CAPTAINCY HYPE 2016/17: FPL Gameweek 27
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.
The transfer deadline for GW27 is Saturday 4th March 2017 at 11:30am
CAPTAINCY HYPE: 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
GW4
Essential: Eden Hazard (Swansea vs. Chelsea) - 1pt
Alternative: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal vs. Southampton) - 1pt
Wildcard: Tom Heaton (Burnley vs. Hull) - 2pts
GW5
Essential: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. Sunderland) - 9pts
Alternative: Romelu Lukaku (Everton vs. Middlesbrough) - 12pts
Wildcard: Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace vs. Stoke) - 2pts
GW6
Essential: Sergio Aguero (Swansea vs. Man City) - 13pts
Alternative: Sadio Mane (Liverpool vs. Hull) - 7pts
Wildcard: Troy Deeney (Burnley vs. Watford) - 2pts
GW7
Essential: Alexis Sanchez (Burnley vs. Arsenal) - 3pts
Alternative: Philippe Coutinho (Swansea vs. Liverpool) - 2pts
Wildcard: Marcus Rashford (Man United vs. Stoke) - 2pts
GW8
Essential: Sergio Aguero (Man City vs. Everton) - -1pt
Alternative: Diego Costa (Chelsea vs. Leicester) - 9pts
Wildcard: Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace vs. West Ham) - -1pt
GW9
Essential: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal vs. Middlesbrough) - 3pts
Alternative: Theo Walcott (Arsenal vs. Middlesbrough) - 3pts
Wildcard: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea vs. Watford) - 2pts
GW10
Essential: Alexis Sanchez (Sunderland vs. Arsenal) - 13pts
Alternative: Romelu Lukaku (Everton vs. West Ham) - 12pts
Wildcard: Troy Deeney (Watford vs. Hull) - 2pts
GW11
Essential: Sergio Aguero (Man City vs. Middlesbrough) - 6pts
Alternative: Charlie Austin (Hull City vs. Southampton) - 7pts
Wildcard: Wilfried Bony (West Ham vs. Stoke City) - 2pts
GW12
Essential: Sergio Aguero (Crystal Palace vs. Man City) - 2pts
Alternative: Jermain Defoe (Sunderland vs. Hull City) - 11pts
Wildcard: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. West Ham) - 13pts
GW13
Essential: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool vs. Sunderland) - 1pt
Alternative: Diego Costa (Chelsea vs. Spurs) - 5pts
Wildcard: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea vs. Crystal Palace) - 10pts
GW14
Essential: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. Swansea) - 13pts
Alternative: Alexis Sanchez (West Ham vs. Arsenal) - 23pts
Wildcard: Victor Anichebe (Sunderland vs. Leicester) - 2pts
GW15
Essential: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal vs. Stoke) - 5pts
Alternative: Diego Costa (Chelsea vs. West Brom) - 8pts
Wildcard: Divock Origi (Liverpool vs. West Ham) - 9pts
GW16
Essential: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. Hull) - 2pts
Alternative: Diego Costa (Sunderland vs. Chelsea) - 2pts
Wildcard: Marcos Alonso (Sunderland vs. Chelsea) - 7pts
GW17
Essential: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. Burnley) - 2pts
Alternative: Diego Costa (Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea) - 6pts
Wildcard: Marcos Alonso (Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea) - 6pts
GW18
Essential: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man United vs. Sunderland) - 15pts
Alternative: Sadio Mane (Liverpool vs. Stoke) - 2pts
Wildcard: Marcos Alonso (Chelsea vs. Bournemouth) - 6pts
GW19
Essential: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man United vs. Middlesbrough) - 5pts
Alternative: Romelu Lukaku (Hull vs. Everton) - 2pts
Wildcard: Marcos Alonso (Chelsea vs. Stoke) - 3pts
GW20
Essential: Sergio Aguero (Man City vs. Burnley) - 7pts
Alternative: Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace vs. Swansea) - 1pt
Wildcard: Olivier Giroud (Bournemouth vs. Arsenal) - 15pts
GW21
Essential: Alexis Sanchez (Swansea vs. Arsenal) - 11pts
