Who is the best captain for Gameweek 33?
With seven teams playing twice and three teams blanking in Gameweek 33, it could be a good week for a differential captain. Should managers target the Double Gameweek players for captaincy or are there better options from the Single Gameweek players? We discuss who is the best captain for Gameweek 33.
Most FPL managers like to target the Double Gameweek players for the captains armband as they have potentially double the minutes to return points. However is there anyone worthy of the captains armband from the teams that play twice? Or should FPL managers stick with the Single Gameweek players instead?
There will be a number of managers playing either their Free Hit chip or their Bench Boost chip in Gameweek 33. This means that a captaincy pick that goes well in Gameweek 33 could be the difference between a green and red arrow.
With Man United playing twice in Gameweek 33 some FPL managers have considered captaining Bruno Fernandes. However, last FPLSeag points out he has been outscored by so many budget players in the game in the last six Gameweeks so is he really trustworthy with the band.
Double Gameweek potential captains
James Maddison
Maddison plays twice in Gameweek 33, with two attractive fixtures against Newcastle and Everton. The Leicester midfielder has returned in each of his last three Premier League fixtures and in that time has returned 22 points.
In the last six Gameweeks Maddison has four attacking returns, more than any other Leicester player and he is top for expected assists (xA) and second only to Harvey Barnes for expected goals (xG) and expected goal involvement (xGI).
Bruno Fernandes or Cristiano Ronaldo
Man United have a very divided Double Gameweek. They have an attractive fixture against Norwich as well as a very tough match against Liverpool. Man United haven’t won a Premier League match in their last three attempts. However the game against Norwich may make managers look to captain one of the Red Devils.
Bruno Fernandes or Cristiano Ronaldo will likely be the options that managers look towards if they want to captain a United player. Across the United team Ronaldo is top for attacking returns in the last six Gameweeks. However, all three of those attacking returns have come in one match against Spurs. Tellingly it is Fred who is top for FPL points with 21 which makes a captaincy on a United player less attractive.
Fernandes is top for expected assists and xGI in the United team in the last six Gameweeks, with Ronaldo top for xG.
Single Gameweek potential captains
Harry Kane
Kane has returned in eight of his last nine Premier League matches. As the striker for the Premier League team who have scored the most goals this calendar year he looks like an excellent captaincy option.
Kane has registered 24 attempts on goal in the last six Gameweeks. More than any other outfield player in the game. He has had eighth big chances which is more than any other forward and is second for outfielder players only to teammate Son Heung-Min. The forward is also top for xG, xGI, non-penalty goals plus Opta assists (NPG+A) and non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI).
Kane has also returned in five of his seven Premier League matches with Gameweek 33 opponents Brighton, averaging 6.14 points per match against them.
Mo Salah
Some FPL managers are considering selling Salah rather than handing him the captains armband. Salah has been in a difficult run of form since returning from the AFCON tournament (read more about this in our recent article.)
However, Salah returned an assist against Man City in Gameweek 32 and were it not for some great defending he could have had more. Salah has returned in three of his last four Premier League matches against Gameweek 33 opponents Man United. This includes a 24 point haul in the return of this fixture earlier on in the season.
Salah does however have the FA Cup semi-final to play ahead of this game and after the deadline and so this is something to be mindful of.
Son Heung-Min
On the back of his hattrick in Gameweek 32 Son will be a highly popular transfer in this week as well as a captaincy target. Son has had 19 goal attempts in the last six Gameweeks and his nine big chances is the most across all outfield players.
Community Captains
FPL YNWA has had a poll running on who managers are planning to captain in Gameweek 33.
The Big at the Back Podcast are considering captaining James Maddison in Gameweek 33.
FPL Nymfria discusses captaincy in her latest video.
Captaincy Content
You can also listen to the Official FPL Podcast for their thoughts on the best captaincy options.
As well as Fantasy Football Scout’s latest captaincy video
Wondering what to expect in Gameweek 33? We take a look at the matches in our recent article.