This article is part of our The Armband series.
If Harry Kane hasn't infuriated you at least once this season, you aren't playing fantasy Premier League the right way. Kane has the fifth-most points for a forward at the league's official game and yet he still confuses us. Why else did more than 250,000 fantasy bosses drop him at the end of December only to have 100,000-plus add him after his recent outing?
In December, he went through a stretch of having just two shots on goal in four matches, despite Spurs scoring nine goals in that time against favorable competition. But then 2017 came and Kane has been untouchable. Of course, we can throw that Chelsea match out the window when he didn't even take a single shot. At Watford and against West Brom last weekend, Kane has five goals, one assist, 15 shots (10 on target) and five chances created.
With that inconsistency, can we assume that he won't have a shot at Manchester City, a side that has allowed just 10 goals at the Etihad? Because of that, I don't know why you'd want to captain him this week.
Outside of Kane, Marcos Alonso was the most popular player last weekend having scored a brace while also keeping a clean sheet. Unfortunately, he wasn't one of my top captain options, though Olivier Giroud, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez all got the job done to an extent. Giroud's ankle injury is the biggest worry, but it looks like he'll be ready for Sunday's fixture with Burnley.
But of all the clubs, Everton may be the one to keep an eye on as the Toffees have 10 points from their last four matches, including clean sheets in their last two. Against a leaky Crystal Palace back line, Everton are a route to consider for the armband.
Speaking of Gameweek 22, let's get into those Toffees. Crystal Palace aren't playing well, losers of three straight, which makes for a lot of captain possibilities on visiting Everton. Romelu Lukaku is the obvious choice with three goals and an assist in the last four matches, but Kevin Mirallas and Ross Barkley have been nearly as good. Barkley is the safest option due to corner kicks, and he should get plenty in this matchup.
Another Liverpool club deserves a look, with the Reds hosting Swansea on Saturday. There's little reason to trust the Swans at this point and Liverpool have been great at Anfield with 26 goals and only seven allowed in league play. The best news is that Philippe Coutinho could be in line for a start with Adam Lallana still a sneaky option.
West Brom didn't have any fight at Tottenham last match, but they get to make up for that at home against Sunderland. This is the type of match Salomon Rondon thrives in despite not scoring in the last five matches. Matthew Phillips is probably the safer bet due to corners and crosses… there's a reason he has eight assists this season. Of course, Chris Brunt is also in the equation as long as he's healthy enough to start. Sunderland have scored just six goals on the road this season and a clean sheet could be waiting for the Baggies.
I was going to go the entire way without mentioning Sergio Aguero, but he's at home, so he at least deserves a comment. I won't be captaining him against this Spurs back line, though, as City failed to score in the previous meeting.
Sunday will likely headline most of the captain selections with Arsenal hosting Burnley and Chelsea welcoming Hull. The usual suspects lead the list with Giroud (if healthy) and Alexis holding the mantle, while questions surround Diego Costa. That said, I'd trust Alonso for at least a clean sheet before giving Eden Hazard, Willian or Pedro the armband.
And oh yeah, this guy, Ibrahimovic will probably score again at Stoke, so if you want consistency, there's your man. As seen in this article, there are loads of options, and that doesn't even include Bournemouth (Junior Stanislas), Middlesbrough (Alvaro Negredo) and Southampton (Dusan Tadic), who all have fairly favorable home matches.