Alternative: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. West Brom) - 17pts
Wildcard: Andre Gray (Burnley vs. Southampton) - 2pts
GW22
Essential: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal vs. Burnley) - 8pts
Alternative: Romelu Lukaku (Crystal Palace vs. Everton) - 2pts
Wildcard: Junior Stanislas (Bournemouth vs. Watford) - 2pts
GW23
Essential: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man United vs. Hull) - 2pts
Alternative: Dele Alli (Sunderland vs. Spurs) - 3pts
Wildcard: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal vs. Watford) - 2pts
GW24
Essential: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. Middlesbrough) - 6pts
Alternative: Romelu Lukaku (Everton vs. Bournemouth) - 21pts
Wildcard: Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace vs. Sunderland) - 0pts
GW25
Essential: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal vs. Hull) - 15pts
Alternative: Diego Costa (Burnley vs. Chelsea) - 2pts
Wildcard: Gabriel Jesus (Bournemouth vs. Man City) - 1pt
GW26
Essential: Romelu Lukaku (Everton vs. Sunderland) - 6pts
Alternative: Sadio Mane (Leicester vs. Liverpool) - 2pts
Wildcard: Troy Deeney (Watford vs. West Ham) - 9pts
Totals
Essential Total: 9 (1), 5 (2), 2 (3), 1 (4), 9 (5), 13 (6), 3 (7), -1 (8), 3 (9), 13 (10), 6 (11), 2 (12), 1 (13), 13 (14), 5 (15), 2 (16), 2 (17), 15 (18), 5 (19), 7 (20), 11 (21), 8 (22), 2 (23), 6 (24), 15 (25), 6 (26) = 163pts
Alternative Total: 2 (1), 2 (2), 11 (3), 1 (4), 12 (5), 7 (6), 2 (7), 9 (8), 3 (9), 12 (10), 7 (11), 11 (12), 5 (13), 23 (14), 8 (15), 2 (16), 6 (17), 2 (18), 2 (19), 1 (20), 17 (21), 2 (22), 3 (23), 21 (24), 2 (25), 2 (26) = 171pts
Wildcard Total: 10 (1), 2 (2), 2 (3), 2 (4), 2 (5), 2 (6), 2 (7), -1 (8), 2 (9), 2 (10), 2 (11), 13 (12), 10 (13), 2 (14), 9 (15), 7 (16), 6 (17), 6 (18), 3 (19), 15 (20), 2 (21), 2 (22), 2 (23), 0 (24), 1 (25), 9 (26) = 114pts
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE ESSENTIAL PICK
Player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man United)
Position: Forward
Player Price: £11.5 million
Player Selection %: 36.1%
It's been a week of waiting and wondering as Man City faced Huddersfield in an FA Cup replay. As advised previously by Man City, their return fixture against Stoke would take place during GW27. This article would usually take the stance that a Man City forward player would be the essential pick for the Gameweek, but for some that isn't the case. We ran a poll on Monday to determine who would be the top pick based off a single Gameweek, and we are sticking to that principle, and will avoid the tempation of picking the obvious Sergio Aguero as captain. In line for contention are the following players in our poll:
Man United's Next 5 Fixtures
GW27: Bournemouth (h)
GW28: N/A
GW29: Middlesbrough (a)
GW30: West Brom (h)
GW31: Everton (h)
The Swedish forward scored his first Premier League goal of the season at Bournemouth in a 3-1 victory, and we are expecting that after a two goal performance against Southampton, that Ibrahimovic could be the bane of your Gameweek, or most likely, its hero.
Are there downsides to an Aguero Double Gamewek Captaincy?
Rotation:
Man City are playing 2 games a week, and Pep isn't afraid to rotate Aguero. City have a wealth of options and might want to keep Aguero fresh for their trip to Monaco. So Kelechi Iheanacho could see minutes, or they could start with Sterling up top.
Points Deductions:
If you've already got motions rolling for the 4 game GW28, Aguero and City players might not be an option. If you put in Aguero, you might have to lose points the following week to have a competitve team, in which case you are probably best off writing off GW27 as a Double Gameweek. City don't play in GW28 which creates automatic problems with longevity.
