Injury to Erling Haaland (£12.1m) meant that the majority of FPL managers spent the start of Gameweek 14 frantically checking who their vice-captain was. Those who had chosen Kevin De Bruyne (£12.5m) were celebrating as the Belgian picked up 11 points after scoring the only goal, a brilliant free-kick in Man City’s 0-1 win over Leicester. However, it was not such a successful story for Harry Kane (£11.6m), who blanked despite Spurs scoring three times away at Bournemouth after going two goals down. Differential selection Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.9m) couldn’t back up the promise he showed against Crystal Palace, failing to find the net away at Fulham.
Gameweek 15 is the penultimate weekend of Premier League fixtures until the World Cup break, so the stakes are extremely high as we run the rule over three of the most lucrative premium captain picks on paper, alongside an additional differential pick ahead of Saturday’s 13:30 deadline.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
Erling Haaland (£12.1m) vs FUL (a)
Not only did Haaland miss Gameweek 14 away at Leicester, the Man City superstar was also absent in their midweek Champions League group stage victory over Sevilla. However, Pep Guardiola has shown optimism at the Norwegian forward’s chances of being passed fit to play against Fulham in Gameweek 15 and this alone makes him the most attractive captain pick of any player out there despite the doubt over his involvement.
With the match being a 15:00pm kick-off, there is always a chance that social media savvy FPL managers could garner some inside information on social media regarding the Man City starting line-up ahead of the 13:30pm deadline and even if that isn’t possible, Haaland’s potential points ceiling if he does start makes him worth the gamble. Currently, he boasts 117 FPL points to his name including 17 goals in just 11 Premier League fixtures with 12 of those coming at the Etihad Stadium.
Kieran Trippier (£5.9m) vs SOU (a)
As we always stress whenever one is named in this article, captaining a defender represents a huge risk. But when taking into account the sheer consistency of Kieran Tripper (£5.9m), the Newcastle full-back is now impossible to ignore. An assist and clean sheet in Newcastle’s 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa last Saturday saw him accrue 11 FPL points, maintaining his status as the highest scoring FPL asset among defenders with 77 points overall.
Trippier’s set-piece prowess offers an alternate attacking threat to go alongside his forward runs down the right-hand side and he could well play a key role for an in-form Magpies outfit away to Southampton in Gameweek 15. With the England international’s ownership now at well over 60%, the best way to capitalise on Trippier’s recent FPL output is to name him skipper.
Kevin De Bruyne (£12.5m) vs FUL (H)
Unsurprisingly to most readers no doubt, this week’s premium captain picks are rounded off by the brilliant Kevin De Bruyne. His fantasy output remains extremely lucrative having netted in consecutive Premier League fixtures, accumulating 20 FPL points in the process. De Bruyne was afforded a rest in midweek but that didn’t stop him from coming off the bench to supply an assist in Man City’s final Champions League group stage fixture of the season.
Fulham certainly aren’t as leaky defensively as they were earlier in the campaign, but their defence has shipped 22 league goals already and only three clubs have conceded more. The Cottagers’ backline is not expected to be able to keep Man City out for long and it would be no surprise if De Bruyne once again finds himself in-among the attacking returns, and thus the FPL points as well.
DIFFERENTIAL OPTION
Rodrigo (£6.3m) vs BOU (H)
It’s gone very much under the radar, but one of the early-season darlings of FPL appears to have rediscovered his scoring touch. It had been a lowkey return to action for Leeds’ Rodrigo (£6.3m) after a dislocated shoulder had seen him sold on mass by FPL points following his four goals and one assist across the opening five gameweeks of the campaign. However, goals in both gameweeks 13 and 14 suggest that the Spaniard has found his feet again infront of goal.
Leeds host Bournemouth in Gameweek 15, the Cherries having thrown away a two-goal lead last weekend to lose 2-3 against Spurs. Leeds and Rodrigo will surely fancy their chances of success going forward vs the joint-worst defence in the Premier League as it stands. With Rodrigo’s ownership having plummeted to under 6%, he could prove a very tasty differential captain pick for those FPL bosses brave enough to take the risk.
