How does the captaincy trick work in Fantasy EFL? It’s a question many newbies have been asking after seeing veterans discuss it within the community. Well, don’t worry, we brought in our experienced Fantasy EFL manager @FPL_Jack15 to explain what it is and how it works.
Every Gameweek, Fantasy EFL provides managers with one opportunity to utilise the captaincy armband. Players with the captaincy armband earn double points. If your captain doesn’t feature, then your vice captain will earn double points instead.
But there’s a trick that experts use to gain an edge.
The “vice captaincy trick” is a useful mechanic to familiarise yourself with.
It is a simple strategy which allows you to double your vice captain points if they MEGA HAUL.
Last season, the trick wasn’t used too commonly at all. In fact, I myself only used it once – and some others didn’t use it at all.
Gains are usually minimal, but that extra advantage can be crucial. You don’t need to force it every week, but always try to vice captain a player who plays earlier than your captain, if the opportunity arises. I will outline how to do this “trick” below with an example from last season.
In the example above, Lowe is given the vice captaincy as he plays earlier in the Gameweek.
Meanwhile, Demetriou is the main captain and plays later. This gives you the option to activate the trick if Lowe mega hauls.
As you can see above, Lowe returned 15 points in the early kick-off. I usually consider anything above 14 points as a strong enough score to trigger the trick.
It’s important to remember that when using this strategy, you will lose your goalkeeper and your original captain will have his captaincy removed. So, the vice needs to score well enough to justify using the “trick”, which I’ll explain further below.
As shown above, to activate the vice captaincy trick, you need to swap the captaincy from your original captain (who hasn’t played yet) to a non-playing asset. Ideally, this would be your goalkeeper, as keepers usually have lower points potential.
I recommend you pick a keeper that’s the third choice, so there is next to no chance your keeper features. Or, managers can pick a keeper who doesn’t feature in the squad when the line-ups are released. Then, Lowe will receive double points.
Keep in mind, though, that you will lose the potential points from your keeper and the original captain will have his captaincy removed, which is why a 14+ point return from your vice captain is usually the benchmark for making it worthwhile for me.
The vice captaincy trick is not something you’ll be regularly using every week. But, it’s a smart little strategy to have in your toolkit for the season. Hopefully, this example has made the process clearer.
Summary – How does the captaincy trick work?
- Captain a goalkeeper (or an outfield player) who won’t play.
- Vice captain a player playing earlier in the week.
- If your vice captain picks up double-digit points, then do nothing.
- This means you’ll receive double points from your vice captain, provided your captain doesn’t play.
- If your vice captain flops or doesn’t return, then change your goalkeeper to a playing one, then change your captain to a player with the most potential.
