FPL Best Captain for Gameweek 17

We take a look at some of the top candidates and pick out the FPL best captain for Gameweek 17. 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 17 could be key.

Gameweek 17 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 – Erling Haaland

Manchester City have been mixed in terms of recent form. In their last six league games they have won two, drawn three and lost one. It is worth mentioning that during that period they played Aston Villa, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea. In terms of attacking data in the same period, even with tough opposition they still ranked second in the league for goals scored, third for big chances and third for expected goals.

Crystal Palace are up next for Manchester City. The Eagles have been struggling for form recently – winning one, losing four and drawing one of their last six matches. When looking at the underlying defensive data for their poor patch they still managed to sit around mid-table for a lot of the key metrics.

Erling Haaland (£14m) continues to be one of the best assets in the game. In his last six league games he bagged five goals and three assists. When compared to every other attacker in the league in that period he sits top for non-penalty expected goal involvement, the best for goals scored, first for shots in the box and first for big chances total. Haaland missed his last match due to a minor injury so monitoring for an update on his status prior to the line-up will be key.

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool are a team in great recent league form – winning four and drawing two in the last six matches. They have however played mainly weaker sides including Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Fulham, and Luton. In the same period they rank seventh for expected goals, joint third for goals scored, first for total attempts, second for big chances total and first for shots on target.

Manchester United are up next for Liverpool, a fixture that Liverpool have netted three or more goals in in four of their last five. Manchester United have been inconsistent – winning four and losing two of their last six matches. Interestingly two of those losses have come in the last three. Defensively in the same six matches Manchester United sit the best for goals conceded, joint best for clean sheets kept and mid-table for other key metrics.

One player in the Liverpool attack worth considering for captaincy is Mohamed Salah (£13.2m). The Egyptian has accumulated three goals and three assists in the last six games. When looking at the data during that time he ranks third best for non-penalty expected goal involvement and joint third for big chances total.

Son Heung-Min

Tottenham are in an interesting run of form – losing four, drawing one and winning one of their last six matches. During that period they faced Newcastle, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Chelsea. They also ranked fourth for goals scored, fourth best for shots on target, sixth for total attempts on goal and sixth for shots in the box.

Tottenham have a meeting with Nottingham Forest. Forest play at home this week but in the last six they have lost four, won one and drawn one. In terms of defensive data they still rank around mid-table for a lot of the key metrics.

Son Heung-Min (£9.6m) like our other options takes his sides penalties which is a bonus. In terms of form Son has picked up two goals and three assists. When compared to other players in the same six-match period he ranks outside of the top 10 players for most of the key attacking metrics.

Who is the best captain for Gameweek 17?

Although Son is a great asset this week but his data is lacking when compared to the other options. He also plays away from home which could be seen as a negative.

Erling Haaland would be the standout captaincy option this week due to his stats and opposition. However, there are doubts over his fitness which could be a serious issue for gametime and thus makes him a worse option.

Mohamed Salah is the best captain for Gameweek 17. The Egyptian is in great form, is producing some good data and faces a team who seem to be out of form and suffering key defensive injuries at the back.