FPL Best Captain for Gameweek 12

We take a look at some of the top candidates and pick out the FPL best captain for Gameweek 12. Using the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can access its underlying stats and fixture ticker to come to a conclusion.

The player you select as your captain will earn you double points in any given round. Captaincy is one of the biggest contributors to your overall score and rank. Because of this, finding out the FPL best captain for Gameweek 12 could be key.

Gameweek 12 fixtures

Below we can see the fixture ticker – it has ordered the matches in difficulty order. According to the ticker the teams at the top have the easiest fixtures and the teams at the bottom have the toughest fixtures.

The fixture ticker can be very useful when trying to pick out a captain but other factors should also be considered.

The options – Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa will be hoping to bounce back this week after a loss to Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 11. One huge advantage they have is that they are playing at home – where they’ve won all seven matches in Europe and the Premier League. In terms of their attacking data they sit sixth for expected goals and third best for actual goals scored. They also rank in the top four teams for total attempts on goal, shots in the box and shots on target.

Aston Villa come up against Fulham next up. The Cottagers have been inconsistent lately – losing three of their last six matches. Defensively they rank the sixth worst for expected goals conceded and sixth worst for actual goals conceded. They also sit amongst the worst six teams for shots on target and big chances conceded.

Its been a fine start to the season for Ollie Watkins (£8.4m). He currently sits as the fourth highest scoring player in the game. This is due to his consistency – returning in eight of his first 11 matches. When comparing all players Watkins resides fifth best for non-penalty expected goal involvement, fourth best for total attempts on goal, second best for shots in the box and joint third best for big chances total.

Mohamed Salah

Another side having both a good season and maintaining great home form is Liverpool. In fact since the start of the campaign in all competitions the Reds have won all eight of their home matches and average three goals scored per game. In terms of data Liverpool also rank first for expected goals, joint fourth for actual goals scored, the best for total attempts on goal, joint first for shots in the box, and second best for big chances total.

Liverpool have a match against ‘The Bees’ next up. Brentford have shown defensive fragilities recently – conceding two goals in two of their last four matches. In terms of their defensive data they sit seventh best for expected goals conceded, fifth best for big chances conceded and mid-table for key defensive data points.

The most efficient way into the Liverpool front line is Mohamed Salah (£12.9m). The Egyptian sits as the highest scoring player in the game. We can see his consistency from the fact he’s returned in nine of his first 11 matches. He also takes his sides penalties which of course adds to his appeal. When comparing his data to others he ranks third best for non-penalty expected goal involvement (7.96), second for total attempts on goal (35) and fourth for big chances total.

Erling Haaland

Manchester City seem to be back to their best – winning all five of their last matches in all competitions and racking up 17 goals in the process. Statistically the league leaders rank first for goals (28), fourth best for expected goals scored (21.95) and joint fifth for big chances total (34).

Chelsea at home lay ahead for Manchester City. The Blues have managed three wins in their last five matches whilst losing just once. Defensively they rank fourth best for expected goals conceded (12.26), fifth for actual goals conceded (12), fourth best for shots in the box conceded (80) and fourth best for big chances conceded (17).

Erling Haaland (£14m) looks set for another fantastic season after notching up 11 goals and creating two assists already. When comparing his stats to all other players he ranks the best in the league for goals scored, total attempts on goal (42), shots in the box (40 and big chances total (19).

Who is the best captain for Gameweek 12?

Ollie Watkins is a great option for the round ahead. However, the fact he’s failed to return in his last two matches and that he isn’t on penalty duty like the other picks makes him less convincing.

Erling Haaland is also an amazing option this week. He’s in brilliant form recently and takes his sides penalties. However, he faces one of the best teams in the league in terms of the defensive data and away from home.

The best captain for Gameweek 12 is Mohamed Salah. Not only is he in form, and taking his sides penalties but he also gets additional points for the clean sheet and goals scored when compared to the forward options. Furthermore, unlike Haaland Salah plays at home, a place his side are much more convincing.