CORE CAPTAINCY 2016/17: FPL Gameweek 4
Picking a Captain in the Fantasy Premier League is among the most important 38 decisions any person will make throughout the course of the season. There's a lot of self-help out there for FPL enthusiasts, with our Hype Team providing three major considerations for the armband Gameweek. We'll be detailing the Essential choice for captain, a popular alternative that's pushing the consensus, and a Wildcard pick to add to the chaos. Strap in tightly, it's time to lose your marbles. All aboard.
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek Deadline
For the 2016/17 Premier League season, the FPL deadline will be one hour before the commencement of the week's first game. The Premier League website lists each FPL deadline, you can always ask on social media, and you can also view a real time countdown on our Weekly Hype page.
In a change from last season, the early Saturday kick off time has now been moved back to 12:30am, meaning the weekly FPL deadline will also be moving 15 minutes back.
The transfer deadline for GW4 is Saturday September 10th at 11:30am.
CORE CAPTAINS: SEASON PERFORMANCE
To help track our progress throughout the 2016/17 season, below you can check how our Core Captaincy selections have done by week to week in the Fantasy Premier League.
GW1
Essential: Sergio Aguero (Man City vs. Sunderland) - 9pts
Alternative: Jamie Vardy (Hull vs. Leicester) - 2pts
Wildcard: Nathan Redmond (Southampton vs. Watford) - 10pts
GW2
Essential: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. Crystal Palace) - 5pts
Alternative: Roberto Firmino (Burnley vs. Liverpool) - 2pts
Wildcard: Fernando Llorente (Swansea vs. Hull) - 2pts
GW3
Essential: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Hull vs. Man United) - 2pts
Alternative: Eden Hazard (Chelsea vs. Burnley) - 11pts
Wildcard: Romelu Lukaku (Everton vs. Stoke) - 2pts
Totals
Essential Total: 9 (1), 5 (2), 2 (3) = 16pts Alternative Total: 2 (1), 2 (2), 11 (3) = 15pts
Wildcard Total: 10 (1), 2 (2), 2 (3) = 14pts
CORE CAPTAINCY: THE ESSENTIAL PICK
Player: Eden Hazard (CHE)
Position: Midfielder
Player Price: £10.2 million +
Player Selection %:
Eden Hazard gets an upgrade from our GW3 alternative captain pick, to the essential pick for GW4. Yes, it was a Burnley side at home which Hazard profitted, with sterner tests ahead for the Belgian, but the momentum acquired over the course of the first 3 Gameweek's has finally given Hazard the green light for captaincy. With Aguero suspended (and rightfully so for a deliberate elbow to Winston Reid), and Zlatan facing the Aguero-less City, Hazard comes to the pinnacle in an away visit to Swansea. The Swans have suffered big losses to Chelsea in the past, losing 5-0 in the Blues title winning 2014/15 campaign.
The list of pros for Hazard's inclusion is long, but all you need to know is the basics, because that's what Hazard's doing well at again from an FPL standpoint.
- Scoring goals and claiming assists
- Acquiring bonus points
- On penalty kick duty
- rising in price on a weekly basis
- Favourable fixture at the weekend
In the Conte mould, Hazard has managed more attempted dribbles than any player in the league, and has found his shooting boots again for the season. As bad as it sounds for other teams, an in-form Hazard is a nightmare to the other 19 Premier League teams, with none of Chelsea's first 3 opponents able to contain the Belgian's points return. On the proverbial Hype Train, and leading the way for midfielders, it's an easy pick this week, right?
Chelsea's Next Fixtures
GW4: Swansea (a)
GW5: Liverpool (h)
GW6: Arsenal (a)
GW7: Hull (a)
GW8: Leicester (h)
GW9: Man United (h)
GW10: Southampton (a)
CORE CAPTAINCY: THE ALTERNATIVE PICK
Player: Alexis Sanchez (ARS)
Position: Midfielder
Player Price: £11.0 million +
Player Selection %:
The Hype Team have been heavily critical of Arsenal so far this season. Whilst other teams have added an element of chaos (for the better), The Gunners have done the same, but for worse. Arsenal looked very strong in patches against Liverpool, before being evaporated by a dazzling second half performance by the Reds, which was then followed up with an edgy, goalless draw at Champions Leicester. When comparing the results to last season (Arsenal beat Leicester 5-2 and drew 0-0 with Liverpool in corresponding fixtures), Arsenal have dropped 3 points and looked unconvincing, with an unsettled team following the European Championships and Copa America.
