FPL Captain Picks Gameweek 28

FPL Captain Picks Gameweek 28

Welcome to FPL Captain Picks Gameweek 28
Last week saw a split in our writers picks, a couple went with a DGW’er, a couple with a singleton. And up until Wednesday night it looked as if the lonely hearts club was going to run away with it all, well one of them anyway. That was of course until Southampton got involved and we had to get our Man City abacus out. Fortunately for the Saints, and our Kop / Kane combo, said abacus only needed to count to 5, just as we were once again reaching for the 9-version.

1. Kop – Kane, 38 points.
Our early leader held on, which was no surprise really with 2 goals and 2 assists. Kop was the best, as he will surely remind you below!

2. Rosco – KdB, 32 points.
A late surge but even 2 games wasn’t enough this time.

3. James – Gundogan, 20 points.
Not quite the 75 points per games as promised by our fanciful James, but still the usual steady return from Gundo.

4. Loud Atlas – Salah, 4 points.
Just as well this was only a 4 horse race as Salah and co. can only dream of such lofty heights right now…

No doubles to choose from this week, at least not that we know of so far, so let’s go see what this week looks like in the eyes of our pickers…

Rosco – Bruno v West Ham (H)

My Approach to fantasy football used to be much simpler; I’d watch football, pick who looked good, and back my decision with a cursory glance at statistics. Then I discovered the dark place. My first forays into FPL Twitter were innocent enough, essentially serving as a quick ‘sense check’ to ensure I wasn’t bringing in a player who had picked up a training ground knock or maybe tried to play keepy ups with a bottle of Salad Cream (a reference for our older contingent).

Soon enough though FPL Twitter began to have its wicked way with me, sowing the seeds of doubt into just about every decision I made. The problem is you see, everyone on Twitter has an opinion. Don’t get me wrong, there are some excellent content providers, and over the last few years I’ve gleaned invaluable information which has without a doubt helped me, but I’m only human, sometimes the temptation to buy into whatever narrative they’re pushing can become all-consuming.

Last week was one such occasion where I had to be strong of mind because the narrative they were pushing (and some big-name accounts were all over this one) was so out there that it made me doubt if I was mad for having not thought up this one myself. They were selling Bruno Fernandes. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, after just 2 blanks, people were actively removing the most owned, highest points scorer in the game. I wasn’t buying it. Others bought into the narrative but clearly lacked the conviction to follow through, so they benched him instead. Bonkers.

You could have written the script. Less than 1 minute into the Manchester derby, United get a penalty, up steps Bruno and just like that a thousand (300,771 to precise) voices cried out in pain. Even with double City defence I couldn’t help but crack a wry smile. I have no doubt many will be buying him back in their droves as we speak because if anyone had sat down and thought this one through, perhaps looked just one week ahead, they would have seen that Bruno (C) this game week is just about the most straightforward decision you could make. I surely don’t need to give you all the stats, and there’ll be some who point to West Ham’s good form and excellent defensive stats, but you could have said the same about City, and then some. If you’re wise to effective ownership (I sometimes wish I wasn’t) then I guarantee that Bruno will be pushing beyond 150%. What does that mean? Well, in Layman’s terms, if you don’t captain him, and he goes off, its goodnight Vienna, a big red arrow and pangs of regret.

Smash – Martinez v Newcastle (A)

So is it ridiculous to captain a keeper? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. With so many big hitters disappointing like Salah, and there not being an obvious Man City player to choose from (who is 100% nailed onto start), Spurs with a tough Arsenal fixture (North London derby, form goes out the window), Martinez is starting to look more attractive. Is Martinez an ordinary keeper? Probably not. He is the fifth highest points scorer in the game behind Kane, Bruno, Son and Salah. That’s right he’s scored that many points, well 149 in total. When he keeps a clean sheet it almost certainly means bonus points as Villa defenders don’t pass the ball about much. He picks up save points galore as Aston Villa encourage shots from range with a low block. He also has six double digit returns so is it madness to captain this guy?

The fixture this week is Newcastle away. You could captain Watkins but he needs to score two to get double digits and has less points than Martinez. Callum Wilson is still out injured which leaves Newcastle with very little attacking threat. To add to this ASM and Almiron are also injured which leaves Joelinton up top… do I need to say more. They have only scored six times in the last six games and have the second worst xG in the league for the same period. They will attack a bit as they are at home which should mean more save points for Martinez. Maybe it’s insanity but it’s certainly an option but in all honesty I’ll probably be captaining Bruno myself, and I bang that drum enough most weeks it seems.

