Dugout Discussion – Wednesday

After Eden Hazard failed to deliver in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Huddersfield, eight of the top ten captains in Fantasy Premier League are set to feature over this evening’s seven matches.

All eyes are on Harry Kane as Spurs welcome Brighton to Wembley Stadium – after a weekend home brace against Stoke, he’s the top armband pick for Gameweek 17, with 25.2% of managers handing him the captaincy – his biggest majority of the season so far.

Mohamed Salah is second only to Kane, with 17.8% backing after serving up seven sets of double-digits. Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino are also back on the Liverpool team-sheet, though, after featuring as subs against Everton.

The latter was second only to Kane for transfers in ahead of Tuesday’s deadline – over 197,000 acquired Firmino in the rush to replaced the stricken Alvaro Morata.

Romelu Lukaku, Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez will be hoping that history repeats itself this evening.

Lukaku is toiling for form right now, with a single goal in nine Gameweeks, but scored four at home to tonight’s visitors Bournemouth while at Everton last season.

Aguero, meanwhile, netted twice in Man City’s win at Swansea in 2016/17 – he returns to Pep Guardiola’s XI as Gabriel Jesus takes up bench-warming duties.

Sanchez heads to West Ham, where he ran riot on his way to three goals and an assist in the previous campaign.

Elsewhere, Charlie Austin and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were both subject to significant transfers in ahead of Gameweek 17, with 156,00+ and 172,000+ new owners respectively.

Both have the fixtures to strengthen their claims as budget third strikers.

Austin – with four goals in three starts – hosts a Leicester defence with one away shutout to their name.

Ranked top for points per million, Calvert-Lewin has a goal and three assists in the last four Gameweeks and visits a Newcastle defence that’s conceded an average of three goals per game over their previous five league fixtures.