The festive period adds an extra layer of difficulty to FPL with the back-to-back gameweeks. Luckily the difficult decision of who to name FPL captain has been analysed, scrutinised and served on a platter for you.
Our selections last week performed quite well! Haaland, Rashford & Kane all returned points while Kevin De Bruyne was unlucky to come away with nothing for his performance against Leeds. Jack Grealish was allergic to scoring goals as De Bruyne continually created chances for the English International.
Our “Daring Differential” Darwin Nunez did not return points and missed 4 big chances in the process. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
Whether you’re looking for a safe pick or a high-risk/high-reward option, we’ve analysed all the fixtures to help you make the best decision for your team.
See what the Bookies predict will happen in gameweek 18
Captain Obvious
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Erling Haaland has done it again. He clearly hasn’t lost his rhythm after watching his teammates head off to the World Cup. Haaland scored 2 goals (from 8 shots) against Leeds to reaffirm his position as the best goalscorer in the league. He even admitted after the match that he “could have scored five goals”. That’s what I want to hear from my FPL captain.
He should always be at the forefront of your mind regarding captaincy and is again the top pick this week. He will be the choice for many managers, so if you want to play it safe with captaincy, he’s your bet.
20 goals from 14 matches is a ridiculous record, and the bookies have given him a 71% chance to score, which is almost 20% clear of any other players this week.
He also is on penalty duty and averaging over four shots a game, so the numbers he has been putting up aren’t a fluke.
Manchester City face Everton who have conceded 7 goals across their last 3 matches, against Leicester, Bournemouth & Wolves.
Top contenders
Harry Kane, Tottenham
Harry Kane bounced back from his World Cup disappointment in fine fashion, scoring against Brentford and also hitting the post. Tottenham performed poorly for much of their visit to Brentford which resulted in a 2-2 draw. If Spurs can bounce back from their lacklustre showing then Kane could be a great option at home.
Spurs face Aston Villa who conceded 3 goals at home to Liverpool during the week. It seems that new manager Unai Emery might need some time to work with his players before they become a solid defensive unit.
Kane has been given a 51% probability by the bookies to score. Combining this with his probability to record an assist, he’s a solid choice for captaincy this week.
Phil Foden, Manchester City
Frustratingly for owners, Foden was given a rest and started on the bench for his team’s match against Leeds this past gameweek. This could be due to arriving back from World Cup duty or forward planning from manager Pep Guardiola for the busy January period.
Foden is expected to be in the starting lineup for their home fixture against Everton. Foden has recorded 7 goals and 3 assists from 11 starts, amazing figures from the English prodigy!
The bookies have given him a 38% chance of scoring but we think it should be a bit higher than that.
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United
Rashford silenced some of his critics this past week as he recorded a goal and an assist against Nottingham Forest. With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from the club, we saw what appears to be the favoured front four of Rashford, Fernandes, Antony & Martial play together.
Rashford appears to be reborn under manager Erik Ten Hag and his upcoming fixture against Wolves could be fruitful for him.
Wolves have recently changed manager and have not quite settled as a defensive unit.
Rashfoord has been given a 29% chance of scoring by the bookies. Coupled with his playmaking and assisting abilities, he could be an excellent choice for those who are after a differential.
Daring differential
Darwin Nunez, Liverpool
Yes, we go again with the Darwin Nunez daring differential pick.
As mentioned previously, he has all the physical attributes of a star-studded striker, which we have seen glimpses of. However, his finishing has been letting him down at times this season.
We saw this in full effect as Darwin missed 4 big chances against Aston Villa in Gameweek 17.
The important data to take from this is that he is getting great opportunities.
Some may have given up on him but he has 9 goals and 3 assists across all competitions for Liverpool this season so he still has the ability to score.
The bookies have given Darwin a 49% chance of scoring against Leicester.
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Nick, also known as StatsmanFPL, is a qualified data analyst with a love for FPL. He analyses