Captains

Vote in the Captain Poll for Gameweek 3

The Captain Poll is now open for votes ahead of Gameweek 3 and you can watch our video on the best candidates for the armband below or on our YouTube channel.

The early favourite is, not surprisingly, Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) who faces a very appealing home match against a Brighton side, who are notoriously poor on the road.

The Seagulls shipped nine goals in two league matches against Liverpool in 2017/18, four of them at Anfield in Gameweek 38. The Egyptian netted in that match and provided the assist for Dominic Solanke’s (£5.0m) 53rd minute goal too.

His case is, of course, strengthened by being Liverpool’s biggest goal threat against Crystal Palace on Monday night, even if he only managed two assists in the end.

Sadio Mané (£9.8m), owned by 31 percent, should prove a strong alternative candidate bearing in mind he is a must-have option for the 45 percent of Fantasy managers who do not own Salah, and remains ahead of him for both goal tally and FPL total score.

Either way, Liverpool assets are expected to dominate the captaincy debate this week considering that West Ham were the only top flight side to survive relegation in 2017/18 with more shots conceded on the road than Brighton.

Sergio Aguero‘s (£11.1m) hat-trick against Huddersfield on Sunday will naturally give him some backing for the captaincy this week, as Manchester City prepare to travel to the Molineux.

Wolves may have allowed fewer shots on their goal than any other side so far, but the fact that have still conceded four goals in two matches suggests there are areas to exploit for the reigning champions.

Aguero might be at slightly more risk of rotation this weekend but we will, as per usual, wait and see what emerges in the press conferences later this week.

After four assists in just two matches, the highly-owned Benjamin Mendy (£6.1m) is an option for a second week running. In fact, he finished third in the poll behind just Aguero and Salah for Gameweek 2.

After West Ham’s performance at Anfield in Gameweek 1 and a defeat at home to Bournemouth in Gameweek 3, Arsenal assets might also be worth looking at. The favourites there are expected to be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£7.0m).

Meanwhile, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur’s meeting at Old Trafford reduces the appeal of a few usual suspects, namely Paul Pogba (£8.1m), Romelu Lukaku (£11.0m) and Alexis Sánchez (£10.5m) for the Red Devils and Harry Kane (£12.5m) and Christian Eriksen (£9.5m) from the north London outfit.

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1,843 Comments Post a Comment
  1. joeydelucchi
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    who would you rather have?

    - auba , hennessy and stankovic
    - ings , alonso and Ederson

    either A):
    ederson
    alonso pva mendy robbo (wb)
    mane haz mikhi rich (guend)
    aguero arnie (ings)

    or B):
    hennessy
    mendy wb robbo (stankovic, bennet)
    mane hazard mikhi rich (guend)
    aguero arnie auba

    i know the risks of the 3 x 4.0 defenders , however i think i am gonna go with B) as stankovic can play this week and then Wb is back again who in my mind is a well established player. i like the hennessy pick in goal and i love having aguero arnie and auba as my front 3.

    1. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      A for you

    2. FPL Forward Thinker
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      You should go A

    3. f4red
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      who is pva .. huhuh

  2. falafel
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    is it worth wildcarding this team?

    Allison (Stekelenburg)

    PVA, Mendy, Bertrand (AWB, Doherty)

    Richarlison, Salah, Bilva, Cairney, Mkhitaryan

    Aguero, Firmino (Kamara)

    FOR THIS have 1,4m in the bank

    Allison- Cech
    Bertrand- Alonso
    Cairney- Mane
    Firmino- Ings
    Doherty- Bennett

    1. Ahtikullervo
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      oh yeah

  3. Limited & Mediocre Mana…
    • 8 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Only thing about early transfers is now I can't do anything with my desire to tinker

  4. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    I agree with this tbh. I have Auba salah aguero Mane Mendy Robertson etc. and all could deliver big in the coming weeks

    Repost: @JOEYDELUCCHI 15 mins ago
    Excuse my naivety....I don't understand this notion there is 'no point spending all this money if you aren't gonna captain him'?

    This isn't the first time ive heard it, Can someone please explain?

    The way i see it, you are paying for a player with a higher probability to score week in week out...so i want as many of these big game players i can get in my squad. the ones that i believe in my opinion are most likely to score.

    Can someone tell me if/why i shouldn't be thinking this way?

    1. The Cisco Kid
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      I think there’s a fallacy in this thinking—that captaincy somehow doubles a player’s value in addition to his points scored. In practice, though, this led people to go half of last season before considering Salah for captaincy, because he wasn’t a “premium” player like Aguero, Hazard, Kane, etc.

