Captain Poll – Gameweek 4

We’ve now launched our latest captain poll to canvas your views on the favourites for the armband in Gameweek 4.

You can find the poll in the middle column of the homepage or at the bottom of the homepage on mobile. Remember, we are looking for your vote for the player you think will be most effective, regardless of whether you own them or not.

This week’s poll looks to be the most difficult to predict so far this season, with previous frontrunner Sergio Aguero starting a three match ban, after being found guilty of violent conduct during Manchester City’s Gameweek 3 home tie with West Ham. Already more than 315,000 Fantasy Premier League managers have jettisoned the Argentine.

In his absence, Arsenal’s resurgent midfield stars look set to take centre stage.

With a 16-point haul away to Watford in Gameweek 3, Alexis Sanchez (11.0) certainly has the form and has already been drafted in ahead of Gameweek 4 by more than 122,000 FPL managers, to take his ownership to 11.1%.

Aguero’s ban has surely played a part in his growing popularity, with funds from the attack being redistributed into midfield and heading in the Chilean’s direction. The home tie against Southampton also gives Sanchez an ideal fixture for his new owners to offer him the armband.

Mesut Ozil (9.5) is another midfield Gunner edging back to former glories.

His goal against Watford has boosted his ownership by more than 67,000 so far during the international break, making him another strong captaincy option. Again, the Aguero funds will be a factor here, with thousands turning to the German as a cheaper alternative to the Sanchez option.

Arguably, Manchester City’s trip to Old Trafford for Saturday’s early kick-off may have seen Aguero slip down the captaincy pecking order regardless of his availability.

This testing fixture is certain to dent the prospects of United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.8), another popular pick over the previous three Gameweeks and owned by 58.7% of FPL managers. Nevertheless, with City failing to keep a Premier League clean sheet so far this season and the big Swede scoring twice in his previous home clash, he could still be savvy selection.

Wayne Rooney (9.0), is another candidate for those who see goals in Manchester, particularly as The Red Devils’ captain’s tally of 11 goals is a derby record.

Chelsea players are likely to be popular armband options when they travel to Swansea City.

With a goal and 11 FPL points in Gameweek 3, Eden Hazard (10.2) cemented his place as the most reliable source of midfield points so far this season. Considering he has delivered attacking returns over all three of his Premier League matches this term it is little wonder that his FPL ownership has surged by more than 183,000 over the international break. Now found in over 30.4% of squads, he is the second highest owned midfielder in FPL behind Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho (30.7%).

Diego Costa, who has scored five times against the Swans in the last two seasons and has been recruited by more than 131,000 new FPL managers ahead of Gameweek 4, is another strong captaincy pick. But be warned, the FPL bonus point system is not a fan. Despite delivering attacking returns on all three Premier League games this season the 9.7 priced striker has yet to register bonus point rewards.

This could certainly be a Gameweek to consider a differential option. Fortunately, recent transfer activity has presented us with a couple of prime candidates, with two prolific Premier League strikers looking to impress at new clubs.

Christian Benteke (7.4), who has signed for Crystal Palace, has 51 goals over four Premier League seasons, at Aston Villa and Liverpool. With an away trip to Middlesbrough the 3.7% owned forward could be about to reward his 25,000 new FPL owners.

Wilfried Bony (7.3), meanwhile, has swapped Manchester City’s bench for a likely starting role on loan at Stoke, and represents an intriguing differential armband selection at home against a lacklustre Spurs side. Over his three Premier League campaigns the 1.1% owned striker has scored 32 times.

We will be back to check in on progress in the poll later this week, as we deliver our “Captain Sensible” article offering our view of the results and the statistics behind crop of contenders.