaland. Chelsea at home to Hull take the top two spots.