      This conundrum has been part of community discourse for some time. When Kane and Alli broke out, we failed to consider them for captaincy because of their price, to our detriment. Similarly, some people feel aggrieved by captains who fail to produce double-digit scores like Salah recently or RVP at his season for United. Your captain scoring 6-9 points every week is much less sexy than Aguero’s 20. But using the past two weeks as a case study, those who captained Salah both weeks have 34 points for their trouble as compared to those who captained Aguero for both, who have 44. The 10 points are meaningful, but hardly season-defining (and the exact difference had Salah converted one of his three big chances in that time). And, maybe most importantly, those who captained Salah then Aguero come away with 56, and the mavericks who eschewed captaining “premium”, 10.0+ players for Mane both weeks will boast 52.

      All of this to say, captain your best player in a given week, regardless of his price. Assemble the best team you can given your budget. Balance consistency and explosiveness as best you can.

      1. gergin
        • 8 Years
        5 years, 8 months ago

        What about those, who captained mane at home and then Aguero at home....and will do the same in GW 3 and 4?

        1. FPL Forward Thinker
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          5 years, 8 months ago

          Yes. That’s my plan from the start. Mane & Aguero were planned as alternate captains at Anfield or Etihad each week

          1. FPL Forward Thinker
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            5 years, 8 months ago

            Week 1-7 anyway. They play each other week 8 so new plan needs to be place by then. Oh how plans change though! Lol

      2. Angelic upstart
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 8 months ago

        An excellent response. Personally, I choose a captain on player form, who they're playing against and often if it's a home fixture. Although I'm not sure why on the last one. Naturally, it doesn't always work but I like it.

      3. FPL Forward Thinker
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        5 years, 8 months ago

        Agree- I went with my gut and Captained Mané week 1 and then Aguero week 2 returning a nice 72 points. Didn’t even consider their value just look at each players and their opponents and went with it. No hesitation. I selected my squad with first 4-6 game week captains in mind. I know with my Kane experience last couple of August’s that a 4 point return sucks.

    2. fantasyfog
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      going with your gut is always fun, but a home fixture against supposedly weaker opposition always stands out for me

  5. DMP
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Got few replies! Please help.

    Already on (-8). 2.5 Itb.

    Went Shaw-BSilva-King -> Alonso-Pedro-Kamara To catch rises and avoid King dropping. In the process i got funds to do Stephens - Mkhitaryan next week and go 3-5-2.

    Foster
    Mendy-Robbo-Alonso
    Salah-Mané-Pedro-Richarlison
    Aguero-Zaha-Kamara

    4.0-Stephens-Peltier-Wan Wissaka

    Would you WC or take the (-8) ?

    My opinion is that WC is more valuable than 8 points.
    Alonso-Pedro-Mkhitaryan by themselves, should recover those 8 easily.

    1. Ghost Gooner
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      I'd WC but make make my bench nailed on.

  6. Norsemen
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Bench: Patricio, Stephens, Peltier, Wan-Bissaka.

    Should I do a -4 hit to upgrade this bench?

    Have 2 M.

    1. DMP
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      No way.

      1. DMP
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        5 years, 8 months ago

        -4 for a player that probably wont play ... dont even think about it.

  7. cfizzle15
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Pretty sure I'm going -4 this week to get rid of Darmian (week one punt) and Bernardo Silva...I'm just not sure who for.

    I'm leaning towards Pereira and Mkhitaryan.

    Team is currently:
    Ryan / Hart
    Robertson / Mendy / Daniels / Wan-Bissaka / Pereira
    Bernardo / Salah / Richarlison / Jota / Kennedy
    King / Aguero / Firmino

    Could get really ballsy and go -8 to bring in Pedro for Jota also...

    Any suggestions?

    1. Angelic upstart
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      Get Pereira in, and leave for a week then bring mkhi in.

      1. cfizzle15
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        5 years, 8 months ago

        I appreciate the response, that would be wise...I just don't see Bernardo Silva starting against Wolves, but rather Sterling or Mahrez, hence the dilemma.

        On the flip side, there's potential for Mhkitaryan returns vs West Ham that could offset the -4 cost of bringing him in...at least this is what I'm telling myself.

        Thanks again for the response!

        1. Angelic upstart
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 8 months ago

          Completely understand but maybe consider Pedro for Jota first? If Bernardo plays and does anything, it's unlikely mkhi will outscore him by more than four. Jota hasn't started well and is playing City, Pedro has started well....

          1. Shineonme
            • 7 Years
            5 years, 8 months ago

            Rather#

    2. Shineonme
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      I'd rata her have mane instead of Forming and someone like Kante or a 5.0 mill mid than Jota.

  8. tyron
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    will yall rid shaw for mendy even if it entails a minus 4?

  9. FPL Forward Thinker
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    My Captain choice from Gameweek 1 to 12 will be playing in front of his home fans at Anfield or Etihad with exception of week 8 when the best two teams in England play each other. Week 8 for me will be an attacking Spurs player playing Cardiff.
    Liverpool and Manchester City really do alternative each week quite nicely.

