In what has widely been regarded as one of the worst gameweeks in the history of Fantasy Premier League when it came to the performances of highly-owned assets, not a single one of our captaincy suggestions managed an attacking return in Gameweek 11. It was a horror weekend which saw Erling Haaland (£14.0m) substituted off at half time with an ankle problem, Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) draw a blank away at Luton, as did Heung-Min Son (£9.6m) at home to Chelsea. Ollie Watkins (£8.4m) meanwhile, has now gone consecutive gameweeks without an attacking return.
As FPL bosses look to recover from such a lean gameweek and finalise their squads ahead of Saturday morning’s deadline, we once again examine the pack and mark out a number of the most eye-catching captaincy options on the table for Gameweek 12.
Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) – LIVERPOOL vs Brentford
Whenever Liverpool are at home, Mohamed Salah immediately stands out as arguably the most attractive choice for fantasy managers when it comes to picking a captain. This is for good reason as the Egyptian cannot seem to stop scoring at Anfield, finding the net at least once in all five of Liverpool’s home Premier League fixtures so far, racking up six goals in total. Across the entire campaign, Salah boasts eight goals, four assists and 85 FPL points.
No player in any position has accrued more points than Salah has after 11 gameweeks and following Liverpool’s surprise defeat in the Europa League away to Toulouse this past Thursday, Jurgen Klopp’s men will be looking to take out their frustrations on Brentford come Gameweek 12, with Salah likely to be at the forefront of that. It would take a brave FPL manager not to captain a player who boasts five goals and 41 points across the last four gameweeks.
Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) – ARSENAL vs Burnley
It’s important to note before delving deeper into Bukayo Saka’s numbers heading into Gameweek 12 that the attacking midfielder did suffer a knock in Arsenal’s Champions League win over Sevilla in midweek, a match in which Saka played 85 minutes, registering a goal and an assist. With that in mind, captaining the England international does pose a risk which FPL managers will need to take into account before making their respective final decisions.
If Saka is named from the start in Gameweek 12, then it bodes well for his fantasy prospects against a Burnley side who have sunk to 19th-place in the table following four consecutive Premier League defeats. Across that period, the Clarets have shipped 11 goals and Saka will be expected to fashion plenty of opportunities for himself. The 22-year-old has accumulated nine attacking returns and 66 FPL points across his ten Premier League appearances this campaign. With good form and a fixture in his favour, naming Saka as your skipper could reap handsome rewards.
Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) – MAN UTD vs Luton
There’s no denying that the popularity of Bruno Fernandes from an FPL point of view has waned significantly since his ‘glory days’ when he recorded 18 goals, 14 assists and 244 fantasy points back in the 2020-21 season. However, Fernandes is clearly a hugely important part of this current Man Utd side under Erik ten Hag and with the Red Devils struggling, the midfielder has stepped up when required. His winning goal against Fulham last weekend which earned him 11 FPL points, was backed up by a brilliant penalty vs FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.
Fernandes being on penalties immediately enhances his fantasy appeal and increases the likelihood of him finding the net again in Gameweek 12 at home to Luton. The Portuguese international has proven his capability of recording big scores in 2023-24, having already had three double-figure points hauls. The expectation is that Fernandes will be brimming with confidence personally and desperate to lead from the front again this weekend. With that in mind, he warrants serious captaincy consideration.
Anthony Gordon (£5.7m) – Bournemouth vs NEWCASTLE
After having started from the bench in Newcastle Champions League defeat away at Borussia Dortmund, a rested Anthony Gordon should find himself straight back in the starting line-up come Gameweek 12 as the Magpies make the long trip to Bournemouth. In his last Premier League appearance in Gameweek 11, Gordon was the recipient of 7 fantasy points after scoring a controversial winner for Eddie Howe’s side against Arsenal, his fourth league goal of the campaign and eighth attacking return, having also picked up four assists.
The direct nature of Gordon’s play and the attacking freedom in which he is afforded makes him an attractive FPL asset and one who could turn out to be the ideal Gameweek 12 captain. Newcastle have found the net at least twice in each of their last three league matches, accumulating a whopping 12 goals overall. Should they continue this trend at the Vitality Stadium, then it would be a significant surprise if Gordon is not among those with at least one attacking return.
