Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 38
Welcome to Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 38
Sort of…
Under the guise of doing so, we bring you our now traditional GW38 article, which is essentially just a chance to invite the whole team to have a say on whatever they like. And then tell you they will be picking Haaland as captain.
We make no excuses that this is not edited, redacted or indeed ran past the legal team. We have no idea what they will say 
So, like a curtain call at a cheap panto, here they all are, in all their glory….
Init — Haaland
I’ll get this one rolling then, but only because I want to say a massive thank you to the team below. Be it writing, IT, designing, running leagues, making the tea, whatever, the website does not run or exist without them all doing their own little bit. It’s all pro bono too, don’t forget, and most of them have families, jobs and just generally busy lives to contend with. It is massively appreciated, be it those who put their hand up weekly or just those that do what they can, when they can 
A usual big thank you too to those who contribute on the forum and bring the place to life on a weekly basis. I maintain that this is a fairly unique space on the internet these days, where it is nothing but friendly and helpful chat, along with a bit of good natured banter.
As for this week I am not going away from the herd, I fully expect Pep will want this one wrapped up within 2o minutes, rather than the usual death by a thousand cuts approach, and as such Haaland could have a field day. The only danger then is that he starts preserving the main men for the upcoming Massacre of (the other) Manchester.
DMC — Salah
FPL needs improvement
FPL is a fantastic and entertaining game. All sports related fantasy games are and I think the reason why they are so alluring is that they make the fans interested in all the players of all the teams instead of just their own real-life club, if any.
We’ve all been there in the front row of a Monday night Stoke City-Norwich City game looking for a home bankers’ clean sheet despite not routing for these clubs. Why? Because it gives you 6 points, if not more, that’s why!! And we all know how those margins are think nowadays in a very packed overall rank in which half a point makes you climb or fall a lot of places let alone a CS!
The problem I feel nowadays is that everybody has the same 7/8 players and while this is normally the case come the end of the season with the big DGWs etc I feel that it now starts earlier, that is, we have the same teams or very similar ones since day 1.
Why?
Well, one of the reasons is obviously the form of each team or player and of course the fixtures swings and there’s nothing we can do about that – it is what it is, I mean why would one not buy the players in form with good fixtures? Planning is key and always will be and it’s part of the fun.
The other reason is the cost of an extra transfer. This makes us be cautious, conservative and risk averse dull because we know that going against what seems sensible and obvious and what the majority will do may not only cost us dearly in a given GW but may also cost us even more if we then want to correct a mistake or transform a one-week punt into another week punt. What I mean is that the low flexibility caused by the cost (in points) of being too adventurous makes the majority of us have a conservative approach to the game which then makes it a bit dull and why we go for the same optimal players.
We need an improvement that allows different strategies and styles of play without making it look like jumping from a plane without a parashoot (parachute) 
which is what we have now every time one wants to go a bit different.
I’m not having the best season here on just inside 300k and you could be led to believe that this is why I’m advocating for changes in a “the game is wrong and not me” approach or whatever. Except last season I ended up on 19k and I said the same about the game ahead of my GW38 bit then too.
So, my small contribution to this improvement is to allow 2 FT for each GW and allow to carry on 1 of them max or to reduce the cost of an extra transfer to 2 points.
Furthermore, and this one is more to EPL than to FPL, stop scheduling with the FA cup and League games colliding with EPL fixtures causing blank and double game weeks that are unnecessary and disturb planning. It doesn’t have to be that way and it isn’t in fact like that in any of the other top 5 European leagues. Actually, I think it’s not like that in any other country.
This will no doubt make Ben Crellin’s life even duller without the BDGW spreadsheets but it would massively improve FPL as we can then simply plan for a more straightforward schedule of 38 game weeks.
When it comes to GW 38 captains which is actually why you are mostly here for, I give you that man Mo Salah. No crazy punts, no Wissas, no Porros, as in my two previous final day captain pick articles – they did well btw – but the tried and trusted King of FPL with yet another home game against lower opposition with the advantage of him being a differential in himself as no one has him as a result of DGW37 and all will be captaining Haaland – who will blank in a nervy home game against West Ham.
