The best captain in Gameweek 5
We try and find the best captain in gameweek 5 in FPL. With the help of the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can use the season ticker and underlying stats to try and find the best captaincy option for the gameweek ahead.
Captaincy is one of the most important decisions a manager can make in any given gameweek. Writing up a shortlist of options can be helpful. Picking out the best however can be even more important for FPL managers.
Fixture ticker
Below you can see teams near the top with the easier fixtures going all the way down the table to teams with the tougher fixtures at the bottom. The season ticker can be very helpful but won’t always give us the full story on which players make the best captaincy options.
We can see that teams like Leeds, Wolves, Brighton, and Everton with the easiest fixtures according to the fixture ticker. Although this indicates captaining one of their assets could be a good idea all of those teams don’t offer up any players with a high level of consistency. Avoiding the captaincy within those teams could be a good move.
The options – Haaland
Man City rank top of the fixture ticker. Already the reigning Premier League champions amongst all teams are joint top for goals scored, top for goal attempts, third for shots in the box and first for big chances total. In addition their upcoming opponents are the joint second worst for shots in the box conceded, total shots conceded and joint worst for shots on target conceded.
£11.8m forward Haaland currently reigns as the highest FPL points scorer in the game. In terms of underlying stats he’s also dominant. So far amongst every other player in the game Haaland is first for goals scored, joint second for attempts on goal, joint first for shots inside the box and first for big chances total.
With a fantastic fixture ahead and consistent form in both his stats and FPL returns the only thing that could hold him back is potential rotation with the quick turn around. Haaland makes as a great captaincy option in Gameweek 5.
De Bruyne
Similar to his team mate Haaland the £12.2m midfielder plays for a very dominant attacking team. But do they top the distribution stats? Amongst all teams in the league so far Man City come first for crosses, first for successful crosses and first for chances created.
So far Kevin De Bruyne has managed 27 FPL points. This is only reflected in his great underlying stats. Amongst all players he is second for crosses, second for successful crosses, second for chances created and first for big chances created.
In great form and dominating the distribution stats Kevin De Bruyne has both the form and fixture to be considered for captaincy in Gameweek 5.
Salah
Liverpool rank 12th on the fixture ticker. This could be one of those situations we disregard the ticker and prioritise both team and player stats. Liverpool remain as one of the most attacking teams in the league. So far they are joint top for goals scored, joint second for shots in the box, second for goal attempts, first for shots in the box and second for big chances total.
Salah has started the season well with 25 FPL points. Amongst all players in the league the £13m midfielder is first for chances created and comes in the top 10 players for shots in the box and big chances total.
Salah could be a great option for gameweek ahead. His underlying stats and form are solid. With his minutes nearly guaranteed, he could be the one managers give the armband to.
Conclusion
Salah may have his minutes guaranteed but is that enough? His stats are underwhelming compared to his usual standard. He also faces an opponent in Newcastle who have defensively strengthened this season.
Man City look to be the best team to invest the captaincy in this week. Their goal threat and distribution stats only help the appeal of Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne who both hugely contribute to both of those attacking data points.
Haaland stands out above all as the best captaincy option. However if managers own De Bruyne instead, he could also be a fantastic captaincy selection.
Not sure what to expect from Gameweek 5? We take a look at that here.
