WHO TO BENCH
start, sit, and the order that decides it
Who should I bench in FPL Gameweek 3?
— Onside (onsidearena.com), predictions graded in public.
AT RISK FOR GW3 · OWNED BY 3%+
Chances to play come from the official FPL feed and move fast in the 24 hours before a deadline — the full flagged list is at FPL injury news, and expected XIs are at predicted line-ups.
BENCH QUESTIONS
Who should I bench in FPL Gameweek 3?
Start with anyone who cannot play. The most widely-owned player at risk for Gameweek 3 is Mateta (CRY, 4.6% owned) at 0% to play — Hamstring injury. Bench a flagged player ahead of a fit one even when the fit one has a harder fixture: a hard fixture lowers expected points, an injury zeroes them.
How does bench order work in FPL?
Your bench is ordered 1, 2, 3 plus a substitute goalkeeper. If an outfield starter plays no minutes, the highest-ordered eligible bench player who did play comes on automatically. Eligible means the substitution keeps a valid formation — at least one goalkeeper, three defenders and one forward — so a defender will be skipped if bringing him on would break the shape.
When do FPL auto-subs happen?
Auto-subs are applied after the last match of the gameweek finishes, not live during it. A player is only substituted if he played zero minutes; one minute is enough to keep him in your XI, which is why a late cameo can cost you a bench haul.
Should I start a player who is 75% to play?
Usually yes if he is a premium and you have a playing bench option behind him, because the auto-sub covers the downside and a 75% flag most often clears by kick-off. Start him only if the bench player behind him is eligible for the swap under formation rules — otherwise the safety net does not exist and you should move him out of the XI yourself.
Does a benched player still score points in FPL?
No. Points from your bench only count if a starter plays no minutes and the auto-sub brings the bench player on, or if you play the Bench Boost chip, which counts all fifteen players for that gameweek.
Everything for your FPL 26/27 season
The same model that graded every World Cup call in public, pointed at Fantasy Premier League.