If you can’t reach Salah with 1 FT (case in point!) and you are trying to climb a few more spots in the ranks or clinch that ML win for banter rights then I suggest someone in form with a good home fixture that is going a bit under the radar: I give you Leandro Trossard.
Cheers everyone and keep posting on site and we’ll see each other next year (or in the Euro Fantasy)!
The Gallant Pioneer — Cole Palmer
I’ve really enjoyed Cold (sp.) Palmer this season. In a season where it seemed that the relegation story was already in the post, when Arsenal would be good, but somehow you knew, not quite good enough and that we expected Liverpool to switch off (but not quite that much!) once Klopp announced he was jacking it, it seems refreshing that a youngster would ditch City and go on to better things. That Chelsea will secure 6th is 90% his doing. Go out with a bang young man!
Some personal news. My life has gotten way busier this season hence I’ve not been around as much as in previous times. Nothing is wrong, just busier. I’m really immersed in youth football coaching AND the admin side of things in a new role as club secretary since early winter.
I’m in a mind just now to take a season out from playing FPL. Not that I can’t take 5 mins a week to squeeze in the setting up of my team but, rather sadly, I’ve found that I’m not bothered if I do or don’t. I think the game has become consumed by itself. There’s too much placed on ownership, team leaks etc.that it seems to me many aren’t getting any enjoyment from the game. I hope that’s NOT you Dear Reader but for me, it’s lost a lot of its magic which is a terrible shame.
Come on FPL! Dangle the carrot of deadline at the first kick off time and get me turned back on!
I wish you all a wonderful summer and enjoy the Euros.
Jamesimmo — I haaven’t decided
I caan’t reveal who I’ll be captaining this Sunday — I haaven’t quite decided — but Bowen has a lot of appeal from an emotional standpoint…
Regardless of what haapens (and we know essentially what will), it’s been another enjoyable F/PL season, if not a cruel one. Good luck with your final ML hunts and punts!
Also, thanks for playing H&L on a regular basis, it’s part of what makes FF247 special. Huge thanks to the writers too! They make this contribution look pathetic (admittedly easy to do).
Ivan — Haaland
Quite frankly, glad to see the back of what has been a dismal season for me. That said, it has been a massive fun as always to be among great writers and participants on this site and already looking forward to start it again in August. As for the captain, we’ve started and let’s finish with Haaland.
P.S. While we are waiting for the new season, don’t forget we have a warm up session in the shape of Fantasy Euro 2024 which should keep us busy for a month 
Swirly — Haaland
So here we are, the end of another season. I’m currently at 45k, at the time of writing, something I wasn’t expecting by any stretch! To say I’m pleased, having hoped to finish the campaign in the top 100k, is an understatement. This is now my 15th consecutive season and, should the stars align, I could even have my best finish in five years. Funnily enough, this season has been the first in a long time where I’ve taken it less seriously too. Of course, luck has helped along the way – and I’m still checking price changes and all the other aspects we’re familiar with – but it’s been more enjoyable as a result. As a result, I feel far more willing to do it all again the next season!
Thinking of this Gameweek 38, my captain choice is Erling Haaland. Being on 27 goals and eight assists this season – a bit less than the 36 and nine respectively of the 2022-23 groundbreaking – and also facing West Ham who have shown themselves to be rather leaky at the back, the Norwegian looks a good option. Only Fulham have kept him away from the scoresheet since Gameweek 31. Oh and I suppose there’s the small issue of Man City wanting to win the Premier League!
Best of luck to everyone. Hope you managed to achieve your targets and, if not, there’s always next season. You can put this all behind you over the summer, enjoy Euro 2024 and join us in starting from scratch ahead of Gameweek 1 of the 2024/25 season!
