Best captain for FPL Gameweek 5

We take a look at some of the top candidates and pick out the best captain for FPL Gameweek 5. 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 best captain for FPL Gameweek 5 could be key.

Gameweek 5 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.

James Maddison

Tottenham have started the new campaign fantastically. In their first four matches Spurs picked up three wins and one draw. One huge reason for their form is the goals their scoring. In fact, in the early stages Tottenham have racked up the joint second highest goals scored (11).

Newly promoted side Sheffield United have gotten off to a rotten start to their new campaign. After four matches the Blades have accumulated just one point – losing three and drawing one. Sheffield United are no doubt a team to target this week, even for captaincy.

One of the biggest factors to Tottenham’ early form is new signing James Maddison (£7.8m). The midfielder ranks joint fourth for points returned so far after scoring two goals and creating two assists. To highlight his involvement, amongst all players in the division he sits second for non-penalty expected goal involvement (3.42). Maddison also takes set pieces which gives him additional routes to points.

Son Heung-min

Another Tottenham asset could be a great option this week. Tottenham have made a better start than many expected and we have already seen they are one of the leagues top scorers. That may be the case but their underlying attacking data is also impressive. Amongst all teams in the league so far they sit second best for attempts on goal (73), second best for minutes per chance (5.3) and second best for shots on target (29).

In terms of Sheffield United they have been conceding some poor underlying defensive data. In fact, when compared to all teams in the league they rank second worst for shots in the box conceded (56), joint worst for shots outside the box conceded (31) and joint second worst for shots on target conceded (27).

Son Heung-min (£9.1m) should also be considered this week. In his latest match he played in the strikers role and that looks set to continue. In the same match Son racked up a huge 20 points due to his three goals and three bonus. There is also a very good chance Son is on penalty duty for Tottenham which could give him an additional route to points.

Erling Haaland

Manchester City have made a great start to their new campaign. The league holders have played four matches and won them all, being the only team to do so. In terms of attack they rank joint second best for goals scored (11), joint second best for shots in the box (51) and third best for shots on target (26).

West Ham lay ahead for Manchester City. The Hammers have picked up three wins and one draw in their first four matches. However, they have also been conceding some concerning data. Amongst all teams they rank joint worst for clean sheets kept (zero), third worst for total attempts conceded on goal (72), joint second worst for headed attempts conceded (16) and joint second worst for attempts from set plays conceded (20).

Once again, Erling Haaland (£14.1m) is proving to be the most consistent asset in the game. He sits at the top of the points charts with a huge 39 points due to his six goals and one assist. The Noregian’ potential can be reinforced with his underlying data. Amongst all players so far he sits first for total attempts on goal (20), first for shots in the box (20) and joint first for big chances total (seven). Haaland also takes his sides penalties which gives him an additional route to points.

The best captain for Gameweek 5

Tottenham look great so far this season and the goals and underlying data back that up. However, this is a different side with a different manager with new signings and players playing in new roles. Taking into account that, how consistent Manchester City have been over the years offensively, the fact that Haaland’ output and underlying data is strong, that he also takes his sides penalties and he faces a West Ham conceding some concerning defensive data that could benefit him, Erling Haaland is the most assured and best captaincy option for Gameweek 5.

That may be the case but for those looking to go different, the round ahead could be a good opportunity to take a risk and back either Son Heung-min or James Maddison.