When it comes to Fantasy Premier League (FPL), I often wonder why defenders aren’t considered more for our Gameweek captaincies. For example, in Gameweek 19, I captained Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) over Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) and was rewarded with a 10-point swing. Yet all the online experts and broadcasters were advising against this beforehand.
GAMEWEEK LEADERS
We’ve nearly completed 20 Gameweeks and on three occasions the top-scoring player has been a defender.
I fully understand that two of this trio would never have been considered as armband options. However, at this point, Alexander-Arnold has had three double-digit scores and Kieran Trippier (£6.8m) has achieved four. That’s alongside the two of Joachim Andersen (£4.9m), Dan Burn (£4.4m), Diogo Dalot (£5.1m) and Marcos Senesi (£4.5m).
In previous seasons, we’ve had Joao Cancelo, Marcos Alonso and Reece James (£5.3m) regularly haul but with very little captaincy.
| Double-digit hauls (GW1-20) | |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | 13 |
| Defenders | 57 |
| Midfielders | 125 |
| Forwards | 32 |
Whilst I appreciate that midfielders and forwards have a higher ceiling, sometimes the risk has to be worth it. Especially if your rank isn’t great. The recent Trent choice moved me up roughly 100k places in the overall rankings (although still only around 250k – so maybe don’t listen to me!)
THOUGHT PROCESS
During every FPL season that I’ve played, I’ve always captained a defender at least once. My thought process is that the potential to earn six points for a clean sheet – alongside possible assists, goals and bonuses – in the right game can have a hugely positive impact on your rank. To me, this is a risk that’s occasionally worth taking.
I know my decision-making process is too often influenced by outside noise but, on the odd occasion when I’ve gone against the herd, such as Salah in Gameweek 19, it can be beneficial.
Furthermore, there are so many stats available to investigate which teams are weak in certain areas. These findings can be exploited to your advantage. For instance, if a team is always conceding from set-pieces, it makes sense to captain a dominant centre-back like Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m) or Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.0m) against them.
| Position | Total returns | Appearances | Double-digit scores | Blanks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | DEF | 13 | 18 | 3 | 9 |
| Kieran Trippier | DEF | 13 | 18 | 4 | 11 |
| Mohamed Salah | MID | 22 | 20 | 7 | 5 |
| Son Heung-min | MID | 17 | 20 | 6 | 10 |
| Bukayo Saka | MID | 14 | 19 | 2 | 6 |
| Erling Haaland | FOR | 19 | 15 | 4 | 5 |
| Ollie Watkins | FOR | 20 | 20 | 3 | 7 |
To summarise, I believe we managers need to make more of our own decisions. Listen to all the advice, of course, but ultimately take some calculated risks. When I’ve looked back at past winners and their teams, they’ve all taken a few of them. To win the whole thing, these all have to come off.
3 months, 22 days agoLovely stuff, Nige. I guess the reduction in clean sheets this season has made it an even harder sell to those, like me, who are traditionally averse to doing it. I definitely haven't given it enough thought in the past, though.