Our Friday regular arrives as the minutes tick down until tomorrow’s deadline. We continue with a three-part approach, taking in the weekly poll standings, the Opta player statistics and our Rate My Team projections to help steer your thoughts on the Captain conundrum.
The first section is free to view for all visitors to the site and will analyse the chief protagonists, as selected in our Gameweek poll. The latter two parts are restricted to our members, as we delve deeper into the Opta and Rate My Team data.
The Captain Poll
Chelsea dominate this week’s poll, with three of their players populating the top-four places ahead of a home encounter against promoted Leicester. Diego Costa leads the way with over 50% of the votes cast after he netted on his debut away to Burnley on Monday evening – the Spain international scored 18 of his 27 goals for Atletico Madrid at home last year and clearly offers a stronger option in front of his own fans.
Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard trail in Costa’s wake, with 14% and 6% respectively. The Spaniard’s 11-point haul at Turf Moor showed that, even when fielded in the Blues’ double-pivot, he has the ability to wreak havoc, while Hazard’s owners will be looking for the Belgian to replicate last season’s displays at the Bridge, where the Belgian scored 10 of his 14 league goals. Certainly, his owners will be looking for an improved display in the final third – Hazard, along with Fabregas, failed to register a single attempt against The Clarets.
One of the few Fantasy successes in United’s home defeat by Swansea, Wayne Rooney has been backed with the armband by 8% ahead of a testing trip to Sunderland. With Robin van Persie reportedly set to feature at the Stadium of Light, though, Rooney’s 48% popularity in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game may be set for a drop as managers consider the 3%-owned Dutchman, who is likely to be handed spot-kicks by Louis van Gaal.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, Aaron Ramsey and Raheem Sterling are all fancied to continue the form that served up a goal apiece in the opening weekend. Certainly, Sigurdsson looks the most promising of the bunch here as he prepares for a home encounter with Burnley – having averaged 5.7 points per game in his first spell with Swansea, a role in “the hole” looks vital to his prospects. Ramsey and Sterling face tougher tasks, though – trips to Everton and City are far from certain to bring home the points.
Sigurdsson’s team-mate Wilfried Bony has been overlooked. The Ivorian netted 13 times in his final 18 appearances of 2013/14 yet has so far received a mere 62 votes, whilst Sergio Aguero, as the most popular City option, has so far earned less than 1% of the votes cast and looks another differential armband option capable of delivering in style.
