FPL Gameweek 7 – Captain Picks
Halloween came early for FPL managers in Gameweek 6 with the vast majority of big hitters drawing blanks. Despite having a juicy home fixture against Sheffield Utd, Liverpool's Mo Salah (£12.4m) was denied an attacking return by both VAR and the post. Everton had a huge off day away at Southampton, losing 2-0 with Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) failing to make an impact on the game. Man City could only draw 1-1 against West Ham, with Raheem Sterling (£11.6m), Sergio Aguero (£10.4m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m) off the bench, all blanking. It was left to the deadly duo of Harry Kane (£10.9m) and Heung-Min Son (£9.5m) to rescue the gameweek on Monday night, as the two combined once again for Son's eight league goal of the season as Spurs overcame Burnley by a single goal at Turf Moor. Here's hoping Gameweek 6 was a one off from an FPL perspective and that the majority of big hitters will fire once again in Gameweek 7 as we assess all the viable captain options ahead of Friday's 18.30pm deadline.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
Heung-Min Son (£9.5m)/Harry Kane (£10.9m) vs BHA (H)
Yes this reader is well aware that this could be considered 'cheating', picking two players in one premium option spot. However, this gives us the opportunity to champion other players, whilst still making it clear that both these two are very much captain material for Gameweek 7. Midfielder Heung-Min Son (£9.5m) and forward Harry Kane (£10.9m) have been arguably the two stand out players in this season's Premier League thus far. They are the two highest scoring FPL players by a huge margin, racking up 69 and 65 points respectively. To put that into perspective, the third highest scorer is way behind the pair on 50 points.
With 13 goals and 10 assists between them, the duo will look to take their rampant form into Gameweek 7, with an enticing looking home fixture against Brighton. Both make strong cases for captaincy, with Son of course gaining an extra point for both a goal and a clean sheet, whilst Kane is in possession of those all important penalties. Both will be highly owned and both will be highly captained. Choose wisely, because the wrong decision could prove costly!
Mo Salah (£12.4m) vs WHU (H)
He had a goal disallowed by VAR after a marginal offside ruling and he also hit the post after a delicious turn put him through on goal. However, it wasn't to be for Mo Salah (£12.4m) in Gameweek 6 as the Egyptian failed to score or assist, picking up just two FPL points for his owners as Liverpool squeezed past Sheffield Utd 2-1 at Anfield. Many had captained the Egyptian and with good reason when you consider how strong Salah normally is at home. On another day he could have had a brace, but alas it wasn't to be.
Anyone who watched the game will know that another big haul may just be around the corner for Salah and a goal from the penalty spot in Liverpool's midweek Champions League win over Midtjylland sees him arrive into Gameweek 7 with confidence. A resurgent West Ham are the visitors to Anfield, however Salah had previous against the Hammers, scoring twice and registering one assist over the two fixtures against them last season. Take away the Spurs duo and Salah will almost certainly be the most captained FPL player once again, despite last week's blank.
Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m) vs SHU (a)
Making his return to action off the bench in Gameweek 6 following a short spell out with injury, it didn't take long for Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m) to start pulling the strings again for last season's Premier League runners up. The Belgian should have registered the match winning assist against West Ham after playing Raheem Sterling through on goal late on. Unfortunately, Sterling's subsequent effort was saved and City were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw vs the Hammers. De Bruyne has since followed this up with a start and two assists in midweek as Man City won 0-3 win away at Marseille in the Champions League.
Man City travel to Sheffield Utd in Gameweek 7 and De Bruyne has fond memories of City's two fixtures against the Blades last season. A goal and two assists over the course of both games shows his pedigree against a team who have not started well this season and find themselves in the bottom three. With Chris Wilder's side low on confidence and City looking to bounce back and make a statement after dropping points last weekend, goals could be on the menu for Pep Guardiola's team and that makes 'KDB' a big captaincy candidate when you also take account that he is in control of all dangerous set pieces and penalties.
DIFFERENTIAL PICK
Danny Ings (£8.5m) vs AVL (a)
Flying under the radar as per usual has been the form of Southampton forward Danny Ings (£8.5m) this season. For the past year or so, Ings has been one of the most reliable FPL assets one could wish to own, yet rarely is he even considered as a captaincy candidate, with bigger name players giving the armband instead. Well, we're all for giving the England international the respect he deserves and we have reason to believe that Ings could be the perfect differential captain for Gameweek 7.
Two assists in Gameweek 6, saw Ings take his FPL tally to 41 points for the league campaign so far when you also factor in his four goals. Southampton travel to Aston Villa in Gameweek 7, the same fixture that saw the Saints striker score twice in last season. With seven goals in their last three Premier League games, Southampton look a threat whenever they go forward at present. Whilst many will plump for the premium options above, if you're looking to make ground in your respective mini leagues, Ings could prove the perfect differential captain for Gameweek 7.
Would you like to write about FPL? TSZ are on the lookout for volunteer contributors. Give us a shout here if you're interested!