  10. Lukakwho
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Ahead of some trickier fixtures for Liverpool from GW5, I thought it might be worth a bit of analysis of where Salah got his returns last year, to help with long-term planning & maybe saving two transfers for the International Break (disclaimer: I currently own him). For the record, after BHA (where Salah is a clear captaincy favourite around here), the next 5 games are lei, tot, SOU, che, MCI before things get a bit easier.

    Last year, Salah made 36 appearances (he missed Burnley (A) and Everton (A) in the second half of the season), scoring 32 goals and being awarded 12 assists. He blanked (no goal or assist) in 9 of those games (4H & 5A: CPL, mci, new, MUN, WBA, swa, mun, STO, che). For the purposes of putting some numbers on expected points I've compared his average performance for Liverpool when they were playing the other 4 teams in last year's Top 5 (Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd & Spurs), and then looked at how he did when playing against the rest of the premier league. I've ignored points from minutes, BAPs & clean sheets, instead awarding him 5pts per goals and 3pts per assist. The results are remarkably consistent and do suggest that he is a bona fide captaincy candidate every week EXCEPT when playing away to one of the other 'Top 5'...

    Avg pts vs Rest of League (Home): 6.4 (G and/or A 80%: 12/15)
    Avg pts vs Rest of League (Away): 5.54 (G and/or A 85%: 11/13)
    Avg pts vs Top5 (Home): 5.75 (G and/or A 75%: 3/4)
    Avg pts vs Top5 (Home): 1.25 (G and/or A 25%: 1/4)

    Obviously you need to add points for minutes, clean sheets and BAPs to the above (he scored 303pts last season, meaning he averaged another 2.97pts per appearance from these other sources - feel free to add this on to the above in your head). Whilst the average points at home against 'the rest' is noticeably higher, that's solely the result of 4 goals & an assist at home to Watford (though of course this is what you're really hoping for when captaining him!). What really stands out though is that in the 4 away games against the top teams, Salah got only one attacking return, a solitary goal away at Spurs.

    Presuming most here have 3 City players (who are obvious captaincy contenders in GW5-7 with FUL, cdf, BHA), it might be worth planning to rotate in further Chelsea and Arsenal premium options given their fixtures over that trickier fixture period (Chelsea: CDF, whu, LIV // Arsenal: new, EVE, WAT) before deciding whether to go back to 3 Liverpool players ahead of a possible goalfest at home to City in GW8.

    TL;DR - Judging from last season, Salah is unlikely to get much from GW5 & 7 and it might be worth a bit of forward planning to give the game's most expensive player a quick 'rest' after GW4 for a few weeks (remembering of course that as other work on this site has demonstrated, in order to do REALLY well in this game you not only have to have the best players week-in, week-out, but also have to have them for the periods when they're at their very best).

    Food for thought anyway & interested in any comments from here.

    1. benbro
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 8 months ago

      Nice work. This really is interesting to consider especially as Hazard comes out to play.

  11. Brev
    • 8 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Bilva to Mkhy
    Tark to Alonso
    DDG to 4.5m keeper

    Worth 8 point drop?

  12. Georgeyboy33
    • 5 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Current team - thoughts/advice please

    Patricio Fabianski
    Robbo PVA Shaw Daniels Peltier
    Salah Bilva Jota Seri Stephens
    Kun Auba Tosun

    Currently thinking a -4 got to do Peltier Jota Tosun -> Mendy Richarlison Kamara

  13. JasonG123
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Is King worth keeping? He has a good record against Everton and Everton's defence looks poor.

  14. Bielsa's Bucket
    • 12 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    You think Bernando Silva will keep his place against Wolves?

  15. ares89
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    RMT (WC active) Play 4-4-2 or 3-5-2

    Option 1: 0.9 ITB (choose Pereira or Bellerin or Nacho?)
    Ederson (Hamer)
    Robertson - Mendy - TAA - Pereira (Wan Bissaka)
    Mkhi - Richarlison - Fraser - Salah (Hughes)
    Auba - Agüero (Kamara)
    -------------------------
    Option 2: 0.2 ITB
    Ederson (Hamer)
    Robertson - Mendy - Alonso (Pereira) (Wan Bissaka)
    Mkhi - Richarlison - Fraser - Salah - Pogba
    Zaha - Agüero (Kamara)
    Thoughts? Opt 1 or 2? Or would you suggest something else ? Many thanks!

  16. Meppelfield
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    Bring back the old question of who is the best captain this week rather than who you are captaining this week! Much more interesting to see who is the best captain overall rather than seeing who people pick just because they own him.

  17. MOZIL
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 8 months ago

    will hazard start this gameweek??