Robin van Persie's four goals for United put him in the Overall Dream Team
As the Barclays Premier League takes a short break, we take a look at how the players are faring in the popular Fantasy Premier League and show you who is top of the pile so far this season and after Gameweek 3 and with which players.
Four players from West Ham United featured in the Fantasy Premier League Dream Team for Gameweek 3 after their 3-0 victory over Fulham.
Matching fellow forward Carlos Tevez's 15 point haul, Robin van Persie's hat-trick during Manchester United's dramatic 3-2 victory over Southampton ensured he was one of the stars of the show in the Fantasy Premier League with 15 points in Gameweek 3.
The Dutchman's three goals were enough to cancel out the two points deducted when Kelvin Davis saved his chipped penalty and repaid the faith of the many Fantasy Premier League managers who gave Van Persie the captain's armband. (For the Gameweek 3 Dream Team click here)
All-Manchester strikeforce drives overall leader
It was the Manchester strikeforce of Van Persie and Carlos Tevez, who also got 15 points with a goal and two assists for Manchester City, that were the catalysts for Fantasy Premier League manager Asriel Chen to be the current overall leader. His team, OpOpOppaGangnam Style, have accumulated 303 points to lead the way so far (see his team here).
In August, however, OpOpOppaGangnam Style was only second to Barnstoneworth Utd, the team of Paul Waddington, who won an iPad for being the August Manager of the Month.
Tevez has so far justified his selection in almost half the players' teams (47.6%) this season. The City striker appears in more than 10% more teams than the next most popular player, Eden Hazard, who, at 34, has a point more than Tevez and is also in the Overall Dream Team. (For more stats on popularity go here)
The third player to score 15 points after the weekend's fixtures was New Zealand defender Winston Reid, who kept a clean sheet and thumped in a header from a Matthew Taylor corner to help West Ham beat Fulham. Jussi Jaaskelainen produced some fine saves to keep a clean sheet, earning the No 1 jersey in the Gameweek 3 Dream Team.
Arsenal's Santi Cazorla earned 13 points as he set up Lukas Podolski for the opener before doubling the Gunners' advantage with his first goal in an Arsenal shirt.
Michu shows great value
Cazorla's Spanish compatriot Michu continues to enhance his reputation as a bargain buy for FPL punters, scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2-2 draw against Sunderland, making him the highest-scoring player of the season so far with 35 points. Michu started the season at £6.5m but his feats has forced up his value to £7.3m. This is the equal-highest price rise, alongside Tevez's to £9.8m (For more stats on price rises go here)
The Black Cats' summer recruit Steven Fletcher scored a double and amassed 13 points at the Liberty Stadium to get in this week's team. West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley is in both the Gameweek 3 and Overall Dream Teams after a goal and a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Everton at The Hawthorns.
A three-pronged attack of van Persie, team captain Tevez and Southampton goalscorer Rickie Lambert proved effective for Gameweek 3 leader JJB 6544, who gained 117 points this week. Cazorla, Reid & fellow goalscorers Yaya Toure and Wayne Routledge also helped to earn the team many points. (See the team here)
Prizes up for grabs for all
Remember that our monthly prize, an iPad, is open to those who have yet to start or whose teams have yet "to gel", so even if you are not near the top of the overall rankings there are still chances to be a winner, especially if you have a wildcard.
