This blog is written by @mentorfpl. Do give him a follow!
FPL Gameweek 14 was a big week for captaincy, with the likes of Mo Salah and Bruno Fernandes dropping off their Christmas gifts early and producing impressive returns with 16 and 17 points apiece.
Mo Salah was the most captained player going into FPL GW14, backed by 19.39% of FPL managers. It looked as though Salah’s Christmas presents were going to be delayed in the post when news broke that Salah was named on the bench for Liverpool’s away fixture against Crystal Palace. But against all odds, he managed to navigate his way onto the pitch with 33minutes to spare and rewarded his owners in emphatic fashion by delivering 2 goals, an assist, and two bonus points.
Bruno Fernandes was the second most selected captain heading into the game week, with 17.20% of FPL managers placing their trust in the Manchester United midfielder. Flaunting his Santa red Manchester United jersey, the Portuguese international looked keen to get his delivery round over with and started proceedings by delivering an assist after just 2minutes. 18 minutes later Fernandes found himself in the box to drive home Man Utd’s third goal of the game. The referee pointed to the penalty spot on 70minutes, allowing Bruno to gallop along and slot home his second goal of the game, and wrapping up his haul of 17 points.
With the two most captained players of GW14 bringing home double-digit hauls, this provided the ideal foundations for many FPL managers to hit a century of points. The gameweek average was 60 points, so a fairly high scoring game week. Attentions now turn to FPL GW 15, where we analyze some of the key captaincy candidates for the upcoming fixtures that begin on Boxing Day.
FPL GW 15 Captains pick
1. Mohamad Salah vs West Brom (H)
was in fine form during his 33minute cameo appearance against Crystal Palace. I mentioned in last week’s Captaincy article that Liverpool seems to have their swagger back, and that was reinforced at the weekend as Liverpool thrashed Crystal Palace 7-0. Mo Salah will now have fresh legs going into this weekend’s fixture against West Brom, who find themselves second bottom of the Premier League.
West Brom have conceded the second most number of goals on the road this season, conceding 14 goals in 7 away matches. Since GW9 West Brom rank the second bottom for expected goals conceded, but it’s worth noting that West Brom have managed to hold their own when up against the bigger teams, picking up a 1-1 draw against Man City recently and losing to Spurs and Man Utd by a goal to nil. Salah is joint top for shots on target during this period and given the fact that West Brom are still adjusting to life under the management of Sam Allardyce, I think this fixture has come around a little too soon for Big Sam and I can see yet another convincing Liverpool win for the current league champions.
Further Read: FPL BGW18 & DGW19 Planner|Chips & Strategies
2. Bruno Fernandes vs Leicester City (A)
has been in fantastic form so far this season and has been averaging almost 10 points per match when on the road, which bodes well for the upcoming fixture away to Leicester City in GW15. Leicester City have just come away from beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 away from home and also picked up wins against Man City and Arsenal earlier in the season. Leicester City have been a little inconsistent in terms of their form, losing 3 of their last 7 games, whereas Man Utd have won 6 of their last 7 premier league games.
Bruno Fernandes currently ranks 4th in FPL for overall point returns so far this season. He sits on 102 points, with only Salah (118pts), Heung-Min Son (116pts), and Harry Kane (111pts) above him, however, Manchester Uniter do have a game in hand. With 58 points in 6 away games so far this season, Bruno certainly demands our attention going into GW15, with another away fixture against a side that have kept just 2 clean sheets in 7 home games, conceding 10 goals at home in the process.
Further Read: FPL GW15 Differential picks to consider ahead of GW15 Deadline
3. Kevin De Bruyne vs Newcastle United (H)
KDB managed to pick up an assist as Man City failed to make the most of their chances against Southampton in GW14. We highlighted Man City’s struggles in front of goal in last week’s article. With City lacking finesse in the final third, their record of failing to score more than 2 goals in a Premier League game now extends to 11 games out of 13 matches. The last time City scored more than 2 goals in a game was back in GW10 against Burnley. The only other time City have scored more than 2 goals was in GW2 against Wolves.
Next up for De Bruyne and Man City are Newcastle United, but for me personally, I still remain coy on placing the armband on the Belgian. With Salah and Fernandes both offering more ‘bang for your buck’, I feel De Bruyne would make a really good captain option for those who don’t own Salah or Bruno.
