Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have plenty of choice for the Gameweek 3 captaincy, and as per usual, the Captain Sensible article is here to highlight which assets have the best chance of hauling.

First, we will assess the fallout of the Gameweek 3 captain poll, before then analysing the best options, Rate My Team (RMT) and the Premier Fantasy Tools ratings ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 BST deadline.

READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 3 team news: Live updates from Klopp, Pep, Tuchel and more

THE CAPTAIN POLL

In the closest captain poll of the season so far, Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) is the current leader, with 32.5% of total votes from our users at the time of writing.

Just behind in second is Gabriel Jesus (£8.1m), who is backed by a mite under 30%, ahead of his away tie against Bournemouth.

Erling Haaland (£11.7m) occupies third place with just over 12%, followed by Tottenham Hotspur duo Harry Kane (£11.4m) and Son Heung-min (£12.0m), with a little further back.

THE CANDIDATES

MOHAMED SALAH

Mohamed Salah endured a frustrating night against Crystal Palace and produced a below-par performance short of the expected gold standard. Liverpool’s Premier League challenge has stuttered with two consecutive draws and a lack of fluency in attack as the Reds adjust their playstyle to accommodate Darwin Nunez (£9.0m).

The Uruguayan, dismissed for violent conduct, will serve a three-match Premier League ban which ironically could strengthen Salah’s captaincy credentials for Gameweek 3. Across the opening two rounds, Nunez ranks best among all outfield players in the division for goal attempts (nine) and big chances total (five) despite playing just 96 minutes. 

The underlying data suggests that Salah has turned provider, ranking second among all outfield players for chances created (nine) after two Gameweeks. Roberto Firmino (£8.0m) should help rather than hinder Salah’s output if he recovers from a knock to deputise for Nunez. 

Liverpool travel to face Manchester United in Gameweek 3 who have endured a chaotic start to the season with consecutive defeats to Brighton and Brentford, respectively. The Red Devils rank joint-worst for goals conceded (six), clean sheets (zero), and lead the division for defensive errors (three) over the first two matches. 

Erik ten Hag’s intention to play out from the back has suffered early setbacks and Liverpool’s high press will provide an unwelcome acid test. Furthermore, Salah boasts a strong recent record against Manchester United notching five goals in last season’s Premier League matches. 

Above: Goal attempts conceded by Manchester United over the last two matches. 

GABRIEL JESUS