Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have, on paper, a straightforward captain choice ahead of Double Gameweek 32.
Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£9.5m) is the undisputed armband favourite ahead of Newcastle United’s home double-header.
Nevertheless, data can identify potential chinks in the Swede’s armoury and suggest alternative, differential options.
As usual, Captain Sensible highlights which assets have the best chance of delivering a big haul.
First, we will assess the fallout of the captain poll before analysing the best options, Rate My Team (RMT), and the Premier Fantasy Tools ratings ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 BST deadline.
THE CAPTAIN POLL
Alexander Isak‘s fitness dominates the rumour-mill narrative, with Newcastle’s marksman starting and blanking as the Magpies dismantled a sorry Leicester City side 3-0.
When Eddie Howe’s team sheet dropped, those backing Isak were in a buoyant mood, and Newcastle’s accumulated 3.25 expected goals (xG) justified his selection.
The data, however, told a different story. In 70 minutes, the forward mustered three shots – two from inside the box – but failed to test an otherwise busy goalkeeper. 0.16 xG was poor.
Still, our electorate is undeterred. The 25-year-old is backed by over two-thirds of the captain poll vote ahead of Newcastle’s two outings.
It was team-mate Jacob Murphy (£5.2m) who stole the Monday Night Football plaudits, netting twice to record a 16-point haul and send his owners into delirium.
The midfielder produced the league’s second-highest non-penalty expected goals (NPxG, 1.57) tally but remains very much the bridesmaid here, backed by a minority 6.76% of voters.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.8m) is third, closely followed by Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) and Daniel Muñoz (£5.2m).
THE PLAYER STATISTICS – LAST SIX MATCHES
