Best Captain for Gameweek 31

The new round of Fantasy Premier League is approaching so we take a look at the candidates and pick out the best captain for Gameweek 31. To do this we use some of the fantastic tools in the Fantasy Football Scout Members Area.

As we approach the latter stages of the competition picking the right captain will be absolutely crucial for rank and mini-league position. As tempting as it is to go against the crowd, giving the armband to the player with the most factors backing them tends to be the best option. So, lets take a look at who we should consider this week.

Gameweek 31 Fixtures

The Options – Mohamed Salah

After winning five of their last six league matches, Liverpool are in a fantastic run of form. Overall this season, the Reds have been dominant when it comes to attacking data, ranking second best for goals scored, the best for total attempts on goal, first for shots in the box, top for big chances total and the best for total shots on target. They have also maintained their top stats in the last six Gameweeks.

Liverpool rank top of the fixture ticker this week with a clash against newly promoted side Sheffield United. Defensively, this season Sheffield United rank amongst the worst two sides in the league for most underlying metrics. They continue to lack at the back as they sit joint worst in the last six Gameweeks for goals conceded.

Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) has been excellent so far this season and we can see that from his impressive 16 goals and nine assists. It terms of stats, although missing around six games due to AFCON and injury, the Egyptian still sits third best for non-penalty expected goal involvement, joint second best for goals scored and third best for big chances total.

Bukayo Saka

Similar to Liverpool, Arsenal are also contending for the title and they are doing a good job of it recently after winning five of their last six matches. During that same run they also netted a massive 23 goals. When focusing on their attacking data this campaign, Arsenal sit amongst the top four teams for total attempts on goal, total shots in the box and total shots on target. Although ranking top for goals in the last six Gameweeks Arsenal failed to get amongst the top five teams for most of the other underlying attacking metrics.

Arsenal have a lovely fixture against Luton ahead, a side who have lost four of their last six league matches. The Hatters also conceded a huge 15 goals in that same six-match period which is a concern. Overall this season, defensively, Luton rank third worst for goals conceded, the worst for shots in the box conceded and the worst for big chances conceded. Interestingly, in the last six Gameweeks they either rank worst or joint worst for most defensive metrics.

The standout option in the Arsenal attack is of course Bukayo Saka (£9m) who has amassed 13 goals and eight assists in just 28 matches so far this season. In terms of how he stacks up when it comes to his attacking numbers, Saka sits fourth best for non-penalty expected goal involvement, and amongst the top 10 players for other key attacking metrics like big chances total and shots in the box total.

Erling Haaland

The third and final team chasing the title this campaign is Manchester City. In terms of results form, Pep Guardiola’ men have won three and drawn three of their last six matches. Overall they also sit third best for goals, second best for total attempts on goal, third best for total big chances and second best for total shots on target.

Manchester City have an interesting match against Aston next up, a side who are fourth in the league. Although their form has dipped overall, Aston Villa have still won four of their last six matches, which shows how good they have been this season. Defensively overall, they also sit in the best six teams for goals conceded, total shots in the box conceded and total shots on target conceded. However, they also rank fifth worst this season for total big chances conceded. All of those stats have worsened in their last six Gameweeks.

Leading the lethal Manchester City frontline is Erling Haaland (£14.3m). Although missing five games due to injury this season Haaland is still the highest goal scorer in the league with 18 goals. When compared to every other player for attacking data Haaland also sits as the best for non-penalty expected goal involvement, first for total attempts on goal, first for total shots in the box and first for big chances total. He also tops every other player for non-penalty expected goal involvement and big chances total in the last six Gameweeks.

Who is the best captain for Gameweek 31?

As elite as Erling Haaland’ attacking data has been recently, he faces a top four side with very good defensive data overall this season. For that reason it could be worth opting for one of the other options with better fixtures.

Bukayo Saka plays for a side scoring more goals than any other as of late. He also faces off with one of the worst defences in the league. However, both his and his sides lack of attacking data recently gives our final consideration the edge.

The best captain for Gameweek 31 is Mohamed Salah. Not only does he come up against the worst defence in the league but both he and his side maintain some of the best attacking metrics in the league.