Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers are mainly looking to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur for the Gameweek 1 captaincy, and for the first time this season, the Captain Sensible article is here to highlight which assets have the best chance of hauling.
First, we will assess the fallout of the captain poll, before then analysing the best options, Rate My Team (RMT) and the Premier Fantasy Tools ratings ahead of Friday’s 18:30 BST deadline.
THE CAPTAIN POLL
Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) is the clear winner of the captain poll, with just over 60% of total votes from users in the inaugural vote of the season.
No other player has garnered more than 12% of votes at this stage, with Harry Kane (£11.5m) currently in second place.
Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) occupies third place with just under 10% of votes, followed by Son Heung-min (£12.0m) and Erling Haaland (£11.5m), with 4.74% and 4.53% respectively.
THE CANDIDATES
MOHAMED SALAH
Mohamed Salah underlined his captaincy credentials by scoring 23 goals and providing 14 assists last season cementing his status as the highest point scorer (265) in Fantasy Premier League.
The Egyptian started in an empathetic fashion, and temporarily ended the captaincy conversation, by registering six double-digit hauls in his first nine matches.
Early-season verve was replaced by late-season lethargy as the performances of Salah slumped below his gold standard levels.
Following Double Gameweek 26, Salah blanked in six of his 11 Premier League matches, registering a solitary double-digit haul.
Despite the peaks and troughs, Mohamed Salah produced division-leading underlying numbers, ranking first for non-penalty expected goal involvement (26.40) last season.
Salah produced his vintage best against defensive-juggernaut Manchester City in the Community Shield, providing an assist before expertly dispatching from the spot.
A visit to newly-promoted Fulham provides the perfect opportunity for Salah to continue an opening day goal-scoring record which dates back to 2017.
Fulham boasted the third-best defensive record in the Championship last season, registering a respectable 17 clean sheets, and allowed the least open-play expected goals conceded (xGC).
But in terms of playstyle, the Cottagers ranked best in the division for build-up attacks and produced the second-most goals scored from high turnovers.
Should Fulham stay true to their football philosophy and try to outplay Liverpool then expect goals, and a Mohamed Salah haul.
HARRY KANE
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