Matt — We will see
We have come to the end of yet another season and all I can say is Hallelujah! This has been a tough season for me. Puts and downs… mostly downs… it seemed to be for every step forward I earned, the following week would knock me back 3 or 4 steps. 16 red arrows is certainly not pretty to look at but thankfully there has only been one of those since GW28. While that sounds brilliant, my green arrows have really only been around 10k or less rises so they should probably be greyer in colour. I am currently at 340k so I am currently on for a better season than last year and I hope that fact stays true.
I don’t have anything to fight for this week apart from OR but honestly, I have had the worst luck with injuries since my WC in GW30 so I might just have some fun and bring in a massive punt and captain someone different. I can’t exactly tell you who my transfer will be as I don’t even know yet… I’ll just wait for the next injury.
When it comes to my captain I have a few options. Haaland against West Ham is the obvious one so I am less likely to go there, I have Son or Johnson against Sheffield United and I kind of like Johnson as a punt. I also have Palmer against Bournemouth; Palmer has been one of the best players this season and Chelsea have been improving lately. I could even captain someone that I bring in. Salah for a possible last hurrah for both him and Klopp? Saka or Havertz as they are still in with a slim chance of winning the league? Basically, there are a load of options and I’m sure whatever one I go with will be the wrong one!
Best of luck to you all this week and I hope you achieve whatever aim you are looking for as we enter GW38. Thank you all for coming onto the site and listen to me rant more weeks than not. This is a great community and I hope to see you all back here in August. Or play Euro Fantasy in like 2 weeks!
Loud Atlas — Erling Haaland
Man City need to win in their last game to guarantee a record-breaking fourth consecutive top flight title. The man in the goals is Haaland (although he’s had a ‘quiet’ season!) so he gets the armband for me. Enjoy this last gameweek and see you all for the Euros next month (or if not, then preseason). Good luck, folks!
Smash — Haaland
As always thanks to everyone that has posted on the site this year. Sorry I have not been on it as much this year I have struggled with my mental health and my rank. I have never had a rollercoaster season like this one. I was 6 million GW12 and pretty much bottom in all my mini leagues. I have clawed it back to just outside of 100k. As for captain I struggle to look past Haaland at home to West Ham. City need to win and West Ham have shipped 10 goals in their last two away games.
Kop — Haaland
I’ll be giving the armband to Haaland. Anything else would be daft!
Tbh, I couldn’t care less about FPL this weekend. It’s all about one man, Jürgen Klopp.
I was nine when Liverpool won the league in 1990, so while I remember Liverpool’s successes in the mid to late 90s, I wasn’t old enough to enjoy or appreciate those times. In the decades that followed, Liverpool showed flickers of returning to the top but those flickers always flattered to receive. We had a couple of great nights along the way, but nothing more than one off nights.
Enter Klopp in October ’15. He arrived with a great CV, but I don’t many expected him to have the impact on the club which he’s had. He’s given the club back its identity, which it had unquestionably lost during some dark days. From a personal point of view, my little lad who’s 9 next week is also a Liverpool fan and Jürgen has given myself & Max a number of great moments together over the last few years. Unfortunately, I can see some similarities in Max’s early years & mine as Liverpool supporters. I hope that he can enjoy watching Liverpool into his teens & beyond!
Thanks for the memories Jürgen!
Rosco — The Robot
It’s been another tough season but thankfully better than the last one! Last season kicked my ass. I sneaked into the top 100k in GW38 for the first time that season, finishing with an overall rank of 94k, my worst rank ever. My goal this season was to simply beat that.
Heading into GW38 my current OR sits at 37k following a solid bench boost.
It wasn’t the perfect Widcard team by any stretch, I ditched Gvardiol at the last minute for the more ‘reliable’ Ederson, I picked up injuries to Schar and Maguire, and whilst some had the luxury of flipping Ederson to Gvardiol, I had to make do with two boring defender transfers. Thankfully one of them was Van de Ven.
So, whatever happens in GW38 I’ve likely achieved my goal. I would love to push to 27k which would be higher than my worst rank outside of last year’s disaster.
