This article aims to help Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Managers in their choice for the best captaincy option for the forthcoming Gameweek by combining form and fixtures.

Additionally, I have also included a ‘clean sheet potential’ table to help assess the Gameweek’s best defensive assets.

Before I take a look at Gameweek 23’s best captaincy targets, let’s have a quick recap on how I use form and fixtures to come to achieve this.

REFINING THE ODDS

For this method, I am going to take the top 6 most popular captaincy options and rank them 1-6 ranking according to the difficulty of the fixture, which is worked out using goals conceded, big chances conceded and shots in the box (Sib) conceded from the last four games.

I then apply the same ranking to form, looking at total points per game, goals and assists over the last four games. The form table will include Home and Away PPG but these sections will only come into play in terms of the results when the total PPG of two players are the same.

The article includes the ‘clean sheet potential’ table, which is worked out with the form and fixtures elements from the captaincy section and then combined with clean sheet odds to give a total ranking based on clean sheet potential. This section will include the top five teams.

Success

What defines a successful captaincy pick according to this method? The ultimate success will be whether the top pick highlighted by the method is the top scorer of the 6 options from the FFS Captain poll. A monthly average will also be worked out to find the cumulative points to see if this method or the FFS Captain polls are proving to be more successful.

On a weekly basis, success will be defined as:

• Explosive = 10+ points
• Success = 7-9 points
• Average = 4-6 points
• Fail = no attacking returns

The article’s top pick in Gameweek 22, Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, delivered a ‘fail’ success of 2 points according to this method. Captain poll leader Alexis Sanchez scored 8 points, thanks to a last minute converted penalty. Last week’s article did note though that when factoring in Burnley’s poor away form the Chilean was a great alternative to the big Swede.

The clean sheet potential table fared better, 3 of the top 5 in the table (Chelsea, Southampton and West Brom) all kept clean sheets with Arsenal conceding a stoppage time penalty and 5^th placed Liverpool conceding a surprising 3 against Swansea.

Let’s take a look at Gameweek 23s results….

Form

Fixture

Results

Taking form and fixtures into account, Dele Alli is most likely to deliver attacking returns, according to this method. He just edges out team-mate Harry Kane to the top spot by virtue of a 0.25 better off Total PPG. Certainly the fixture table suggests that captaining a Tottenham asset this week is the safest bet. Sunderland have conceded eight goals, nine big chances and 42 goal attempts in the box in the last 4 game weeks. A groin injury to Kane, which currently makes him a slight doubt for the Black Cats clash, also goes in Alli’s favour this week.

Captain poll leader Alexis Sanchez finishes fourth in the results table, his total PPG of eight sits him at third in the form table with three goals and one assist in the last four game weeks. The Arsenal man faces a Watford side that has conceded eight goals, as many big chances and 35 goals attempts in the same timeframe and offers the best alternative for FPL managers’ who don’t have any Spurs assets, according to this method at least.

Clean Sheet Potential Table