Matt – Mahrez/Gundogan v Fulham (A)

There are a number of options in the City team for the armband, in fact when I was researching this article, I had 5 names in my head and was trying to whittle it down. The one player that springs to mind the most is the 2nd best in-form player, according to the FPL site, and a contender for Player of the Year, Ilkay Gundogan. My biggest problem with Gundo is actually his drop in form over recent weeks. Prior to this evenings match against Southampton, Gundo has 11 goals and 3 assists! Great stats except for when you actually look a bit deeper. Most of his good stats (6 G, 2A and 3 CS) came during the five fixtures that KdB was absent. KdB returned in the Everton game during DGW24 (a game Gundo missed entirely!) and since then Gundo has only got 1 goal, 1 clean sheet and 1 assist. A massive drop in form especially considering that includes TWO(!!) DGWS. He did play well in the Saints game as it went on but KdB was definitely the main man again with Gundo looking a bit deeper.

The most in-form City player is quite easy to guess, Riyad Mahrez! Mahrez is not someone I would even usually own, let alone captain, but we all know I love a differential and I’m being extremely care-free at the moment! Mahrez is only owned by 5.5% of people so he is a great differential if you are chasing your MLs. The issue I usually have with Mahrez is he tends to get rotated a lot but in the last 9 games, the Algerian has started 8 of those games. In those 9 games, Mahrez has earned 56 points, getting 4 goals, 4 assists, 2 clean sheets and 8 BPS. Pep even denied him his hatyy vs Saints by hauling him off, which from Pep is a back handed compliment and a good way of saying ‘you’ll be playing the next game’. I might just bring him in!

In summary, if you are playing it safe, I would go with Gundo just because of how many people own him (38.7%) but if you are looking to go all out consider Riyad Mahrez for that armband.

Kop – Bale v Arsenal (A)

Many of us have fond memories of Gareth Bale. Particularly, the Bale of seasons 2011/12 & 2012/13. He then left for the sunnier climes of Madrid in search of silverware, something he was unlikely to find at Spurs! There’s no denying he’s had a glittering career in Madrid but having fallen out of favour Madrid wanted shut of him and his exorbitant wages. In September, the prodigal son returned home.

Was he to be the spark to fire Spurs to a top 4 finish? The early answer was an emphatic NO. Between gameweeks 3 & 24, he made just six appearances and totalled just 247 minutes. Throughout this period, he managed a miserable 18pts and in all honesty, he looked like someone missing the golf course. This really isn’t building a case to hand the Welshman the armband, but bear with me…

Against West Ham in GW25 he came off the bench at half-time and turned in a great performance. He has started the subsequent three games and it’s as though the Gareth Bale of 2012/13 has suddenly returned. In those 3 ½ appearances he claimed four goals and two assists, which has in turn seen him register 39pts.

Over the past four gameweeks Bale has had 12 (9th) goal attempts, six (3rd) of which have been on target. These stats are more impressive when you consider that Bale has played 271 minutes across the last four gameweeks while many of those ahead of him have played in excess of 400 minutes.

Granted, they play an Arsenal side who typically keep things tight, but they haven’t actually kept a clean sheet since GW21.

For those of you looking to make up ground in a mini-league or simply boost your OR, Bale is the man for you this week as he features in just 5.6% of teams.

If none of that has convinced you, just look at whom I tipped in last week’s capos article. In the immortal words of KISS… You Wanted the Best, You Got The Best!!

DMC – Vardy v Sheffield United (H)

My partners in crime have already chosen the obvious candidates so I’m left with a tough sell. However, as we’ve experienced time and time again, even more so this season, obvious doesn’t always cut it so hear me out. This candidate is a regular goals scorer and bps magnet (third for strikers). He is also capable of assisting (second for those) bearing 9 already this season, his second best ever. He is his team penalty taker. He has won the Premier League and the Golden Boot. He will be playing on home soil this gameweek against a team that is yet to keep a clean sheet away from home, shipping 23 goals in 13 games, in 6 of which their goalkeeper had to drag the ball out of the net on 2 or more occasions. This candidate is of course… Jamie Vardy.

The confessional…
This is where we ask our entire writing team to tell us who they think they will pick this week…. There are more caveats and get out clauses than a Lionel Messi contract but this is their initial gut feeling based upon who they actually own.

DMC — Kane!

Follow @DCoelho

Jamesimmo — Bruno

Follow @James777Simpson

Swirly — Bruno

Follow @theswirly

Horse — Bale

Follow @harryhorse2

Matt — Bruno

Follow @MattyMcveigh

Loud Atlas — Kane

Follow @FantasyFooty247

Smash — Bruno

Follow @Chrismartin1984

Kop — Kane

Follow @KenLyons79

Cookie – Ricardo Pereira

Follow @SteveCook9

The Gallant Pioneer — Sterling

Follow @MitchellC_FF247

Rosco — Bruno

Follow @eugoogooly

Ellefcee — Kane

Floydeth — Kane

Follow @TinkerManFPL

AT — Bale

Follow @Fpl_AT

Init — Kane

Follow @AdamalcockFF247

Mito — Bruno

Follow @TheLegendMito21

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