With Friday’s deadline now imminent, we’ve taken a look at the realistic options on the table when it comes to choosing a Gameweek 17 captain. Four of the best potential choices have been listed below along with our analysis as to why they stand out ahead of the rest.
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FPL 2023-24 – Form Players Ahead Of Gameweek 17
Gameweek 17 Rotation Risks
Gameweek 17 Fixture Analysis
Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) – LIVERPOOL vs Man Utd
We’re running out of superlatives when it comes to describing Mohamed Salah and why he should be the first name in mind when picking your captain. While choosing any FPL skipper is a gamble and doesn’t guarantee success, Salah’s unrelenting thirst for attacking returns and unbelievable numbers make him as safe a pick as one could hope for at this point. As it stands, the Egyptian has accumulated 18 attacking returns (11 goals and seven assists), helping him to a total of 127 fantasy points, a score unmatched within the FPL player-base.
Anfield has been a destructive environment this season for Salah, who is yet to complete a single home league fixture without at least one attacking return. In total, he has six double-figure point-scores, which is what anyone who captains Salah in Gameweek 17 will be hoping for with Liverpool at home to Man Utd, the same team Jurgen Klopp’s side smashed by seven goals to nil last season.
Heung-Min Son (£9.7m) – Nottingham Forest vs SPURS
It was a roller-coaster of emotions for FPL managers in Gameweek 16 in regards to Son. Going into the weekend, many expected the Spurs star to be missing against Newcastle after suffering a knock the previous Thursday night that saw him taken off the pitch vs West Ham. However, Son passed a late fitness test and took his place in the starting line-up. Those who kept faith in him were rewarded big time, as Son set up two goals before winning a penalty which he then scored himself as Spurs overcame the Magpies 4-1, with Son bringing home a whopping 17 fantasy points.
Although Mohamed Salah has accumulated 14 FPL points more than Son over the course of the season, the latter matches Salah when it comes to double-figure point-returns with both having recorded six so far this campaign. Son has also racked up 29 points across the last three gameweeks, which bodes well for those who choose to captain him for Gameweek 17. Nottingham Forest are Spurs’ opponents and when considering that Steve Cooper’s side have gained just a point from their last five league fixtures, it bodes well for Son.
Julian Alvarez (£6.9m) – MAN CITY vs Crystal Palace
The selection of Alvarez as a highly viable Gameweek 17 captaincy option is based mainly on Erling Haaland’s likely absence for Man City. Injury saw Haaland miss Gameweek 16 away at Luton and assuming he doesn’t feature again here, Alvarez will be the main man in attack for Pep Guardiola’s men. The Argentinian didn’t feature at all in Man City’s Champions League fixture in midweek, a well-earned rest suggesting that he will more than likely play all 90 minutes of their home clash with Crystal Palace in Gameweek 17.
While Alvarez lacks really significant point-hauls with just one score of over 10 points so far this season, Haaland not being on the pitch may well increase his points potential with the onus being on Alvarez to come up with the goals for Man City. His consistency is also admirable and 12 attacking returns (four goals and eight assists) represents a more than adequate return. As it stands, only two forwards have picked up more points than Alvarez across 2023/24 and one of them (Haaland) is unlikely to play this weekend.
Richarlison (£6.6m) – Nottingham Forest vs SPURS
This is a choice based on his excellent Gameweek 16 performance, which may well see him afforded an extended run in the Spurs starting line-up under Ange Postecoglou, beginning here in Gameweek 17. Richarlison has missed a significant portion of the season through injury and last Sunday saw the Brazilian start for the first time since Gameweek 10. The wait was worthwhile though, Richarlison scoring twice and accumulating 15 FPL points, by far his highest score of the campaign.
With his confidence likely to be sky-high, Richarlison will be desperate to back that up with another clinical showing against Nottingham Forest as he attempts to establish the consistency that Postecoglou will be wanting from him. Expect Richarlison to line up as the central striker and when taking into account his goalscoring potential, he offers a very attractive alternate solution for those fantasy bosses searching for a lesser-owned skipper.
