FPL Best Captain for Gameweek 21

We take a look at some of the top candidates and pick out the FPL best captain for Gameweek 21. 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 21 could be key.

Gameweek 21 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 – Cole Palmer

Chelsea have been inconsistent for most of this season. More recently the Blues have won four of their last six matches in all competitions. In terms of their stats, overall they sit second best in the entire division for expected goals. Focusing on their last six matches they also rank in the top eight teams for most of the key attacking metrics, including fourth best for expected goals.

Fulham lay ahead for Chelsea this week. The Cottagers have been inconsistent recently – winning and losing three of their last six matches. When comparing their recent defensive data with other teams they sit around mid-table for the majority of the underlying metrics. However, when looking at the season overall Fulham rank fourth worst for total shots on target conceded and joint third worst for big chances conceded.

Cole Palmer (£5.7m) has been exceptional for Chelsea since joining. The youngster has already taken over penalty duty which is a huge boost to his appeal. In the same six-match period as above only one player has picked up more points than Palmer in FPL. In terms of his data in the same period he sits amongst the best six players for non-penalty expected goal involvement, goals scored and total attempts on goal. It is also worth highlighting that he played in a strikers role for Chelsea in his most recent match with the departure of Nicolas Jackson to AFCON.

Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa remain second in the league after a blistering start to their campaign. Things haven’t been as smooth as Villa would have liked recently – dropping points against Sheffield United and Manchester United but they still managed four wins out of their last six matches. Offensively in that period they rank amongst the top eight teams for most key metrics.

Everton away is up next for Aston Villa. The Toffees have been much better under Sean Dyche but have been poor recently. In fact Everton have lost all three of their last league matches whilst conceding 2-3 goals in all of the same games. When focusing on their defensive data for the same period Everton sit around mid-table for most metrics.

Leading one of the most efficient attacks in the league this season is of course Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) who sits as the third highest scoring player in the game so far due to his consistency. In the last six Gameweeks Watkins ranks outside the top 10 players for non-penalty expected goal involvement, shots in the box and big chances total.

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal are another side who have lost some of their top early season form recently – with just two wins in their last six league matches. Their recent attacking data has been impressive however. In fact, in the same period Arsenal rank second best for total attempts, second best for shots in the box and the best for big chances total.

In terms of Arsenal’ opposition, it’s Crystal Palace who await them. The Eagles have been really struggling for form recently. Other than their latest victory Crystal Palace failed to win any of the eight matches prior to that. A lot of the Crystal Palace defensive data ranks as mid-table other than the fact they sit joint second worst for total big chances conceded in the last six Gameweeks.

Targeting a Crystal Palace side who have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight matches is Bukayo Saka (£9m). Similar to Cole Palmer Saka takes his sides penalties which generally gives a player more appeal in FPL. Saka has had a strong start to the season as he sits as the sixth highest scoring player in the game. When it comes to his underlying data in the last six Gameweeks Saka ranks second best for non-penalty expected goal involvement, joint second best for attempts on goal, third best for shots in the box and joint third for big chances total.

Who is the best captain for Gameweek 21?

Ollie Watkins is a great option but his lack of recent underlying data in comparison to the other options is a concern. His side are also playing away from home unlike Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.

It could be a very close call between both Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer. Both have been sustaining great underlying offensive data recently but only one has managed to translate that into actual FPL points. Cole Palmer could also start in the strikers position again which provides extra appeal. Taking all of the above into account Cole Palmer is the best captaincy option for Gameweek 21.