The best captain in Gameweek 9
We try and find the best captain in Gameweek 9. With the help of the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can use the season ticker and underlying stats to find the best captaincy option for the gameweek ahead.
Captaincy is one of the most important decisions a manager can make. 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. The season ticker can be very helpful. However, won’t always give us the full story on which players make the best captaincy options.
We can see teams like Southampton, Leeds and Newcastle in the top five teams with the easiest fixtures. However, none of those teams have consistent assets to rely on for the captaincy armband.
The options- Ivan Toney
Brentford rank second on the fixture ticker for Gameweek 9. After a great start to the season, they have racked up 15 goals in the seven matches they have played thus far. That averages at around 2.1 goals scored per match. They play a defensively poor Bournemouth in the next round. Amongst all teams in the league the Cherries are the second worst for goals conceded, the third worst for shots in the box conceded and the second worst for shots on target conceded.
Ivan Toney (7.3m) has started the season really well. Already, the striker has scored five goals and created another two assists, resulting in seven goal contributions in seven games. Amongst all players Toney ranks joint third for big chances created and joint third for big chances total.
With solid underlying attacking stats, Toney becomes an option to consider for captaincy, even more so when they face one of the worst defensive sides in the league.
James Maddison
Leicester rank first on the fixture ticker in Gameweek 9. Although defensively poor, that can’t be said for their attacking capabilities. Leicester have only failed to score in one match since the start of the season. The Foxes have also managed to score two goals in more than half of their matches played. Leicester face Nottingham Forest in the round ahead. Amongst all teams, Forest are the third worst for goals conceded, fourth worst for shots in the box conceded, the worst for shots on target conceded and the fourth worst for big chances conceded.
James Maddison (£7.9m) has already managed four returns in his first seven matches. The midfielder ranks seventh for attempts on goal. This would indicate Maddison could take advantage of Nottingham Forest’s poor defensive fragilities.
Erling Haaland
Man City rank near the lower end of the fixture ticker, but their stats can’t be ignored. Amongst all teams they rank first for chances created, first for goals scored, first for big chances scored, first for attempts on goal and first for big chances total. Man City’s Gameweek 9 opponents are Man United. Amongst all teams the Reds rank the fifth worst for headed attempts and third worst for attempts from set plays. Other than those weaknesses, Man United are midtable for other defensive data points.
Haaland (£12m) now sits as both the highest owned and the highest scoring player in the game. In fact, the City forward has returned in every single match he’s played in so far. Amongst all players in the league, he is first for goals scored, second for total attempts on goal, second for attempts in the box and first for big chances total.
Conclusion
Although Maddison and Toney are putting out some good stats in one or more areas, Haaland is the standout option for captaincy in Gameweek 9. Not only do Man City have some of the best attacking stats in the league, but so does the forward.
Are you using the free hit in Gameweek 9? You can check out the best free hit for the upcoming round here.
