Unless you placed the armband on Dominic Solanke (£6.9m), there was little in the way of big captain hauls in Blank Gameweek 18. Both Heung-Min Son (£9.8m) and Mo Salah (£13.3m) found the net, but neither could acquire more than 7 FPL points apiece in their respective fixtures. Meanwhile, the clean sheet of Kieran Trippier (£6.9m) was wiped out in the first half by Luton, who went on to beat Newcastle by a goal to nil with the right-back only managing to gain 2 fantasy points.
We hope all FPL managers and our readers have a wonderful Christmas, but don’t forget about the famous Boxing Day round of Premier League fixtures which form Gameweek 19. We’ve put our turkey on hold to lock down three premium captaincy choices for you all to think about, as well as an alternate differential punt ahead of Tuesday’s 11:00 deadline.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.3m) vs BUR (a)
The insane form of Trent Alexander-Arnold continued in Gameweek 18 as the Liverpool defender recorded his fifth attacking return since Gameweek 13. Combine that with two clean sheets and the England international has netted 51 FPL points across that period, including two double-figure returns. Those numbers deserve captaincy consideration ahead of Gameweek 19 which sees Jurgen Klopps’s men take on Burnley at Turf Moor. The price that Alexander-Arnold commands for an FPL-listed defender is high, so choosing him as your captain ensures the best value if he is to pick up another big haul of points.
Mo Salah (£13.3m) vs BUR (a)
Picking Mo Salah as your skipper is always a smart call when taking into account how reliable he usually is when it comes to attacking returns. With a whopping 137 fantasy points heading into the halfway stage of the season, Salah is currently the highest-scoring FPL asset in all positions. The Egyptian international’s goal against Arsenal in Gameweek 18 took his overall league tally in 2023-24 to 12, including seven assists. With six double-figure scores to his name, Burnley away in Gameweek 19 is an enticing fixture that may well see fantasy bosses move to lock the captaincy onto Salah.
Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m) vs ARS (a)
Still quietly going about his business, Jarrod Bowen is the latest FPL asset to join the 100-point-club for the 2023-24 campaign. The West Ham attacker reached the milestone with a second consecutive score of 8 points after he found the net for the third match in all competitions, as the Hammers got the better of Man Utd by two goals to nil. It’s high time Bowen entered the captaincy conversation with 11 Premier League goals this season and despite a tough fixture away at Arsenal in Gameweek 19, Bowen should be afforded space in which to exploit going forward.
DIFFERENTIAL OPTION
Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) vs BHA (a)
For the second gameweek running, our differential pick consists of a Spurs midfielder. Hopefully Brennan Johnson brings us more luck than Dejan Kulusevski did in Gameweek 18. Johnson is coming off the back of accumulating two assists and 9 FPL points against Everton this past weekend, proving a constant threat for Ange Postecoglou’s side going forward. Against a similarly attacking side in Brighton, Johnson will surely be in the thick of the action again in Gameweek 19 and with such a small ownership, he represents a wildcard differential choice for the armband.