With 1FT I’ll be thinking long and hard about who I’ll bring in. An Arsenal midfielder seems on paper a straightforward play, mathematically the Gunners can still win the league, though it seems unlikely and Everton have been solid defensively. If I don’t go there a Palace mid could be an option, hoping that the Villa side that turns up at Selhurst are still celebrating their UCL qualification (congrats to my good friend Swirly on that!). I’d love to stretch to Salah or KDB, but both those moves would require a hit, I hate hits.
As for captaincy, it’ll likely be the robot. I’d love to take a risk and go with someone else but my fear of going against the favourite is likely too much for my cautious (Bottler) nature.
So, all that’s left to say is thank you for reading and being part of the community. Hopefully, you’ll all be back next year, ready to do it all over again. Good luck in GW38 and may your arrows be green!
Ellefcee — Haaland
Well this season has been a bit of a trek for me personally. Due to health problems I decided to not take it serious this season and just have a bit of fun. Captaincy has been pretty easy for me, Haaland all the way, except when he was out, of course. With one gameweek to go I’m at overall, 160,503. I need to take it non-serious more often. Haaland is deffo cappo for gameweek 38 and he’ll do the business to clinch the title against a poor WHU who have conceded 14 in their last 5 games.
Stone Frog — Haaland
Firstly, a big thank you to all the site team for the fantastic articles throughout the season and to all the contributors that make our great community. This season has not been the easiest. Keen to boldly try differentials, I have been punished pretty much every time. My sub-par rank and mini-league positions mean I could really do with going with some differentials this week, oh dear!
Thankfully or regrettably, I have a Free Hit to play. I have a blank canvas to pick from and no doubt there will be some last-minute pre-deadline chaos with various leaks and unexpected line-ups. There are plenty of potential captain options, but it’s hard to look past teams with something to play for and the inevitable Haaland armband. Looking forward to next year.
OddDane — Casemiro, anyone?
Thank you all for another great season of FPL – and especially all of you active in contributing to the articles and the forum chat, I really enjoy the light-hearted nature of this site and its community!
Unfortunately I haven’t been as active as I’d like to (work, life, that kind o’ stuff…) but I have tried, if that counts for anything.
Rank-wise too I’ve done great, never before have I seen so big numbers, millions even. Bigger is better, right?… Right!? Seriously though, oh boy, looking forward to the end of this chaos show! (FPL I mean, life can carry on – please!)
For this week I’d go with Palmer, Foden, Erling or maybe even Son as Captain. But, with my luck, I don’t want to ruin everyone’s last week so will probably just pick a lesser owned clown. Let’s say someone from ManU 
Good luck everyone and enjoy this last round of FPL!
Jamie Mc — Son
Well, I’m sure it has been a long and winding road for you all from the start of game week 1 on Friday 11th August 23 to game week 38 ending on this Sunday 19th May 24.
No doubt you all have had some highs and a good few lows along the way.
Personally, I have had my poorest season to date overall ranking wise but thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be part of the FF247 writing team and offer you some of my thoughts in the articles that I have contributed towards.
As for this final game week then it would make sense to captain a player with something to play for (I’m looking at you City and Arsenal players). I think I will go against the odds (hence my poor overall ranking) and captain Sonny in Spurs away fixture at Sheffield United.
Bruno will be leaving my squad and I think I will be transferring in a Liverpool midfield player as they should be “bursting a gut” for a good send off for Herr Klopp.
I hope you all have a wonderful summer; recharge the batteries and be ready to do this all again next season.
Good luck for the game week.
VOTE ON THIS WEEK’S CAPTAIN POLL
Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 38.
FPL FIXTURE TRACKER
Hey guys,
I’m thinking either
1 Bruno to Havertz or Saka
Or 2 Gordon and Vicario to Havertz and Flekken for -4.
Thanks guys.
I don’t thinkt a hit involving a keeper as worth it.
Bruno has 4 goals and 2 assists in 8 games vs Brighton. 3 of the goals are scored at Brighton
Thanks guys.
Thank you all and I agree with many of your points about improving/changing the game.
Enjoy the finale.