With the Gameweek 1 deadline of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) just hours away, it’s time to have a good think about who to captain.
Most FPL managers face a tough decision between the two highest-scoring players in 2025/26, Erling Haaland (£15.5m) and Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) – but those two aren’t the only candidates for the armband.
On the opening weekend, Manchester United travel to Hull City, while Manchester City host Bournemouth. Defending champions Arsenal enjoy an appealing home fixture against Coventry City, while Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea will fancy their chances away at Fulham.
So, following City’s disappointing performance in last Sunday’s Community Shield, is it time to look away from Haaland and target the newly promoted Tigers, or do we even look outside of Manchester?
That’s what we’re considering in the first ‘Captain Sensible’ article of the season.
In this piece, we will assess the on-site captaincy poll, analyse myriad player and team statistics, consult the Rate My Team (RMT) points projections, and settle on a top three for the armband, ahead of Friday’s 6.30pm BST deadline.
Captaincy Poll
In stark contrast to the majority of Gameweeks last season, there is a genuine contest at the top of the Fantasy Football Scout captaincy poll. Haaland currently sits in first place on around 34% of the vote, while Bruno Fernandes boasts the backing of 27% of site users.
In third place is Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) with just over 10% of the vote share. The Cameroon international has been in fine form during pre-season, scoring three goals and featuring regularly up front in the absence of Benjamin Sesko (£7.0m).
Elsewhere, two other players have managed to garner more than 5% support: Community Shield bandwagon Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) and Gabriel Magalhaes (£8.0m). The former has seen his ownership increase significantly since Sunday.
Player Stats – 2025/26
