We are here with our pick of the top 5 captains this week for Gameweek 3 of FPL 26/27. Gameweek 3 of the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League season offers plenty of opportunities for managers willing to move away from the obvious captaincy choices. While Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes will be among the most popular options, there are several exciting differentials who could deliver huge returns.
Here are the top five captain picks for FPL Gameweek 3.
1. Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) — £8.0m
When the season began, Morgan Gibbs-White's £8.0m price tag was considered expensive for a player from Nottingham Forest. Once again, however, he has managed to prove his doubters wrong.
Gibbs-White has been performing impressively since the start of the season and was particularly influential in Forest's 2-2 draw against Liverpool. He scored from the penalty spot and played a major role in Forest's attacking performance as Oliver Glasner's side came away from Anfield with a valuable point.
Now Forest return home to face Tottenham, who have endured a dreadful beginning to the campaign. Spurs have conceded five goals across their opening two Premier League matches without scoring a single goal themselves. Roberto De Zerbi's side are clearly struggling, while Forest are coming off an excellent result against Liverpool.
That makes Gibbs-White an extremely attractive differential captaincy option. At £8.0m, he offers the potential for a massive return without requiring the investment of a premium captain.
Verdict: A bold but highly appealing differential captain for Gameweek 3.
2. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) — £12.0m
Bruno Fernandes is coming off a legendary performance at Old Trafford, scoring a hat-trick as Manchester United defeated Ipswich 5-2.
The Portuguese midfielder was directly involved in 4 goals and produced a huge FPL haul, immediately reminding managers why he was such a popular premium option coming into the season.
United's next fixture is considerably trickier, with Manchester United travelling to face Everton. However, Fernandes is the type of player for whom you can never completely dismiss the captaincy argument.
He has already demonstrated that he can single-handedly produce an enormous FPL return when things click. Even away from home, his set-piece involvement, penalty duties and attacking responsibility give him a significant ceiling.
Verdict: A tougher fixture, but Fernandes remains one of the safest premium differential captaincy options.
3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — £15.5m
This is our No. 1 captaincy pick for Gameweek 3, and it is difficult to argue against him considering Manchester City's fixture.
City host Coventry, one of the most appealing fixtures of the entire Gameweek. Haaland also comes into the match after scoring twice against Crystal Palace last weekend, finally getting his Premier League scoring account moving this season.
Unless things go horribly wrong for Manchester City, this fixture has goals written all over it. Haaland possesses the potential to score multiple goals against weaker opposition, and a hat-trick is certainly within his range.
For FPL managers who want the highest-ceiling captain available this week, Haaland is the obvious choice.
Verdict: The standout captain and our No. 1 pick for Gameweek 3.
4. Kai Havertz (Arsenal) — £7.5m
Kai Havertz is one of the most unique and interesting differential captaincy options this week.
Arsenal face Chelsea, which isn't the easiest fixture, but Havertz has a particularly interesting record against his former club. Since joining Arsenal, he has scored twice in four Premier League appearances against Chelsea, and has also never lost against them.
That means he has averaged a goal every two games against his former side, giving FPL managers another reason to consider him despite the difficult-looking fixture.
Chelsea have also started the season in spectacular fashion under Xabi Alonso, winning their first two games, but their defensive performances have been far from perfect. They conceded three goals against Brighton in a 4-3 victory last weekend.
With Havertz in good form and Arsenal possessing plenty of attacking quality, he could once again punish his former club.
Verdict: A genuine differential captain for managers looking to take a calculated risk.
5. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) — £7.0m
Dominik Szoboszlai completes our list and could be one of the most rewarding differential captaincy picks of the Gameweek.
Szoboszlai has established himself as one of Liverpool's most important players and has continued to look impressive during the club's transition under Andoni Iraola. Liverpool now face Ipswich, giving them one of the more attractive attacking fixtures of the Gameweek. The fixture list confirms Ipswich host Liverpool on Friday night.
Although Alexander Isak scored against Nottingham Forest last weekend, he still looked somewhat unconvincing overall. For the time being, Szoboszlai remains one of the Liverpool players who can provide an alternative route to attacking returns, and he's also on penalties as well.
His £7.0m price makes him particularly interesting. He won't be anywhere near as highly captained as Haaland or Fernandes, meaning a big haul could provide a significant rank boost.
Verdict: A seriously underrated captaincy differential with a favourable fixture.
Final Thoughts
Haaland remains the best captaincy option for FPL Gameweek 3, but managers looking to take a calculated gamble have plenty of alternatives.
Gibbs-White, Fernandes, Havertz and Szoboszlai all have the potential to produce substantial returns while being considerably less obvious captaincy choices. If you're chasing rank or need to make up ground in your mini-league, one of these differentials could be the perfect Gameweek 3 gamble.
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