Our usual pre-Gameweek members’ article arrives this Saturday evening, giving you ample time to assess matters ahead of Monday’s 11.30am Boxing Day deadline.
To get underway, we take a look at the main Captain Poll contenders, then examine the Opta numbers and Rate My Team rankings before highlighting a differential or two to help advise on your armband dilemma.
Captain Poll
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the runaway leader in this week’s Captain Poll as Manchester United prepare to entertain Sunderland.
Over 46% of voters have opted for the veteran, who has netted seven times in his last six league outings and faces a defence that has yet to record a single clean sheet on their travels.
Alexis Sanchez (21%) leads the chasing pack for Arsenal’s home match against West Brom.
The Chilean has produced points in each of the last five rounds of fixtures, cementing his place as the top scoring player in Fantasy Premier League.
Given that the Gunners are up against Baggies backline with just a single shutout in the last 14 Gameweeks, Theo Walcott – who has netted six of his eight goals at home – looks a very tempting differential, with a mere 1% backing in our poll.
With just one goal in his last five appearances, Eden Hazard earns only 11% of the votes for Chelsea’s home clash with Bournemouth.
His Stamford Bridge team-mate Michy Batshuayi (1%) could be another differential candidate: it’s far from certain that he’ll be leading the Chelsea attack in Diego Costa’s absence but, if he starts, he’ll surely be a factor against the Cherries.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne is again another overlooked option, with under 2% backing for a trip to a Hull City side that’s yet to keep a clean sheet in front of their own fans.
Back-to-back assists against Watford and Arsenal took the Belgian’s tally to 11 for 2016/17, already surpassing last season’s total. Yet, with a mere two goals to his name – his last back in Gameweek 5 – De Bruyne has been far from explosive in recent months.
Sadio Mane earns just 1% of the votes as Liverpool welcome Stoke City to Anfield.
Now just one point behind Hazard in the Fantasy Premier League standings, the Senegal international has produced returns in six of his seven home appearances and welcomes the Potters in fine form, with two goals and four assists in his last five Gameweeks.
The likes of Troy Deeney and Christian Benteke could emerge as mid-price alternatives as Watford and Palace’s porous defences go head-to-head at Vicarage Road.
Faith in Spurs pair Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen has plummeted in light of the weekend blank at home to Burnley.
Both sit around the 1% mark as they travel to a Southampton outfit that have conceded just five goals at St Mary’s, with Claude Puel’s men serving up a clean sheet in each of their last three home outings.
