Captain Sensible – Gameweek 5

As the hours tick down until this evening’s 7pm deadline, we check in with the chief captaincy contenders in our regular pre-Gameweek members’ article.

We assess the Opta numbers, both from a player and team perspective, and also analyse the Rate My Team ratings before suggesting a differential or two to consider.

The Captain Poll

Harry Kane is the runaway leader of our Gameweek 5 Captain Poll as Spurs entertain Swansea City at Wembley.

After ending an August drought with a trio of two-goal hauls in his last four appearances for club and country, Kane has persuaded over 53% to hand him the armband. He also scored twice in a 5-0 home win over the Welsh side last season, albeit at White Hart Lane.

Christian Eriksen, who, too, bagged a brace in the corresponding fixture last term,  earns just 4% of the votes, having produced a goal and three assists already.

His two-goal team-mate Dele Alli is further back on 3%, while Ben Davies – the top scoring player in FPL – is also shaping up as a big differential with less than 1% backing.

Romelu Lukaku leads the chasing pack some way behind Kane on just 10%.

A home clash with former side Everton affords the Belgian the chance to maintain the form that’s produced six goals in as many matches across all competitions for the Red Devils.

But with Paul Pogba missing out due to a hamstring inury, fewer than 1% are prepared to back Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the Toffees’ encounter.

Liverpool’s home clash with Burnley and Man City’s trip to Watford offer up major differentials for those prepared to overlook Kane.

For the Merseysiders, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah collect a mere 4% and 2% backing, yet they have already delivered two double-digit returns apiece in the first four Gameweeks.

Both players were also among the goals against Sevilla in midweek and offer the hosts’ main goal threat in the absence of the suspended Sadio Mane.

Firmino has been involved in 10 goals (five goals, five assists) in his last 14 top-flight appearances.

Pep Guardiola’s men make their way to Watford hoping for a repeat of last season’s 5-0 win at Vicarage Road.

After notching three times in the last two Gameweeks, Gabriel Jesus (3%) is their favoured armband option, with fellow big hitters Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne persuading only 1% to take the plunge.

Jesus grabbed a goal and assist in the corresponding match in 2016/17, while Aguero (two goals and an assist) and De Bruyne (two assists) also delivered that day.

Rested from midweek Champions League duties, Chelsea’s man of the moment Alvaro Morata seeks a third straight double-figure home haul as Arsenal’s erratic defence roll up to Stamford Bridge.

His team-mate Eden Hazard has netted in three of his last four home outings against the Gunners and could also be worth considering if handed a start.

Stoke City’s Eric Choupo-Moting and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy look to maintain momentum away to promoted pair Newcastle and Huddersfield this weekend. The pair both scored against Man United and Chelsea respectively in Gameweek 4 to underline their fixture-proof potential.

Vardy now has 11 goals and three assists in his 17 appearances under Craig Shakespeare – only Kane (14) and Lukaku (12) have scored more over that period.