A 3-1 victory away at Watford was the first sign of Arsenal coming good, but that too is a worse result than last season (even though a win is a win). In particular Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil thumped their way back onto the FPL scene with performances that has in part aided the cause for players to play their wildcards. In particular, Sanchez thrives on a run of favourable home fixtures, where the Chilean constantly builds momentum. Arsenal could be hitting that rich vein of fixtures which twists the arm of the fantasy football players, changing the dynamic of the season – let’s be honest, barely any GW1 teams featured Arsenal players (Bellerin excluded).
Sanchez takes the second captaincy spot behind Hazard, even though he could trump the Belgian’s point scoring efforts for GW4. Southampton are looking questionable, and have already been found out away from home against Man United, a game which saw big FPL points returns for favourites Ibrahimovic and Shaw. Something of a similar pattern might happen again with the Saint’s faced with another tricky away tie to a fellow European club.
In the game itself, should Sanchez play (which he almost certainly will), he’ll be operating most likely on the left of an attacking midfield three, with Lucas Perez likely to start on the opposite flank, with Ozil playing through the middle. Up top, Giroud will look to build steam ahead of the season having barely featured now. Sanchez out of the 4 attackers is the most likely for a rousing return of points, so gets the nod ahead of his teammates, and Zlatan, who must navigate Pep at Old Trafford in the early kick off (people really don’t like captaining players in the opening game).
Southampton kick off their Europa League campaign next week, as do Arsenal in the Champions League away at PSG, so in terms of team selection and guarantees, we’re hard pressed for differentials in this game. The likes of Bellerin, Sanchez, and Ozil will all feature, and with sail in their wind at last, Arsenal might finally be viable FPL options. We’ll be waiting to see how they shape up in Europe and the PL in the coming weeks as a tricky fixture list begins to clear.
Arsenal's Next Fixtures
GW4: Southampton (h)
GW5: Hull (a)
GW6: Chelsea (h)
GW7: Burnley (a)
GW8: Swansea (h)
GW9: Middlesbrough (h)
GW10: Sunderland (a)
CORE CAPTAINCY: THE WILDCARD PICK
Player: Tom Heaton (BUR)
Position: Goalkeeper
Player Price: £4.5 million +
Player Selection %:
From this week we will be picking one of our ten wildcards as our Gameweek Wildcard Captain. We have seen captaincy success in Nathan Redmond so far this season, but have found blanks in the shape of Fernando Llorente and Romelu Lukaku. The forwards have been letting us down in recent weeks, in both the Weekly Wildcard article, as well as in our Core Captaincy, so we’re going bolder (and perhaps desperate) in a search for FPL points.
Step up Tom Heaton, the Burnley shot stopper who has been a force in between the sticks this season. At home to Liverpool last time out at home, Heaton and the defence became an impenetrable wall. On their first game of the season Burnley were beat by Swansea, but Heaton picked up 6 saves and 4 points in the process – among the top 5 GK earners for GW1.
In general, for once we are sticking our neck out on the line and nominating Heaton as our Wildcard Captain, and it should come as no surprise that the unlucky team to be at the end of our choices is Hull. We’ve banked against them for all 3 Gameweek’s so far, and it turns out we’re extending that run. Hull have been very good, and a definite surprise to FPL players at this stage of the season, but having found a defensive rhythm in the league, we’re expecting Burnley to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat against Chelsea at the Bridge.
We talked about Hazard doing the simples, Heaton is doing the same at the other end of the pitch for an FPL keeper.
Earning additional save points.
Being in contention for bonus points.
Good penalty stopper.
Being in the mix for bonus points.
Burnley's Next Fixtures
GW4: Hull (h)
GW5: Leicester (a)
GW6: Watford (h)
GW7: Arsenal (h)
GW8: Southampton (a)
GW9: Everton (h)
GW10: Man United (a)
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The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015 specialising in the Fantasy Premier League (#FPL), providing beautiful graphics and weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb ranking tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review movies, television, live music, festivals, and any relevant topic in the public eye.
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All aboard.
