CAPTAINCY HYPE 2018/19: FPL Gameweek 10
Picking a Captain to double down on in the Fantasy Premier League is the most important question asked ahead of each of the 38 Gameweek's in the Premier League season. There's a lot of self-help out there for FPL enthusiasts, with our Hype Team providing three major considerations for the armband for each and every 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. Captaincy can make of break a Gameweek so strap in tightly, it's time to lose your marbles. All aboard.
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 10 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
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE ESSENTIAL PICK
Our Essential picks for captain are selected each and every week on our main Twitter account, @RealHypeTrain, with four highly selected FPL options battling it out for alpha status amongst fellow FPL players.
Gameweek 10: Essential Captain
Player: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
Position: Midfielder
GW10 Fixture: Cardiff (H)
Player Price: £12.8 million
Player Selection %: 30.7%
Gameweek 9 was a damp squib of an affair with low scores and general frustration, with Gameweek 10 a lifeline to boost morale after a forgetful week. Part of that is of course picking the right captain, and with Cardiff at home, there was little debating the outcome of putting Mohamed Salah, recently returning to form, as our top captaincy pick of the week.
Making matters even better for Salah is the reality that Eden Hazard is potentially injured against Burnley, meaning his nearest competition is a 6% vote by Harry Kane enthusiasts.
Liverpool are fresh off a stellar week in the Champions League against Red Star, and found their talisman back on the score-sheet in the Premier League in a 1-0 away win at Huddersfield.
Salah's detractors will be pointing to a lack of bonus points, though this omission doesn't stop the fact that The Egyptian Messi has the same number of points as Raheem Sterling, with Ryan Fraser (51) and Eden Hazard (75) the only midfielders to score more points.
With James Milner might not walking back into the Liverpool team this week, Mohamed Salah could get the responsibility of penalties if the case were to arise, especially with Sadio Mane missing one against Red Star in the week.
Salah is yet to score a brace in a Premier League game this season, scoring in 4 games, whilst assisting both of his returns in Gameweek 2's victory at Crystal Palace.
Cardiff's Manager, Neil Warnock, has said that the likelihood of a Cardiff win at Anfield is virtually 0%, which is all leading to Klopp licking his lips with his Forward selections this week. Shaqiri's in some good form and has struck a good partnership with Salah, and if they play the same formation as they did against Red Star, Roberto Firmino will find himself behind Mohamed Salah as the out-and-out Forward.
Salah's selection is without doubt the most one-sided captaincy choice you'll find this season, so there's no reason to jump on the Salah hype train whilst it lasts.
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE ALTERNATIVE PICK
Our Alternative selection for captain typically commands a smaller FPL ownership percentage, but can be reserved for The Hype Train's own gut instincts on who could be captaincy inspiration.
Gameweek 10: Alternative Captain
Player: Alexandre Lacazette (ARS)
Position: Forward
GW10 Fixture: Crystal Palace (a)
Player Price: £9.7 million
Player Selection %: 15.0%
Many FPL players (like myself, Rob) will find themselves in a position where they most likely will not be fielding Mohamed Salah this week, and most of them players (like myself) will find themselves with Eden Hazard on the injury spectrum ahead of an away day at Burnley. This all leads to a large portion of players looking for a 'Plan B' this weekend, and just like in previous weeks, there is only one legitimate option.
Arsenal are hitting some major form, their best form in a decade in fact, as Unai Emery's side have won 11 straight matches in all competitions. Crystal Palace, a side who have failed to score in 4 consecutive home matches and have only picked up one positive result, a 0-0 draw against Newcastle during Gameweek 6.
Alexandre Lacazette once again standards forward as the best option to have as an alternative captain. 15% ownership is perfect to be a left-field pick for the armband, and there's plenty of reason to be optimistic this weekend, despite Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stealing the spotlight in the last few weeks for his appearances off the bench.
4 goals and 4 assists is just 2 returns left than Sergio Aguero (10) and Callum Wilson (10), though it was bitterly disappointing to watch the Frenchman get incredibly close to a goal in the 3-1 home win against Leicester.
Arsenal on the road look an assured bet against a Crystal Palace side who are desperate for the points. Lacazette was rested against Sporting Lisbon and will once again resume his Forward role this weekend. There's no reason to be doubtful over his potential as a captaincy option this week, though it will sting a pinch not having Salah as the go-to option.
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE WILDCARD PICK
Our Wildcard selection is one of the ten differential picks that is featured in our Weekly Wildcards article. This captaincy selection has a very small percentage of owners in the FPL, and is our left field option.
Gameweek 10: Wildcard Captain
Player: Anthony Martial (MUN)
Position: Midfielder
GW10 Fixture: Everton (H)
Player Price: £7.3 million
Player Selection %: 2.8%
When you think of Manchester United differentials you think of players like Alexis Sanchez and Marcus Rashford, not for the best of reasons all the time, but rarely do we decide to put our faith in Anthony Martial who has in the past been rotated in and out of the team like a suitcase stuck on an airport luggage conveyor belt. Alexis Sanchez has been hit-and-miss with the differentials since his move to the Red Devil’s because he has been largely ineffective and unable to do the simple things he was doing as Arsenal for fun, like you know, scoring goals.
Despite the recent rocky spell of Jose Mourinho’s team there has been one shining light for the Portuguese and that is the Frenchman who has registered an incredible four attacking returns in the past two weeks alone. Martial has collected 28pts and has earned the three bonus points in both GW8 and GW9. Dare we say it, but we are in a time where Anthony Martial is a pivotal part of United’s attacking setup. The goal he scored against Chelsea was the most standout of the four returns, and Jose would need to be committed if he wasn’t to start Martial against Everton who will put in a stubborn display.
There hasn’t been a time we can remember when Martial was so important to Man United, nor being the most likely differential to make the biggest impact this weekend. Jamie Vardy might still be feeling rotten after an illness, Sterling could be rotated, and Joshua King may continue his relatively poor form when playing away from home. Martial, ironically, doesn’t have any bad indicators going into this weekend and in the form he is currently in could spark another double-digit performance from the midfielder.
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
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, live sport, and professional wrestling.
As well as providing FPL articles on our website, we are a founding Contributor to the new Fantasy Football Hub, where you can find more unique articles, including weekly Power Rankings, from The Hype Team. You can support us and read exclusive members only content for just £2 per-month by clicking here.
The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog 2016' by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), with the final presentation held at Old Trafford in Manchester.
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All aboard.
