The captaincy debate for Gameweek 23 of Fantasy Premier League is not proving to be as straight-forward as many would have hoped.
Manchester City blew away the competition last time out but arguably face a sterner test this time.
Meanwhile, Leicester’s defeat to Southampton was certainly a damaging one for Fantasy confidence, but a trip to Burnley provides the perfect opportunity to make amends.
And let’s not forget that Liverpool host a Manchester United side that has made a habit of frustrating their arch-rivals in recent years.
As ever, the Captain Sensible article is here to help Fantasy managers make the right choice for their captaincy.
We will be assessing the key candidates based on their recent performances and compare them against the defensive showings of their upcoming opponents.
As this uses data from the Fantasy Football Scout Members Area, only those signed up to a Membership package will be able to access it in full.
Captain Poll
Kevin De Bruyne (£10.7m) tops the Gameweek 23 Captain Poll having accrued 31.9% of the vote.
It comes off the back of his nine-point haul in Manchester City’s 6-1 win at Aston Villa, which saw him outscore Gameweek 22’s most popular skipper Jamie Vardy (£10.0m).
De Bruyne’s latest haul ensured he goes into this weekend averaging 8.8 points per game over the last six matches.
Crystal Palace come to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon without a clean sheet since Gameweek 16 although the last time they conceded more than once on the road was at Chelsea in Gameweek 12.
In a straight swap from the Gameweek 22 poll results, it’s Vardy sitting in second place this time around.
Ahead of a trip to Burnley, the Leicester man has the support of 20% of the voters.
Despite failing to register a shot against Southampton’s revitalised defence last weekend, Vardy does have a much more appealing fixture in Gameweek 23.
The Foxes are set for a trip to Turf Moor, where Burnley have recently lost their defensive edge.
Sean Dyche’s men have played seven matches against last season’s top-six in 2019/20 conceding 23 times in the process, an average 3.3 goals per game.
While Leicester did not fit that description last season, their attack has shown it is capable of competing with the best sides in the Premier League this campaign, so it seems likely that Golden Boot front-runner Vardy will enjoy his trip to Lancashire.
Sergio Aguero‘s (£11.8m) monster haul at Aston Villa has fired him into outside consideration for the Gameweek 23 captaincy, with 12.3% of the voters lending him their backing for the visit of Crystal Palace.
It must be said that the centre-forward has only started two of the last four Gameweeks and there is another fixture coming up for Pep Guardiola’s men on Tuesday evening…
After assisting in Liverpool’s win at Spurs, Mohamed Salah (£12.3m) is considered the most likely to break through Manchester United’s defence on Sunday afternoon.
The Egyptian has two double-figure hauls in his last three outings at Anfield, yielding a 6.3% backing in the captain poll.
By contrast, Mané has the support of just 3.1% of the voters despite proving more reliable at home recently.
The Senegalese international has registered attacking returns in each of his last four at Anfield, while Salah has two blanks in that time.
Raheem Sterling‘s (£11.8m) no-show against Aston Villa appears to have boosted his chances of a start against Crystal Palace, and his captain credentials in the process.
3.6% of the voters have decreed him as the best option for Gameweek 23, although his last league goal at the Etihad Stadium came against Aston Villa in Gameweek 10.
Danny Ings‘ (£6.8m) continuing form keeps on pushing him higher in the captaincy consideration. 3.2% have backed him for Southampton’s Gameweek 23 meeting with Wolves, who appear increasing threadbare and in need of January signings.
Ismaïla Sarr (£6.2m), Son Heung-min (£9.8m), Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m), Marcus Rashford (£9.2m), Neal Maupay (£5.9m) and Tammy Abraham (£7.8m) are the only other options with more than 1% in the captain poll.
