Best captain for FPL Gameweek 9

We take a look at some of the top candidates and pick out the best captain for FPL Gameweek 9. 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 9 could be key.

Gameweek 9 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.

Erling Haaland

Manchester City sit amongst the bottom teams on the ticker this week. The current title holders have hit a bit of a dip recently so they’ll be hoping to get back on track. They also still sit amongst the top four teams for offensive data points like total attempts on goal, shots in the box, and shots on target.

Brighton lay ahead of Manchester City. Although Brighton are offensively brilliant they are majorly lacking defensively. So far this season they are yet to keep a single clean sheet and rank fourth worst for goals conceded (16). Brighton have also conceded two or more goals in all three of their last matches.

Along with his side Erling Haaland (£14m) has also taken a dip in form. However, we should remember that he’s already managed eight goals and one assist in eight matches. When compared to all players he also ranks top for attempts on goal (32), first for shots in the box (32) and first for big chances total (15).

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool are gaining momentum as the season progresses it seem. Like Manchester City they also sit in the top four teams in the league. In terms of offensive stats the Reds rank joint fourth for goals scored (18), joint third best for big chances (27) and second best for expected goals scored (16.92).

Everton could pose as an interesting opponent for Liverpool as they face-off in the early kick-off. The Toffees may be under dogs for the game but their underlying defensive stats aren’t as bad as many may believe. In fact they sit sixth best for expected goals conceded (10.41), fourth best for shots on target conceded (29) and mid-table for other key defensive data points.

The main man at Liverpool is of course Mohamed Salah (£12.6m). The midfielder has returned in seven of his eight matches so which reflects his consistency this season. His underlying data is impressive as well. Salah ranks second for non-penalty expected goal involvement (5.64) and the best in the league for big chances created (nine). Salah does however rank outside the top five for shots in the box and big chances total.

Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United have struggled for consistency this season but they rank fourth on the fixture ticker for this week. The Reds are failing to maintain convincing attacking data. However, they do sit amongst the top five clubs for total attempts on goal (130) and shots in the box (87) which is promising.

One the biggest appeals for a Manchester United asset this week is the fact they face Sheffield United in he round ahead. The newly promoted side have been woeful since returning to the top tier. Defensively they also rank the worst for goals conceded (22), shots in the box conceded (118), total attempts conceded (176), shots on target conceded (66) and big chances conceded (32).

Sheffield United could be the best team to target in the league currently and Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) could be another great option. Bruno may have returned in just two of his matches so far, but both were double-digit hauls. He is also producing some good data. Fernandes sits fourth best for non-penalty expected goal involvement (5.04), the best for expected assists (3.40) and similar to the other options takes his sides penalties.

Son Heung-min

Tottenham have been brilliant so far and because of that are first in the Premier League. Offensively they are registering some great stats. When compared to all teams they rank joint fourth for goals (18), the best for total attempts on goal (153), top for shots in the box (96) and top for shots on target (56).

It’s a London derby this week as Tottenham clash with Fulham. The Cottagers haven’t been great either this season. Defensively Fulham rank the fourth worst for expected goals conceded (15.78) and in the top 10 worst teams for other defensive data points.

Son Heung-min (£9.5m) could have good potential this week. Son is playing out of position in a forward role as of late. He’s also managed three returns in the last five games. No just that but in the last four Gameweeks he sits the fourth best for non-penalty expected goal involvement (2.72).

Best captain for FPL Gameweek 9

All four take their sides penalties and have good potential for the round ahead.

Bruno Fernandes may be producing some great data but has failed a lot more than succeeded when it comes to converting that into actual points.

Son Heung-min is also promising but the injury he’s carrying could be a concern in terms of his minutes in any given game.

Mohamed Salah has been very consistent this season. Although maintaining some excellent expected assist data he still lacks goal threat in comparison to Erling Haaland. The Egyptian also faces a team maintaining some fairly good underlying defensive data in Everton.

Erling Haaland is the best captaincy option this week. His opponent have been very poor defensively this season and Haaland is still sustaining excellent goal threat data which ultimately makes him a more convincing option.