Man City's Fixtures:
After Sunderland (a) & Stoke (h) for Man City, they do not play in DGW28 and then play Liverpool (h), Arsenal (a), and Chelsea (a), so Aguero's inclusion will have to be a blip.
Aguero's Falling FPL Stock:
Aguero might be well placed for GW27 this season, but in general it's been a season to forget for the Argentine. Major rotation, playing in a slightly different role, frustrated at his selection, outperformed by Gabriel Jesus, and mightily expensive in the FPL. Aguero has proven to be a liability more often than he is an FPL hero this season. GW8 tops the charts for low moments, when he was benched against Everton, then came on to miss a penalty.
Aguero only has 1 goal since GW14, regardless of injury and minutes played, that form is not trustworthy heading into two crucual games.
Gameweek 28's Influence:
Man City do not offer anything towards GW28, so Aguero or Sterling could lead to future selection problems. Also it might be a DGW, but the GW28 players will even out the scores over the course of two Gameweek's.
This is also of course the first DGW of the seaon, and perhaps the most cautious. Shoehorned just before the much shorter GW28, there are greater horizons to be had with Double Gameweek picks, and that includes players who are thinking that a Triple Captaincy chip is worth an inclusion.
Other Forwards in Form:
You might not need two games to get the job done if you have an in-form Harry Kane, Zlatan at home to Bournemouth, or a goal hungry Liverpool midfielder at home to Arsenal. Aguero's a great Gameweek option, but the alleviation of pressure might come from somebody already in your squad.
Are there any DGW alternatives?:
We'd prefer a move for Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, John Stones, or perhaps Peter Crouch if you're feeling risky. Crouch might be a good option as he is already a cheap FPL alternative.
Notes on Zlatan Ibrahimovic
So far this season Zlatan has 15 goals, 6 assists, and 145 FPL points with 24 of those points coming as bonus points.
With 15 goals this season, Zlatan is the 5th top goal scorer, with Costa (16), Kane (17), Sanchez (17), and Lukaku (17) all ahead of the former Swedish international.
Zlatan is join top of the Bonus Points chart with Jermain Defoe (Sunderland, with 24 points.
Zlatan has the same number of FPL points (145) as Diego Costa.
Zlatan has the second highest number of assists as a forward this season 96), only behind Diego Costa (7).
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE ALTERNATIVE PICK
Player: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea)
Position: Midfielder
Player Price: £7.6 million
Player Selection %: 14.0%
There's no amount of praise that we can sling on Gylfi Sigurdsson that isn't already documented throughout two years worth of articles published on The Hype Train. Sigurdsson, since the start of last season, has been overlooked by the vast majority, despite producing consistent FPL returns since his arrival at Swansea. So far this season the Iceland international has maanged 17 attacking returns (8 goalsm 9 assists), and after 26 Gameweek's is only 3 more returns away from his best ever attacking haul in the game. For this to be the season in which Sigurdsson breaks his 19 returns from the 2014/15 season is even more staggering considering that this is the only season since the Swans were promoted in which the club have struggled and are fighting for their lives.
Essentially, Sigurdsson is in the worst Swansea team in Premier League history, yet is having his most profitable season from a Fantasy standpoint. We're talking about a leader on the pitch who in the absence of Andre Ayew and Ashley Williams, has become a true leader on the pitch, and until recently, the sole flag bearer for FPL players to consider. At another club, with the returns he's managed, the midfielder's ownership would easily eclipse 25% and that's all we'd be talking about.
Sure, when we ran the Essential captaincy poll this week we had a few comments that suggested we should have included Sigurdsson, but on the most part, the Swan has been flying under the radar for far too long, and it's taken a shorter Gameweek 28 to bring to life a bigger 14% ownership, and based off his returns, and Swansea's league form, Gylfi's popularity in the FPL has been long overdue.
