After months of perma captaining Erling Haaland, the FPL captaincy has become somewhat of a debate again.
Before Haaland rose to prominence, the default captain was one Mohamed Salah.
Salah has come out on top of our points predictor over the last couple of gameweeks and he hasn’t disappointed FPL managers who follow our projected points model.
Elsewhere, Watkins is in excellent form and Arsenal are set to play at home against the league’s weakest defence. So, there’s plenty to ponder for the FPL GW10 captaincy.
For a list of of the best captaincy candidates, along with their anytime goal, assist, return, and predicted points, check out our best FPL captain page.
Mohamed Salah
- Fixture: Nott’m Forest (H)
- Anytime Return: 66%
- Predicted Points: 7.1
Averaging 8.3 points per game, Salah has truly cemented himself as the controversial FPL term ‘essential’.
And yet 60% of the managers don’t own him.
In the last 2 games, he has richly rewarded those who gave him the armband, scoring 4 goals in that period.
With the highest xGI per 90 of 1.1 among players in this list, he’s a standout pick.
He is also predicted to have the most points in GW10, 0.9 more than the next best player (Odegaard – 6.2 predicted points).
With Liverpool set to host Notts Forest at home, there is an expectancy the Egyptian king will continue his hot run.
Erling Haaland
- Fixture: Man Utd (a)
- Anytime Return: 64%
- Predicted Points: 6.1
Erling Haaland’s return to the scoresheet in both the Premier League and the Champions League could be sign of being back to form, by his standards.
His slight dip in ownership from 92% to 85% suggests a temporary loss of faith from some FPL managers.
He outperforms Salah when it comes to xG by a distance – 8.11 to Salah’s 6.63.
Despite having the toughest fixture among the players in consideration, he sits at 63% anytime return, only behind Salah’s 64%.
It’s also interesting to note that Man Utd have a higher xGC (expected goals conceded) than Notts Forest, although this is for both home and away fixtures.
Ollie Watkins
- Fixture: Luton (H)
- Anytime Return: 62%
- Predicted Points: 6.1
Watkins has been in sensational form this season, accumulating an impressive 70 points, making him the second-highest scorer behind Salah.
His upcoming fixture against Luton Town at home only adds to his appeal.
However, it’s essential to note that his underlying numbers, as reflected by xGI, don’t quite match up to his actual goal and assist tally.
With 13 G/A against an xGI of 4.7, he’s clearly over-performing his expected returns, which might not be sustainable over the long term.
So, while he’s a valuable asset now, be mindful of potential regression to the mean in his future performances.
Bukayo Saka
- Fixture: Sheffield Utd (H)
- Anytime Return: 59%
- Predicted Points: 5.1
Saka has been Arsenal’s most prominent attacking threat this season, contributing to 8 G/A in 9 games.
His 41 shot-creating actions (ranking 6th in the league) demonstrate his importance in Arsenal’s attack.
While his underlying numbers and goal involvement may not match some of the other players on this list, the upcoming fixture against Sheffield United is highly favourable.
Sheffield United is currently at the bottom of the Premier League and has conceded a league-high 24 goals in just 9 games.
His fitness is a matter of concern and is something that should be monitored before making him your captain for this GW.