With a brace and 12-point haul preceding a favourable match-up at home to Leicester City, it is difficult to look past captaincy comfort blanket Erling Haaland (£12.2m) for Gameweek 31’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) armband.
Nevertheless, the Captain Sensible article is here to discuss the pros and cons of other big-hitting candidates for those willing to gamble on someone other than the free-scoring Norwegian.
First, we will assess the fallout of the captain poll, before then 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
Haaland’s customary dominance of the captaincy poll resumes following his heroics at Southampton, backed by two-thirds of the total votes at the time of writing.
No other player has garnered more than 12% of the vote, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane (£11.7m) currently sitting in second place, backed by one in nine of our users.
Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) occupies third place with 5.77% of the vote, followed closely by Ollie Watkins (£7.6m) with Jack Grealish (£7.1m) further back.
THE CANDIDATES
ERLING HAALAND/KEVIN DE BRUYNE/JACK GREALISH
Haaland produced a typically efficient display in Manchester City’s 4-1 victory, with few touches of the ball but an ability to show up in key moments.
The forward’s second strike showcased his agility, precision and power as he dispatched a balletic scissor-kick past the hapless goalkeeper.
This wonder strike was Haaland’s 30th Premier League goal of the season and the 22-year-old’s performance levels place him very much at a superstar level.
He has dominated the division, placing top for shots in the box (87), big chances (45) and double-digit hauls (nine).
There’s daylight between himself and second place when it comes to expected goals (xG) and expected goal involvement (xGI), totalling 21.16 and 23.74 respectively.
My expected minutes prediction of around 60-70 minutes was proven correct and Haaland followed this by playing the full game against Bayern Munich, allaying any lingering injury fears.
If the Nordic marksman is to be rested at some point, I’d guess he sits out the FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United in order to go fresh against title rivals Arsenal in Gameweek 33.
Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne (£12.1m) has reaffirmed his Fantasy credentials ahead of Leicester, producing four attacking returns and 22 points in his last two league outings.
Underlying numbers hint that City’s midfield maestro is back to his very best. He has created 19 chances and seven big chances over the last six matches, which both place inside the division’s top two, while he ranks best for expected assists (xA, 2.93).
De Bruyne’s 12 shots over these half-dozen games are joint-second best among teammates, highlighting multiple avenues to Fantasy points.
Furthermore, the Belgian was substituted for tactical reasons midway through the Champions League win over Bayern Munich, meaning he remains fresh.
Former Aston Villa talisman Grealish has grown in confidence and stature midway through his second season with Man City, becoming highly influential since the Gameweek 17 restart. His consecutive 12-point hauls make him the most sought-after player ahead of Gameweek 31.
Post-World Cup, Grealish’s tally of 11 attacking returns – courtesy of four goals and seven assists – can be bettered by just six players.
For now, he enjoys a relatively secure place in Pep Guardiola’s frontline, starting 13 of the last 15 league matches including each of the last 11.
The champions welcome a Leicester outfit currently in turmoil following seven defeats in eight. It led to Brendan Rodgers leaving the club by mutual consent after four years in the hot seat.
New boss Dean Smith faces the tough task of turning around the defensive fortunes of a rearguard that ranks second-worst for non-penalty expected goals conceded (NPxGC, 48.05).
The Foxes’ away form is particularly patchy, failing to register a clean sheet in their last six trips and allowing a league-worst 113 goal attempts.
Furthermore, in that same period, the Foxes conceded a chance every 5.1 minutes – an ominous statistic before facing a Man City side that has the highest xG (62.83) of this season.
MOHAMED SALAH