I feel more assured of the form of Man Utd and Liverpool at the minute. KDB is creating the chances, however, his city teammates can’t be trusted to convert them at this moment in time. Newcastle this weekend could be a fantastic opportunity for City to get back to scoring ways, in a match that I anticipate to be pretty much Attack vs Defence. If you don’t own Mo or Bruno, then KDB would be next in line for the armband.
Further Read: FPL BGW18 & DGW19 Planner|Chips & Strategies
If you are looking to be a little different and fancy taking a bit of a punt this game week, here are some other Differential captain options to consider for FPL GW15
4. Raheem Sterling vs Newcastle United (H)
Despite Man City finding it difficult to replicate the ruthlessness we have all come accustomed to over recent years, Raheem Sterling has bagged 2 goals and picked up 2 assists over the last 4 game weeks. He has been involved in every goal scored by City during this period.
Despite picking up 31 points over the last 4 game weeks, he still seems to be going under the radar with just 4.3% ownership. For those who fancy Man City to start firing and converting their chances, Raheem Sterling could be a nice captaincy differential against Newcastle this weekend.
Further Read: FPL BGW18 & DGW19 Planner|Chips & Strategies
5. Dominic Calvert-Lewin vs Sheffield United (A)
DCL and his Everton comrades face Sheffield United away at Bramall Lane this weekend. Having failed to score in his last 3 games, he will no doubt be chomping at the bit to get on the scoresheet on Boxing Day and extend his tally to 12 Premier League goals this season.
Despite failing to score in his last 3, he has still managed to pick up 3 assists during this period. I fancy him to produce the goods against a Sheffield United side who are still in search of their first Premier League win.
Further Read: FPL GW15 Differential picks to consider ahead of GW15 Deadline
6. Trent Alexander-Arnold vs WBA(H)
TAA picked up his first attacking return since his return from injury in GW14. He also managed to keep a clean sheet during Liverpool’s impressive demolition of Crystal Palace. With Liverpool finding their feet and finally looking like the team we witnessed last season, I think Alexander-Arnold could be in the run-in for good returns over the coming weeks. Liverpool have a favorable run of fixtures and a double game week to look forward to in GW19.
Liverpool’s nice run of fixtures starts against West Brom at home in GW15. Although placing the armband on a defender can be seen as a bit ‘too risky’ if Liverpool are in the mood I can see Trent doing well. He has made a poor start to the season so far, but I’m backing Trent to find some good form and start putting in the performances that saw him produce some of the monster hauls we witnessed last season. He is certainly capable, if you time it right, you could be in amongst the points!
Further Read: FPL BGW18 & DGW19 Planner|Chips & Strategies
We would love to hear your thoughts on the captaincy for this GW, so do let us know who you plan to give the armband to. Whoever you decide to go with as your captain for GW15, we wish you the best of luck, have a very merry Christmas, and may your arrows be green.
You can reach out to me on Twitter @mentorfpl. Stay tuned as I’ll be writing more in the coming days!
Don’t want to pay and try out a free trial instead?
Get a seven-day free trial for FFHUB now: Free trial
Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL for FPL Managers ahead of FPL GW 15 Deadline:
FPL GW15 Differential picks to consider ahead of GW15 Deadline
FPL GW15 ~ GW19 Fixture Analysis |Best & Worst Fixtures Over The Period
FPL BGW18 & DGW19 Planner|Chips & Strategies
All that you need to know about FPL cup
History Of Fantasy Football And Origin Of FPL
What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of GW 11 Deadline?
All our blogs ahead of FPL GW 15 are now live. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 10,000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates as we build towards a Saturday afternoon FPL GW 15 Deadline.
Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)
FPL GW15 FPL Deadline Countdown
Login and set your team for FPL GW15 now!
Latest posts by FPL Mentor (see all)
- FPL GW 15 Captain Picks to consider ahead of GW 15 Deadline | ALLABOUTFPL - December 25, 2020
- FPL GW 14 Captain Picks to consider ahead of GW 14 Deadline | ALLABOUTFPL - December 19, 2020
- 2020/21 Premier League Team by Team Goal Contributions So far this Season - November 12, 2020
