The best captain for Gameweek 36

We find the best captain for Gameweek 36. With the help of the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can use the season ticker and underlying stats to find the best captaincy option for the Gameweek ahead.

Captaincy is one of the most important decisions a manager can make in fantasy football. Writing up a shortlist of options can be helpful but picking out the best captain for Gameweek 36 can be even more important for FPL managers.

Fixture ticker

Below you can see teams near the top with the easier fixtures, going all the way down the table to teams with the tougher fixtures. The season ticker can be very helpful. However, won’t always give us the full story on which players make the best captaincy options.

The options – Alexander Isak

Newcastle rank first on the fixture ticker this week. They have a double Gameweek which makes their assets even better options for captaincy. Offensively, Newcastle have been fantastic as of late. In fact in their last six matches they have netted two or more goals in four of their games.

One of the opponents Newcastle face, Leeds, have been extremely poor this season. To highlight their defensive fragilities, in the last six Gameweeks amongst all teams they rank the worst for goals conceded (20) and joint third worst for big chances conceded (20).

Leeds have a huge target on their backs and are just one of the fixtures Newcastle’s Alexander Isak (£7m) will face. The striker has started the last five out of six matches for his side, increasing his assurance over future minutes. In his last 10 league matches, Isak has also notched up six returns, including two double-digit hauls.

Callum Wilson

Newcastle’s double Gameweek continues to offer up some great options for captaincy in their frontline. The Newcastle attack has been excellent recently but in terms of their overall season when compared to all teams they also sit as the fourth best team in the league for shots in the box (363) and the fourth best for big chances total (98).

We have already seen that one of their opponents, Leeds, are in terrible conceding form but what of their other opponent? Brighton may have sustained some great underlying defensive data this season but they have also recently conceded three or more goals against Everton and Nottingham Forest. This suggests that a Newcastle attacker has potential against them.

The second Newcastle striker option is Callum Wilson (£7.1m). Wilson has started just two of his teams last six matches, but has come on at half-time in another two. What is interesting is that in the last four Gameweeks amongst all players he ranks second best in the division for non-penalty expected goal involvement (3.19). Whether featuring or starting in his last eight games, the Newcastle penalty taker has racked up eight goals and one assist, helping him achieve three double-digit hauls in the same period.

Alexis Mac Allister

Like Newcastle, Brighton also play two matches in the round ahead. Although a one or two slip-ups have seen Brighton fall away from the European spots as of late, they are still sustaining some great offensive data. In fact, in the last six Gameweeks when compared to all teams they rank first for attempts on goal (127), first for shots in the box (87) and joint second for big chances total (40).

On paper, Brighton are playing against two very tough sides this week. Although, both of their Gameweek 36 opponents have maintained some great defensive data this campaign, both defences have been in decline. That can be reflected in the fact that none have been able to secure more than two clean sheets in their last six matches.

There has been some rotation between the Brighton attackers as of late but one player who should avoid that in the round ahead is Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m). The midfielders position can fluctuate from central midfield to an advanced role and he also takes his sides penalties and some set pieces, giving him an additional routes to points. Mac Allister also ranks above all of his offensive teammates in the last six Gameweeks for non-penalty expected goal involvement (3.71).

Who is the best captain for Gameweek 36?

Although Brighton are a very appealing team to invest in and Alexis Mac Allister a very good option for the Gameweek ahead, Arsenal and Newcastle could be very tough opponents. Not only have Newcastle been sustaining some great offensive stats lately but they also face a dire defensive unit in Leeds.

Because of this, captaining a Newcastle striker is the best move this week, but which one? Whilst Alexander Isak has proven more reliable in terms of minutes, Callum Wilson takes penalties, edges his teammate for non-penalty expected goal involvement in the last six and is more explosive than his teammate. It is also worth noting that both Isak and Wilson started the most recent match together.

Considering all of the factors above, Callum Wilson is the best captain for Gameweek 36.