FPL Captain Picks GW26

Welcome to FPL Captain Picks GW26!

After what feels like a decade-long hiatus (okay, maybe not that long), I’m finally back to help guide you through the weekly FPL captaincy dilemma. Life had other plans, but like any good manager, I’m here to make up for lost time.

And let’s be honest, some of us could use a bit of redemption after those questionable decisions earlier in the season. I’m at peace with the terrible luck that I had the first half of the campaign and, sure, these days, 800k as a rank is the same as 80k a few years ago isn’t it? Right? Riiiight?!

While I’ll be the first to admit it’s been longer than it should have been since I last contributed to FF247, just like your FPL team, I’m hoping to come back stronger than ever. So, let’s dive into this week’s top captain picks and see if we can start racking up those much-needed points before we fall too far behind!

It’s a tricky choice this gameweek, as Salah and his Liverpool teammates are away at Man City. Palmer is also a bit off the boil suddenly, too (famous last words). So, inspired by our own Differential King, Matt, I’ve looked at some more off-piste alternatives!

Alexander Isak (Nottingham Forest, home)

Newcastle host Forest at St James’ Park this weekend, as the visitors enjoy a remarkable journey, with 47 points from 25 games and the dream of playing in the Champions League as the reward for getting past the next 13 fixtures. The Magpies, meanwhile, Newcastle have demonstrated strong attacking metrics recently, with an expected goals (xG) of 5.32 over the last six games.

At the centre of that has been Isak, whom manager Eddie Howe said he wouldn’t trade for any other striker in the world, not even Erling Haaland, according to an article in The Guardian. Praise indeed. In the Premier League, he has made 22 appearances, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists, as he now sits fourth in the Premier League’s top scorers list this season, trailing only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Chris Wood.

Of the last 10 meetings, Newcastle have come out on top and, of those, Isak has appeared in three, scoring four goals and an assist along the way. Forest’s defence is suddenly more penetrable after they went on that incredible run of clean sheets, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Isak make the most of those opportunities.

Justin Kluivert (Wolves, home)

Justin Kluivert has been in exceptional form for Bournemouth in what has been a standout season for the son of Patrick. Over his last five Premier League matches, the 25-year-old has recorded five goals and three assists, showcasing his pivotal role in Bournemouth’s attack, whilst bringing in the points for FPL managers who took a punt on him earlier this year.

The very team he achieved a hat-trick of penalties against on 30 November, becoming the first player in Premier League history to do so? Yep, you guessed it – the one he’s playing this weekend, Wolves. There was also that hat trick against Newcastle in January and so the frequency of these events show there is no fluke.

Bournemouth and Wolves have played each other nine times in the Premier League and the Cherries have won three of those, with two draws and four losses also along the way. However, there is that gulf in the table between the two sides this time, as the home team enjoy fifth place with 43 points and the visitors sit just above relegation in 17th. Even with the Midlanders’ improved performances lately, this does suggest that Kluivert could be among the FPL points and add to the 54 goals Wolves have already conceded this campaign.

Kaoru Mitoma (Southampton, away)

My thought process for this part of the article was: “Who’s playing Southampton this gameweek? Ah, Brighton – let’s see who their star performer has been. Ah, hello Mitoma – long time no see!”.

Can you blame me, when the Saints have conceded the most goals out of all 20 Premier League teams, with 57? That’s 2.28 per fixture and so The Seagulls will surely want to add to the three they put past Chelsea last gameweek, and also help to rebuild the goal difference after the 7-0 thrashing they received at the hands of Nottingham Forest just before that. This can be buoyed by the fact they are undefeated against their fellow south-coasters in six consecutive ties, finding the back of the net 12 times in total over that period.

But you want to hear about the Japanese player, don’t you? Well, he has recorded three goals and one assist in his last five, demonstrating his pivotal role in Brighton’s attack. While he may have been compared to Messi by Jamie Carragher and is reportedly a target for Chelsea to add to their growing collection of players, this is a £6.3m player with six goals and four assists to his name this campaign, and you have to fancy his chances against a struggling Southampton side. Having scored 10 points from his goal in the 1-1 reverse fixture in Gameweek 13, it could well be history repeating.

I’ll just finish Mitoma’s section by actually giving a shout-out to his teammate, Yankuba Minteh. The player whose surname always reminds me of a Mancunian saying the word ‘Minty’ is also in fine form for Brighton with two goals in the aforementioned 3-0 victory over Chelsea just a few games after he found the back of the net and set up another in the 3-1 triumph over Man United. Owned by just 0.7% of FPL managers, I think he could definitely be classified as the ultimate captain differential.

Kevin Schade (Leicester, away)

Just like it is for Justin Kluivert, it’s a fixture that Kevin Schade may look forward to more than others, after he recorded a ridiculous haul in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Leicester City had a forgettable trip to the Gtech Community Stadium back in Gameweek 13, as the German scored a hat-trick and set up another in their 4-1 win over The Foxes.

One thing I will say is that Leicester v Brentford is a kick off this Friday night. And you know what they say about backing the captain on the first fixture of a gameweek. With seven goals – all from open play – along with four assists over the course of the season, the winger is enjoying his most lucrative Premier League campaign. Looking at Leicester’s defence – 13 conceded in the last six across all competitions – you fancy his chances to get on the scoreboard. Maybe not to the same level as the last time the two sides met, but something at least.

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 meeting with Daniel Levy but this is their initial gut feeling based upon who they actually own. And they promise that their picks will be allowed to leave for free if a better offer comes along…

DMC — Salah

Follow @DCoelho

The Gallant Pioneer — Isak

Follow @MitchellC_FF247

Jamesimmo — Salah

Follow @James777Simpson

Ivan — Mbeumo

Follow @IvanGB111

Swirly — Salah

Follow @theswirly

Matt — Salah, but Mbeumo is tempting

Follow @MattyMcveigh

Smash — Salah

Follow @Chrismartin1984

Kop — Salah

Follow @KenLyons79

Rosco — Salah

Follow @eugoogooly

Ellefcee — Salah

Floydeth — Salah (haven’t actually looked yet, though)

Follow @TinkerManFPL

Init — Salah

Follow @AdamalcockFF247

Gear — Salah

Follow @Lukerouthorn

Stone Frog — Salah

Follow @StoneFrog638

OddDane — Salah

Jamie Mc — Salah

Thanks for reading FPL Captain Picks GW26.

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