3 in, 3 Out: Our Picks for Fantasy Football - Gameweek 2

One of the main reasons behind Chelsea’s successful 2020/21 campaign was Edouard Mendy who transformed the club’s defence last year after a shaky spell with Kepa Arrizabalaga between the sticks.

There is no doubt the Senegal international is one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers, yet a run of tough matches for Thomas Tuchel’s men could result in a decrease in clean sheets and the odd goal going in.

The Blues face Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and City in four of their next five fixtures, making Mendy a risky pick for fantasy football managers, especially when you can get top keepers like David De Gea and Kasper Schmeichel for less.

Who knows, Chelsea may ease through their difficult run of matches, keeping a clean sheet in all of them, but as one of the game’s most expensive goalkeepers, it may be worth investing that money elsewhere until the end of September and he is one of our fantasy football tips to get rid of.

The top scorer for City as they romped to a fifth Premier League title last season, Ilkay Gundogan established himself as a key component of Pep Guardiola’s side, yet the German international may be facing a stint on the sidelines.

After limping off the turf following City’s disappointing defeat away to Spurs on opening day, Gundogan appeared to have picked up a nasty-looking injury. Thankfully for the Sky Blues, reports are suggesting the suspected shoulder knock doesn’t seem too serious, yet it may be a while before he’s back amongst the goals for City and with an easier game against newly-promoted Norwich City up next, it might be wise to spend a little bit more and get in Jack Grealish, if you're standing by the champions.

Either way, in our fantasy football tips, getting rid of the German is a must.

After starting the season in the worst possible vein in a 2-0 away defeat to Premier League newbies Brentford, the pressure is already mounting on the Gunners' boss Mikel Arteta, once again.

Things are set to get worse for the London side, with tricky fixtures against Chelsea and City on the horizon and things could get really nasty for Spaniard pretty soon.

Tuchel’s Chelsea looked imperious against Crystal Palace by putting three past the Eagles, whilst City will be hoping to have secured Harry Kane’s signature by the time Arsenal visit the Etihad Stadium at the end of September.

It’s expected Arsenal will ship goals in their next couple of matches, meaning managers who started the campaign with new Gunners signing, Ben White, may want to replace the 23-year-old before he starts to eat into those early season points. Initially, at his cheap cost, White was a good choice, but not now with these upcoming fixtures and the overall form.

Life back at Old Trafford with fans in the stands couldn’t have started better for Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Manchester United, as the Reds announced themselves as title contenders with a resounding 5-1 victory over Leeds United.

Netting United’s third of the afternoon, Mason Greenwood calmly finished past Illan Meslier to pick up his first goal of the 2021/22 campaign and in truth, when he got in on goal, there was barely a doubter watching as he beautifully got off the mark for the season.

Now, with Edinson Cavani not expected back until late August at the earliest, Greenwood is likely to feature heavily for United in their upcoming fixtures and you wouldn’t bet against the 19-year-old adding to his goal tally in Gameweek 2.

Either way, with Southampton up next, Cavani and Marcus Rashford out, Greenwood might just be the first attacker on the teamsheet and is our best fantasy football tip for gameweek 2.

Returning for his second stint in the Premier League, Romelu Lukaku is the latest fantasy football must-have, but be warned, the Chelsea striker will set you back a few.

Granted, the former Inter Milan forward isn’t exactly a ‘hidden gem’, yet, with 47 league goals since the start of the 2019/20 season, Lukaku is guaranteed to score points wherever he goes, as he is still, at 28 and with two years outside the Premier League, the 20th all-time top scorer in the league - this puts him just three behind Jamie Vardy and 14 goals off cracking the top 15.

After the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Mohamed Salah got off to strong starts in their opening matches, don’t bet against the Belgian international marking his Premier League comeback with a goal, and at the very least, he has the out-of-form Arsenal up next.

Undoubtedly, with 113 Premier League goals already heading into his first Chelsea game in seven years, Lukaku is our number one fantasy football tip.

Former Jose Mourinho favourite, Japhet Tanganga, put on a Man of the Match display for Spurs as they saw off the reigning Premier League champions in Gameweek 1 and justified why Nuno Espirito Santo is likely to go with him for the remainder of the season over Matt Doherty.

Handed a starting position at right-back, the 22-year-old impressed for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men and is expected to be given another runout when they travel to face Wolverhampton Wanderers. As one of the league’s cheaper defenders, Tanganga is a great choice for those managers wanting to score points all over the pitch.