Gylfi's Last 5 Returns in the FPL
GW22: Liverpool (a) - 7 points (1 goal)
GW23: Southampton (h) - 13 points (1 goal, 1 assist, 3 bonus)
GW24: Man City (a) - 6 points (1 goal)
GW25: Leicester (h) - 6 points (1 assist)
GW26: Chelsea (a) - 5 points (1 assist)
Swansea's Results Since Clement's Arrival
Crystal Palace 1-2 Swansea
Swansea 0-4 Arsenal
Liverpool 2-3 Swansea
Swansea 2-1 Southampton
Man City 2-1 Swansea
Swansea 2-0 Leicester
Chelsea 3-1 Swansea
4 wins, 3 losses, 0 draws
Keeping in form, and not tempted by the lure of Aguero and Sterling for the Gameweek, Sigurdsson is the next best option should your team be void of having any standout Captaincy picks. Without Kane, Zlatan, Aguero, or Costa, midfield choices are your best best for points returns, and even though a potentially nervous day against a solid Burnley side awaits, points are being grafted and deserved by the Iceland midfielder, and in a week where players play twice, Swansea's home form and Clement's ability to beat all the little clubs is a good indicator heading into Gameweek 26 that the most in-form midfielder in the FPL is going to come up trump.
Swansea's Next 5 Fixtures
GW27: Burnley (h)
GW28: Hull (a)
GW29: Bournemouth (a)
GW30: Middlesbrough (h)
GW31: Spurs (h)
Notes on Gylfi Sigurdsson
So far this season Gylfi Sigurdsson has 8 goals, 9 assists, and 131 FPL points, with 13 of those points being Bonus.
According to the Form charts on the FPL site, Sigurdsson is the most in-form midfielder with a score of 7.5, with the nearest competitor Raheem Sterling at 7.3.
With 8 goals in the Premier League this season, Gylfi has scored the same number of goals as Roberto Firmino (LIV), Michail Antonio (WHU), and Theo Walcott (ARS).
With 9 assists so far this season, Sigurdsson is level with FPL favourites, Alexis Sanchez (ARS), and Matt Phillips (WBA).
With 2247 minutes played in the Premier League this season. Only central midfielders Wanyama (TOT), Fletcher (WBA), and Capoue (WAT) have played more.
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE WILDCARD PICK
Player: Manolo Gabbiadini (Southampton)
Position: Forward
Player Price: £6.6 million
Player Selection %: 6.3%
Here's what Hype Train Chief Writer, @TheHypeTrainSam, has had to say regarding Southampton's man of the moment, Manolo Gabbiadini, heading into GW27's tie at Watford:
Chosen as our differential captain for the week the maverick Southampton forward has made the perfect start to his Saint's career by scoring five goals for them since signing, and has a mammoth twenty points from just two fixtures in the Premier League. There isn't even a debate about one thing, Southampton played the better football in the League Cup final and Gabbiadini didn't deserve to be on the losing side after scoring three onside goals. Able to run into space, make problems for defenders, link play up, and head the ball it isn't hard to see why he is keeping Shane Long on the bench, he currently is embracing life on the South Coast and is already their go-to man.
Following on from the disappointment of the cup loss the Saint's travel to Watford in the reverse fixture from the opening day of the season. Southampton could have definitively used Gabbiadini in that opening fixture (we know as The Hype Train attended the match) to help break down their stubborn defence. Priced very reasonably and in clear goal scoring form the Italian has ousted Troy Deeney out of his regular spot in a Watford home match as our key differential.
Southampton's Next 5 Fixtures
GW27: Watford (a)
GW28: N/A
GW29: Spurs (a)
GW30: Bournemouth (h)
GW31: Crystal Palace (h)
Notes on Manolo Gabbiadini
So far this season Gabbiadini has 3 goals and 20 FPL points from his first 2 appearances in the Premier League, with 4 Bonus Points this season.
An average of 10 points per game is the highest in the FPL, with Alexis Sanchez, who has played 23 more games in the league, second with 7.2 points per match.
With 6.3% ownership, Gabbiadini is the most selected Southampton player in the FPL. The second most seelcted player is the injured Virgil van Dijk, with 6.2% ownership.
The Italian forward only had 34,081 FPL managers under his control for GW25's away trip to Sunderland, and has seen his ownership improved by more than a tenfold.
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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.
