Unlike in Gameweek 1, the vast majority of FPL managers ended Gameweek 2 disappointed when it came to the returns accrued from their captain. Erling Haaland (£14.0m) scored only 2 points after failing to gain an attacking return against Newcastle. Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) missed a penalty vs Bournemouth and whilst he subsequently scored from the rebound, this left his ownership frustrated with just 5 points from the Egyptian. Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) was also not involved in any attacking returns for Arsenal, gaining 3 points.
We now shine a spotlight on the most eye-catching captaincy choices for Gameweek 3.
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) – Sheffield Utd vs MAN CITY
Although Erling Haaland suffered a rare blank in Gameweek 2, that only makes him a more attractive captaincy option moving forward. The Norwegian forward, by far the most owned fantasy asset was afforded numerous chances to score vs Newcastle and a similar number of opportunities in Gameweek 3 is surely likely to see him prove more potent against newly promoted Sheffield Utd.
Man City have already faced one club this season who were promoted from the Championship, that being Burnley and Haaland duly put them to the sword with a first-half brace as Pep Guardiola’s side emerged 3-0 winners. There is no doubt that Haaland will be the most captained FPL asset for the third successive gameweek. As is always the case these days, failure to name Haaland your skipper poses a seismic risk to your overall rank even if you have him in your team.
Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) – MAN UTD vs Nottingham Forest
Despite being in the thick of the action offensively, Bruno Fernandes failed to get in among the attacking returns for Man Utd in Gameweek 2, Erik ten Hag’s side suffering a 2-0 defeat away at Spurs. This means that the Portuguese star is still yet to accrue his first goal or assist in the 2023-24 Premier League ahead of a Gameweek 3, but statistics suggest that he isn’t far away.
Against Spurs, Fernandes finished with a total recorded xGI (expected goal involvement) of 1.18 which shows how unlucky his fantasy ownership was to gain nothing from the fixture. However, this does bode well for Fernandes’ offensive prospects in Gameweek 3, which sees Man Utd host Nott’m Forest. When also factoring in that the midfielder should be on penalty duty for the Red Devils, he is a player who offers significant captaincy appeal.
Solly March (£6.6m) – BRIGHTON vs West Ham
Whilst Solly March doesn’t boast the big-name appeal of a potential captain like Haaland or Fernandes, no player in any position has performed better than the Brighton winger from an FPL perspective so far this season. As it stands, March’s total fantasy score of 24 points is the highest among the entire FPL player-base and has come courtesy of his three goals already scored this season. March backed up his goal and 9 fantasy points on the opening weekend of the season against Luton with two goals and a huge haul of 15 points vs Wolves in Gameweek 2.
West Ham are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this campaign and it is the Hammers who travel to Brighton in Gameweek 3. Expect March to once again play a key role for the Seagulls offensively and carve out chances for himself to extend his recent goal tally. With an ownership considerably smaller than that of teammates Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro, captaining March also offers a significant differential edge, despite his brilliant form.
Bryan Mbeumo (£6.7m) – BRENTFORD vs Crystal Palace
Like March, the recent form of Bryan Mbeumo simply cannot be ignored and this is reflected in his ownership, which continues to rocket up since the previous round of fixtures with over 800,000 fantasy managers having transferred in the Brentford star ahead of Gameweek 3. Despite being listed as a midfielder in FPL, Mbeumo has been playing as a forward under Thomas Frank whether that be out wide or as part of a front two. The 24-year-old is currently reaping the benefits and in Gameweek 2, recorded an xGI of 2.03.
After two gameweeks, Mbeumo has accumulated three goals and 23 FPL points. Two of those goals have been penalties, always a big tick in the box for any FPL asset. Those who own Mbeumo must be considering naming him as their captain in Gameweek 3 with Brentord at home to Crystal Palace.
