We had a mixed return from our captains that we highlighted in the lead up to Gameweek 10. A couple of them disappointed, most notably Kieran Trippier (£7.0m) who failed to gain a single fantasy point after getting booked in Newcastle’s 2-2 draw away at Wolves. Elsewhere, Jarrod Bowen (£7.4m) drew a blank as West Ham were beaten 0-1 by Everton, the winger picking up just 2 FPL points. However, there were substantially more lucrative returns for our other two choices. A goal for Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) was enough to gain him 8 points in Liverpool’s 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest. The biggest haul though, fell to Erling Haaland (£14.0m). The Norwegian forward took Man Utd apart, scoring twice and setting up another, resulting in a comprehensive 0-3 for Man City, Haaland accumulating 16 fantasy points in the process.
As FPL bosses lay down the finishing touches to their squads ahead of Saturday morning’s deadline, we’re on-hand to assess the field and provide a selection of the most enticing captaincy choices available for Gameweek 11.
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) – MAN CITY vs Bournemouth
After his star-performance at Old Trafford last Sunday, Haaland will surely be the most-fancied captain going into Gameweek 11 and who can blame anyone for thinking otherwise. Man City’s devastatingly dangerous striker boasts both the form and the fixture to make another big FPL statement this weekend, as Pep Guardiola’s side welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad Stadium, a side whom they have dealt some serious thrashings down the years.
Haaland’s last three games in all competitions have seen him score five goals and his 16-point haul in Gameweek 10 was his second highest individual total of the season so far, only below his 20 FPL points gained against Fulham. That was also a home fixture in which Haaland bagged a hat-trick alongside an assist. With 11 goals, two assists and 79 fantasy points to his name this season, it’s easy to see why the Norwegian is such a good choice to be your captain.
Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) – Luton vs LIVERPOOL
The one player to have recorded a higher overall FPL score than Erling Haaland as it stands, Mohamed Salah is enjoying a fantastic run of form himself and his sheer consistency makes him as close to a captaincy banker as you can get. His Gameweek 10 strike vs Nottingham Forest took his overall Premier League goal tally to eight after ten gameweeks, not to mention four assists and 83 fantasy points, more than any other player.
Salah arrives in Gameweek 11 on the back of five goals and a whopping 39 FPL points across his last three league appearances. For the first time in the Egyptian’s career, he’ll come up against Luton but fantasy managers have reason to be very confident of another profitable return. The Hatters are yet to keep a clean sheet in the top flight and are averaging two goals conceded per game. The expectation is that Salah will be among the attack returns again and only captaining him ensures maximum FPL profit.
Heung-Min Son (£9.6m) – SPURS vs Chelsea
Another high-priced asset in excellent goalscoring form and piling on fantasy points for fun. It’s been a season of renaissance so far for Heung-Min Son following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. New Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is getting the very best out of the FPL-listed midfielder, whether that be through fielding him out wide or through the middle. After ten gameweeks, Son sits on eight goals, one assist and 78 FPL points with only Salah having gained more in his position.
Following back-to-back goals and double-figure point-hauls, Son and Spurs face a Gameweek 11 London derby at home to Chelsea. The current league leaders have scored at least twice in each of their four Premier League fixtures so far at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season and when taking into account the struggles of Chelsea across the campaign, Son must make a strong case for the armband when considering how important he is to the Spurs attack.
Ollie Watkins (£8.4m) – Nottingham Forest vs ASTON VILLA
Despite having played 90 minutes against Luton in Gameweek 10, finishing with an xGI of 1.40 in a 3-1 victory for Aston Villa, forward Ollie Watkins failed to record an attacking return for the first time since all the way back in Gameweek 4. Such a statistic puts into perspective how unlucky Watkins was not to get on the scoresheet and should only fuel his ambition to get back on track in Gameweek 11, which bodes well from an FPL point of view.
Aston Villa travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday with Watkins hunting a sixth goal and 14th attacking return of this Premier League campaign. Of his 72 fantasy points accrued, 50 were accumulated over the course of the last five gameweeks. To average 10 points per gameweek for the past five rounds of fixtures shows how valuable an asset Watkins is and with an ownership now exceeding 40%, he is firmly captain material in Gameweek 11.
