Who are the best FPL captain options for Gameweek 37+?

There are a number of viable options for the Fantasy Premier League captaincy in Gameweek 37+.

Favourable fixtures for Manchester United, Manchester City, Wolves, Burnley and, according to some, Liverpool, have widened the spread of those considered for the armband by the Fantasy community.

As ever, the Captain Sensible article is here to help you sift through all the different candidates using each player’s underlying statistics from their last four matches compared against the defences they are about to face.

As this uses data from the Fantasy Football Scout Members Area, only those with a valid subscription can access it in full.

Captain Poll

Manchester United options top the captain poll for Gameweek 37+ with Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) and Anthony Martial (£8.5m) the two most popular for the armband.

They both face West Ham on Wednesday evening, each asset on a reliable run of form.

The Portuguese international has now hit 105 points across his first 12 Manchester United matches, averaging 8.8 points per outing; good enough to convince 20.9% of our voters to deem him the best captain for the penultimate Gameweek of the season.

Meanwhile, Martial has delivered a double-figure haul in every home appearance since the Premier League returned, registering five goals and three assists in just three matches at Old Trafford. Therefore, the Frenchman is not far behind Fernandes for armband support, 17.7% voting for him ahead of Gameweek 37+.

Danny Ings‘ (£7.6m) impressive scoring run was extended against Brighton, his total of five goals more than any other forward since the Premier League restart. During that period, Bournemouth have been breached 15 times, the second-worst in the division. That combination of statistics is clearly enough for 6.9% of our voters to go with the differential tactic of sticking the armband on Ings.

The same number of managers have declared their support for Kevin De Bruyne (£10.7m) as he prepares to face Watford at Vicarage Road. Manchester City options are somewhat problematic in Gameweek 37+ as the next deadline occurs several hours before they play Arsenal in the FA Cup, and roughly three days before their actual Premier League fixture.

Following a complete rest against Bournemouth, De Bruyne feels the most likely to start at Watford but he could always get injured in the Cup. Either way, the awkward schedule has put paid to much captaincy consideration for Pep Guardiola’s men, the Belgian midfielder the only one of only two Citizens to be selected by more the 2% in this poll.

Completing the top five in the latest vote, Nick Pope (£5.1m) makes a rare appearance in the conversation for the goalkeeper’s union. The 5.7% support for Burnley’s shot-stopper does make a lot sense considering his team’s defensive record this season. He has 14 clean sheets to his name, the joint-highest of any goalkeeper in 2019/20 while Norwich have scored just once since the Premier League restart. 

Raheem Sterling‘s (£11.9m) one-point cameo against Bournemouth will be enough to put some Fantasy managers off, but some are prepared to take the risk on Manchester City’s number seven. Provided he can come through the FA Cup semi-final unscathed, the rest last time out does stand Sterling in good stead of starting at Watford, where he could extend his Project Restart record of six goals and three assists. It is that explosive capability which has convinced 5% of voters to go with the premium midfielder.

Chris Wood (£6.1m) has been a much-discussed option in the Fantasy community this week as he prepares to face Norwich, the team that has conceded the most since the Premier League returned (16 goals). 4.5% of our voters believe Wood will be the one to make the most of that, as he enjoys his best-ever Premier League season in terms of goals scored (12) and FPL points (120).

There is a similar level of support for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.9m) as Arsenal prepare to travel to Aston Villa. Dean Smith’s men have made improvements at the back of late but with the Premier League season winding to a close, they may have to come out of their shell in the final two matches, which could leave room for Arsenal’s Golden Boot chasing striker to exploit.

Perhaps the most striking result of this latest captain poll is the lack of backing for Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), chosen as the best captain by just 4.1%. Yes, the Egyptian has blanked in each of his last two outings, but most would agree he was unlucky to do so on both occasions. With Salah ramping up his shot output in recent games, and Chelsea’s defence conceding an average of 1.8 goals per away match this season, there already appears to be opportunity for big gains offering itself to anyone willing to captain Salah.

Raúl Jiménez (£8.1m) has a favourable fixture in Gameweek 37+ as well, as Wolves host a Crystal Palace side that feels either on the beach, on its last legs, or both. The Eagles have conceded 15 times since the Premier League restart, only Norwich performing worse in that department (16), and they are now short of Patrick van Aanholt (£5.6m), Gary Cahill (£4.4m) and James Tomkins (£5.0m) at the back.

Despite a double-figure haul against that Palace defence on Thursday night, which had been coming for a while, Marcus Rashford (£8.9m) has not received the same attention for the Gameweek 37+ captaincy than Fernandes and Martial, chosen by just 3.6% of our voters. But he is just as reliable as his midfield counterparts at Old Trafford, although less explosive thus far, averaging 7.3 points per game there since the Premier League returned.

Harry Kane (£10.9m), Son Heung-min (£9.6m), Gabriel Jesus (£9.8m) and Jamie Vardy (£9.8m) are the only other assets considered by more than 1% in the captain poll.

Player statistics – Last four matches