Who is the best captain for FPL Gameweek 17?

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers refocus their attention on the welcome resumption of domestic top-flight action on Boxing Day, with the Christmas fixture frenzy punctuating a merry time of family, feasting and festive excess. 

Familiar captaincy foes Erling Haaland (£12.2m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) are understandably cast as chief protagonists, with alternative options from Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United making up the supporting cast in the Gameweek 17 captaincy conundrum. 

As usual, 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 Monday’s 11:00 GMT deadline.

THE CAPTAIN POLL

Erling Haaland dominates the captain poll, with a mite under three-quarters of the total votes cast by users at the time of writing.

No other player has garnered more than 8% of votes at this stage, with Mohamed Salah currently in second place, backed by around one in 13 of our users. 

Dejan Kulusevski (£8.0m) surprisingly occupies third place with 4.87% of the vote, followed by a cluster of five players who each have between 1% and 4% of the backing.

THE MAIN CANDIDATES

ERLING HAALAND/KEVIN DE BRUYNE

Erling Haaland wasted little time in stamping his authority over the Premier League with the Norwegian quick to earn the “perma-captain” moniker. 

The former Borussia Dortmund striker produced a masterclass of centre-forward play before the World Cup break, scoring 18 goals and supplying three assists in just 13 appearances. 

Haaland’s 49 shots, 21 big chances, and 28 shots on target are all division-leading goal threat numbers this season – with the Norwegian’s dominance a repetitive theme. 

The underlying expected data reaffirms Haaland’s vital importance to Guardiola’s side: he ranks best in the division for expected goals (xG) and expected goal involvement (xGI), with 11.05 and 13.15 respectively. 

Haaland benefitted from an extended rest period due to Norway’s failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022 giving the Norwegian time to recover from a persistent foot injury. 

However, when speaking on the topic of possible burn-out for World Cup participants, Pep Guardiola hinted at a lack of match fitness for Erling Haaland: 

“We will see. I have players from the World Cup who are in a better condition than [those who didn’t go]. Sergio, Erling, Riyad are missing a little bit.”

Kevin De Bruyne (£12.6m) has been a model of consistency for Manchester City this season, registering 13 attacking returns, scoring three goals and supplying 10 assists. 

Impressively, the Belgian has blanked in just three of his 13 starts this campaign with his underlying creative numbers a driving force for Manchester City’s juggernaut attack.

De Bruyne’s 45 chances created, 15 big chances created, and 10 total assists are all division-leading distribution numbers among outfield players this term – the Belgian’s masterclass showcased his strength in Manchester City’s EFL Cup win over Liverpool on Wednesday. 

Above: Kevin De Bruyne places top for chances created (45), big chances created (15) and total assists (10) this Fantasy Premier League season

The Belgian can also shoot, placing in the top three among Guardiola’s side for shots (39), shots on target (12), and expected goals (xG, 2.50) this term. 

Manchester City’s hosts Leeds United have been particularly poor defensively this season, with their Gameweek 17 tie rating as a highly favourable fixture for Guardiola’s charges.

Marsch’s troops rank second worst for clean sheets (two) and big chances conceded (41) this term, an ominous statistic given that no side has produced more big chances than Manchester City (47). 

Furthermore, the expected goal data reaffirms Leeds’ defensive worries, as the Whites rank fourth worst for minutes per non-penalty expected goal conceded (NPxGC, 66.7) in this campaign. 

MOHAMED SALAH/DARWIN NUNEZ