Our Gameweek 3 Hot or Cold article is here to outline the current prospects of key Fantasy EPL players. The 'Hot' or 'Cold' status will help take away your emotional attachment to certain Draft Premier League players and help you bring in the players that you need to help you dominate your Fantrax Draft League!
These Hot or Cold ratings are based on the data contained within the Weekly Rest-of-Season Rankings produced by The FF Chaps. The Draft Society's exclusive weekly refresh of Fantasy EPL prospect rankings!
🔥🔥🔥 Gameweek 3 Hot List 🔥🔥🔥
These are Fantasy EPL players that have risen in our Weekly ROS Rankings! Keep an eye on these Draft Premier League players, and bring them into your Fantrax squad if you can.
Michail Antonio
Position: Forward
Team: West Ham United
GW2 Rank: 17
GW3 Rank: 15
What's Changed?: Last week it was Benrahma, this week it's Michail Antonio. I love the muscle-bound striker, and made that pretty clear in my pre-season West Ham Best Players article. I settled on a Draft Ranking of 17th for Antonio, and after two exceptional displays so far this season, he's moved up to 15th. Not a huge rise, but considering how close he's getting to the elite level Fantrax assets, this is an important rise to note. I see great things for Antonio this season. I'm just praying he can keep fit. West Ham's involvement in European competition is a concern. But in any case, the Hammers have scored eight goals in their opening two games, and Antonio is their best player.
Matt Ritchie
Position: Midfielder
Team: Newcastle United
GW2 Rank: 118
GW3 Rank: 98
What's Changed?: Matt Ritchie has always been a good Fantrax asset, but he's just struggled to start consistently over the past few seasons. I've moved the Newcastle man up inside my Top 100 after two really strong performances so far this season. The Scotsman has gained scores of 15 and 13.5 during two Newcastle defeats, with just one attacking return to his name. How has he done it? Key Passes. Ritchie has provided nine of them so far this season from his left wing-back role, and has taken 86% of Newcastle's set pieces as per our Set Piece Takers table. If he can keep this up, he'll be a gem of a midfield option. This is exactly why I recommended him in my Starting 11 of Sleepers Draft Kit article.
Kurt Zouma
Position: Defender
Team: Chelsea (although hopefully not for much longer)
GW2 Rank: 183
GW3 Rank: 95
What's Changed?: And finally, the biggest riser in my Weekly Rest-of-Season Rankings. Kurt Zouma has risen 88 places up to 95th overall, based on the prospect of him joining West Ham before the transfer window shuts. The Hammers are known to be in discussions with Zouma regarding the move, and if it happens he has the potential to be a Top 10 defender. The Frenchman was amazing at the start of last season under Lampard! I think Zouma will dominate at West Ham, and they have already proved this season that they are a team to watch once again. If this chap is available, you've got to grab him!
For the full list of all the Gameweek 3 risers, check out the Weekly ROS Rankings page!
❄️❄️❄️ Gameweek 3 Cold List ❄️❄️❄️
These are Fantasy EPL players that have fallen in our Weekly ROS Rankings. This may be due to poor form, they have been dropped from the best 11, they have suffered an injury, or received a suspension. It's time to consider trading out these Draft Premier League players from your rosters!
Kai Havertz
Position: Midfielder
Team: Chelsea
GW2 Rank: 33
GW3 Rank: 38
What's Changed?: Kai Havertz started in the 2-0 victory over Arsenal, and played pretty well. The Blues dominated the game, and there were some very good Fantrax points scores for the Chelsea players, even with goals, assists and clean sheets removed. But not for Havertz. The German midfielder gained a meagre 4 points, and 1 of those was for the clean sheet! Is this what you would expect from a second or third round draft pick? Hell no. In our Pre-Season Draft Rankings we collectively ranked Havertz in 27th overall, with personal ranks spanning from 19th through to 41st. My ranking is aligning more and more with the latter as the season progresses... it was Drafterthoughts who ranked him lowest after all (he is the most intelligent one of the bunch!).
Recommendation: Unless there's a Chelsea fan in your league who owns someone like JWP, Tielemans or Jota, I don't think there's any point in trading out Havertz. He will improve, I'm just alarmed by the severe lack of ghost points achieved during such a dominant Chelsea display. See if you can upgrade him to a more consistent asset, but if not you're going to have to ride this one out. Don't take a huge hit to move him along as Tuchel's team are gunning for the title and Havertz should start most games.
Leandro Trossard
Position: Midfielder
Team: Brighton
GW2 Rank: 50
GW3 Rank: 75
What's Changed?: Boy am I glad I didn't draft Leandro Trossard. The Belgian midfielder-who basically-plays-up-front gained a pre-season ranking of 47 from myself, but he's already tumbled down 28 places to 75th. 3.5 points in two games, both of which Brighton won, will do that. Most of us know that Trossard is dependent on attacking returns to gain high scores; but he usually gets them which makes him a decent player to own. But so far this season he's not registered any goals or assists, and also no shots on target or key passes. The only 'attacking' scores his gained is three successful dribbles in GW1. This is a huge cause for concern.
Recommendation: I would try to trade Trossard out for a more reliable asset, but you may struggle after two really poor performances Fantrax-wise. Aim for March or McNeil in a straight swap, or even give him up for players such as Wood or Castagne.
Matt Targett
Position: Defender
Team: Aston Villa
GW2 Rank: 95
GW3 Rank: 108
What's Changed?: Matt Targett started in GW1 with Ashley Young playing ahead of him on the wing. The fact that Targett was withdrawn when Villa were chasing the game, with Young moving back to defence, was a cause for concern. In GW2 Young started at LB, with Targett riding the bench. Not a good sign for a player I ranked 75th overall during pre-season. The Englishman has now fallen down to 108th overall in my rankings, and his owners find themselves in a tricky situation.
Recommendation: I think you've got to hold Targett if you own him. At the moment he's too good to be dropped, as he does usually score well when he starts. An alternative here would be to strike a deal with the owner of Young, so that one manager has a handcuff of that position. And if you're reading this as an owner of Young, it might make sense to attempt a similar deal.
For the full list of all the Gameweek 3 fallers, check out the Weekly ROS Rankings page!
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