CAPTAINCY HYPE 2018/19: FPL Gameweek 13
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 13 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 13: Essential Captain
Player: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
Position: Midfielder
GW13 Fixture: Watford (a)
Player Price: £13.0 million
Player Selection %: 36.0%
We're in the tailwind of the last international break of the season. Between now and February the sole football focus is on the Premier League and domestic football. There will be many a thousand of Fantasy players looking for last minute advice from the heavens as their active Wildcard starts to take shape.
It looks like the basis of a good FPL team into Gameweek 13 lies with its short-term captaincy options, and based off our essential poll this weekend - we're pretty thin on the ground right now.
A narrow win for Mohamed Salah was greatly aided by fellow Merseyside midfielder, Richarlison, not previously considered in this role of contention, with Cardiff visiting the blue side of town this weekend, though an air of consistency for The Egyptian King was enough to see him pip the Brazilian as well as Hazard and Aguero.
Heading into Gameweek 13, Mohamed Salah is the luxury option that many can't afford, but one that 36.0% of players are gleefully hoping comes through in spades to spite the 64% of non-believers.
Mo Salah has scored 5 goals in 2 appearances against Watford, including a memorable 4 goals in a shortened Gameweek last season, as well as scoring and assisting away at Vicarage Road on his Liverpool debut in a 3-3 draw.
In the present, Salah has scored 3 goals in his last 4 league appearances, though the Egyptian hasn't scored a brace in the league (yet). With Sergio Aguero the nearest competitor with Richarlison for the armband this weekend, and the form of Sadio Mane questionable at best, there's real hope that it'll be all eyes on Salah this weekend.
On a more interesting note, Mo Salah recently scored a last-minute winner against Tunisia for Egypt and after scoring took his shirt off. Absent was the kinetic shoulder tape that he's been adorning so far this season, which for eagle-eyed FPL players, could be a golden sign that Salah is well over his injury hurdle from the Champions League final - a premonition by a few that could be looking at the reemergence of Salah as the goal-machine from last season.
If you own him, you may as well captain him, and if you don't own him, you may as well pray to all the deities and sacrifice your first born to make sure it's a quiet afternoon in the English capital.
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 13: Alternative Captain
Player: Raul Jimenez (WOL)
Position: Forward
GW13 Fixture: Huddersfield (H)
Player Price: £5.8 million +
Player Selection %: 11.4%
Never in a million years did we ever envision putting a budget forward in the FPL in a position of captaincy, especially a promoted Forward, but yet with limited options available for our alternative selections (and across the board in general), here we are.
The international break hasn't been kind to defensive assets for Nuno Santo's side, with Matt Doherty a doubt and Jonny Otto definitely out of the home tie against lowly Huddersfield. With potentially missing out on their two key full-backs, and without a win in the Premier League in 4 matches (3 defeats and a recent 1-1 draw with Arsenal), you'd be crazy to bank on a Wolves captain, right?
Well, against all logic amongst some tough fixtures, Mexican international Raul Jimenez has been a joy and relief to FPL players (unlike us, who benched him twice most recently).
Our alternative picks are typically owned by 10-20% of players, and with Lacazette a doubt, Jimenez is the next best option, and the leading candidate to be a vice captain this week in your squads.
Jimenez's form is also incredible positive, with the Forward managing 7 attacking returns (2 goals, 5 assists) from his last 8 games, earning 18 points in his last 2 matches against London rivals Spurs and Arsenal.
With 188,928 transfer in so far, many are following suit that the Jimenez bandwagon is the one to jump on right now, and if that is the case, the punt for captaincy to us is more appealing than Richarlison's home tie against Cardiff.
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 13: Wildcard Captain
Player: Andre Schurrle (FUL)
Position: Midfielder
GW13 Fixture: Southampton (H)
Player Price: £5.9 million
Player Selection %: 4.8%
Here we are, at the precipice of selecting a Fulham midfielder as the differential captain. For good reason right now, we at The Hype Train are celebrating the return our favourite Italian manager of all time in the Premier League, Claudio Ranieri. The Italian gave us the most memorable Premier League title win of all time, and it was still a grossly unjust sacking of him by Leicester City.
What we want from this Gameweek is a hugely dramatic return to life in the Premier League for Ranieri, and a last-minute goal from one of their most likely sources, this weeks’ differential captain Andre Schürrle. The team visiting Craven Cottage this weekend is Southampton, and they are led by a manager who is part of the league’s old boys club, and someone who is taking Southampton back down the leagues, Mark Hughes. There is nothing more just than the incredibly talented Ranieri to defeat the very untalented Welshman to reset the karma since his forced departure from Leicester.
The truth is that if there are three players to make an impact for Fulham it will be Mitrovic, Sessegnon, or Schürrle. One of them is note a differential, one of them could play in defence, and the other is starter who scores goals and knows the league well. This is a week that there are few credible captaincy options, so we are going big this week by placing faith in a dream which is effectively what we hope for…a return out of an otherwise overlooked option, and that is exactly what Ranieri brings to Fulham and its players.
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.
