The Armband: FPL Gameweek 5 Captaincy Analysis

The Armband: FPL Gameweek 5 Captaincy Analysis

This article is part of our The Armband series.

Let's go back to the drawing board. There were plenty of points to be had in Gameweek 4, yet most of them came from the unknown.

We only have ourselves to blame… or in most cases, Heung-Min Son came out of nowhere to lead the week with two goals and an assist in his first start of the season. On fewer than 0.5 percent of fantasy teams, it's safe to say no one projected that. Meanwhile, Roberto Firmino was the Liverpool player of the week also with a brace, and Etienne Capoue again found the back of the net for Watford.

My top captain option, Eden Hazard, was a complete bust as Diego Costa took it upon himself to lead Chelsea, and, of course, get another yellow card in the process.

But one player I completely ignored due to lack of form was Romelu Lukaku, who finished with a hat trick. My decision to back Kevin Mirallas and Ross Barkley backfired, to say the least. But hey, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez both found the back of the net, and Dimitri Payet secured two assists, so all was not lost.

While it's time to move on, it's important to note there is another Friday night match, with Chelsea hosting Liverpool. And at the least, we can expect goals, as neither defense has done much to invoke confidence.

Hazard remains a top choice, but it's hard to deny what Costa continues to do for the Blues, now with four goals and an assist through four matches. While he'll always have the possibility of being sent off, it's best to move that to the background.

The Reds will be good for a goal or two, but deciding on which midfielder to back will be the hardest task, making none of the options an all-too-trusty captain choice. Firmino and James Milner are the only two to have scored or assisted in the last two matches, so do whatever you want with that information.

Arsenal have scored five goals in their last two matches, but none of those have come at Hull (hah). But seriously, Hull have allowed just three goals on the season and the Gunners were in Paris on Tuesday. I'd be wary of this match for them, though Sanchez will be on plenty of radars.

The match to focus on will be Manchester City hosting Bournemouth. Even though City had their Champions League match moved to Wednesday, three goals will probably still be expected from the home side. That means Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho may again be at the top of lists. And there's always Raheem Sterling, if you can trust him.

Jamie Vardy and Lukaku will also be popular forward options to consider for the armband. Coming off a hat-track, Lukaku will be primed for at least another one at home against Middlesbrough. Vardy may be more of a contrarian play against Burnley, but he has scored in each of the last two.

On Sunday, Manchester United travel to a Watford side that has allowed eight goals already, but you already know what I'm going to say. Ibra is your man. However, keep in mind that his scoring record isn't as good away from home.

And yet for another favorable matchup for a top forward, Harry Kane and Spurs get table dwellers Sunderland that were just destroyed by Lukaku. Can Kane do the same?

For a more underrated play, partly due to Southampton's struggles, Dusan Tadic may finally live up to the hype this weekend. Home against Swansea, there will surely be goals and Tadic has looked like the most threatening option for the Saints so far.

If you really want to take people by surprise, Christian Benteke could be considered after tabbing his first for Crystal Palace last weekend. They'll host Stoke, who have given up a league-high 10 goals.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a multiple-time finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He runs RotoWire's Bracketology and partakes in various NFL content. He previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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