FPL Gameweek 26 Best Captain

In this article we pick out the best captain for FPL Gameweek 26. We take a look at some of the top candidates using the Fantasy Football Scout Members Area and its fantastic stats and fixture ticker to help us come to a conclusion.

FPL Gameweek 26 is here and its a blank round for some teams. The blank has removed some usually very good captaincy options which could cause some confusion. For that reason, knowing who the best captain is this week could be even more crucial.

Gameweek 26 fixtures

As we can see below, the fixture ticker has the teams with the easiest fixtures at the top. We can also see that the four teams at the bottom of the ticker do not have fixtures and therefore blank.

The Options – Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa sit second highest on the fixture ticker, as we can see above. This suggests they have the second easiest fixture. In terms of recent form, in their last six league matches they won three, lost two and drew one. When focusing on their underlying data in the dame period they rank joint seventh for goals and in the best six teams for metrics including total attempts, shots in the box, big chances total and shots on target total.

Nottingham Forest lay ahead for Aston Villa. In their last six matches they won two, lost three and drew one – highlighting an inconsistent period of form. Defensively however things haven’t been that bad for Nottingham Forest recently. In fact amongst all teams in the same period they rank second best for expected goals conceded, third best for shots in the box conceded, and second best for big chances conceded.

Ollie Watkins (£8.7m) continues to lead the Aston Villa attack. The in-form Englishman has racked up four goals and four assists in his last six matches. His fantastic form translates in parts with his underlying attacking data. In fact, in the same period he sits third best for non-penalty expected goal involvement and amongst the top six players in the league for shots in the box total and big chances total.

Erling Haaland

Manchester City have been relentless mostly in terms of recent form – winning five and drawing one of their last six matches. In terms of attacking data in the same six-match period they also rank fourth for goals scored, first for total attempts, second best for shots in the box, fifth for big chances total and second best for shots on target total.

Bournemouth lay ahead this week for Manchester City. The Cherries have been poor recently in terms of results – losing three and drawing three of their last six matches. Defensively Bournemouth also rank mid-table for most key metrics.

Leading the in-form Manchester City is Erling Haaland (£14.4m). Prior to his injury Haaland dominated the majority of key attacking metrics. Since returning from injury six matches ago Haaland has produced three goals and one assist. Statistically during that time he also sits in the top six for all major metrics like shots in the box total, big chances total and more.

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal have gained some serious momentum in their last six matches – winning five and losing just once. When compared to every other team in the same period they sit third best for expected goals, second best for actual goals scored, second for big chances total and third best for shots on target.

Arsenal face interesting opposition next up, Newcastle. The Magpies have been struggling to maintain the top form we are all used to recently. In their last six league matches they won two, lost two and drew two. However, things are much worse than that defensively. In the last six Newcastle rank the worst for expected goals conceded, joint second worst for shots on target conceded and joint second worst for big chances conceded.

The standout Arsenal attacker is of course Bukayo Saka (£9.1m). Similar to his side Saka has also been in relentless scoring form – hitting a huge seven goals and one assist om his last six matches. When it comes to his recent data in that period Saka also ranks second best for non-penalty expected goal involvement, second best for expected goals and joint second best for big chances.

Who is the best captain for Gameweek 26?

Ollie Watkins is a great option this week. However, although in form his upcoming opposition are producing some strong underlying defensive data recently. In addition, Watkins doesn’t take his sides penalties like the other two options.

It could be closer than many think between Erling Haaland and Bukayo Saka this week. Both players play for two of the most in-form teams in the league, take their sides penalties and have been sustaining some excellent underlying attacking data.

However, edging it and becoming the best captain for Gameweek 26 is Erling Haaland. This is because Saka hasn’t maintained a high level of attacking data for a longer period of time like Haaland. Saka also faces a Newcastle side who have the capability of being one of the best defensive units in the league and they have shown that already this season.