CAPTAINCY HYPE 2018/19: FPL Gameweek 25
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 25 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 25: Essential Captain
Player:Sergio Aguero (MCI)
Position: Forward
GW25 Fixtures: Arsenal (H), West Ham (A)
Player Price: £11.3 million
Player Selection %: 28.3%
Double Gameweek. Man City. Everton. You'd think it was so simple, right? FPL players are on the verge of their first double round of fixtures, but there's still a sense of the unknown given the hands that have been dealt.
Sergio Aguero's victory in our poll, a margin 39%, with Leroy Sane a close second, it is clear that all eyes are on City, but a mix of certain rotation and mediocre form. Defeat against Newcastle last week highlighted the deficiencies with Pep Guardiola's squad - lacking ideas in the final third and failing to create chances at will.
Man City are entering their toughest stretch of the season, to aid to a potentially glum Double Gameweek outlook, with an away trip to Everton sandwiched in between home ties against Arsenal and Chelsea. City's big week will mean that - at least in theory - strong team selection is a guarantee given the stakes that are play in Pep's side drop anymore points.
Aguero, famed by the FPL Community, at time without warrant, does however enter Gameweek 25 with 3 goals in his last 5 matches, including City's lone strike in their defeat at Newcastle. Competition with Jesus means that we'll all be sweating on City's attack in the coming days.
Other than the notion of Man City facing two games, the left is left up to faith at this point, with the popular vote summoning in a familiar face on such a big occasion.
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 25: Alternative Captain
Player: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
Position: Midfielder
GW25 Fixture: West Ham (A)
Player Price: £13.6 million
Player Selection %: 50.4%
It's late in the evening, and closer to morning than you expect. You're sweating over your captaincy decisions and don't have a solid Double Gamewweek option? Sometimes you don't have to sweat over your options as The King of Egypt is on hand to spare you from blushes this coming weekend.
The top FPL player has more than 50% ownership for a reason, and even though a blank against a resolute Leicester side at Anfield hurt his standing ahead of this week, a visit to West Ham is perhaps more inviting.
6 double-digit returns from 9 matches in theory means that Salah is 66% likely to manager 10 or more points this weekend against a West Ham side who capitulated last week in a 3-0 defeat at Wolves.
Salah, playing out-of-position, as a Forward, sometimes makes life easy, so we're not even second guessing our best alternative to a Double Gameweek 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 25: Wildcard Captain
Player: David Silva (MCI)
Position: Midfielder
GW25 Fixtures: Arsenal (H), Everton (A)
Player Price: £8.5 million
Player Selection %: 4/7%
On paper, the next run of fixtures for Man City could make or break their title campaign. They have Arsenal and Everton in their immediate run, and then followed by Chelsea. The hardest stretch of games requires the best assets to step up on the big occasion, and one of the veterans of the team can do that in a very tough fixture. Arsenal were well beaten by Man City at the Emirates earlier on in the season, reigniting the belief the title was already being kept safe and secure in the blue half of Manchester.
David Silva is now a differential in this team, as is De Bruyne currently, the game changers, the dribblers, the ones looking to work the space and find the angle. Silva is at the core of this team and the way Pep plays and having played from the start in the last four out of five matches is reminding Pep that he needs the old guard to work their magic again if they are going to stop Liverpool from winning their first Premier League title.
The reason the Spaniard is a fantasy differential is due to the uprising form of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, leaving the central midfielders in the dust trails of lower ownership. They aren’t differentials by the definition as Silva and De Bruyne are two of the league’s best players, but they are the sharp edge that can force the issue and be in the right place at the right time. Arsenal and Everton have usually rolled over the Man City in past fixtures, unable to compete with their passing intensity. A Man City differential option was the logical captain, and whilst all eyes are on the forwards, it is the those who play deeper who normally have the most impact on the game in this Man City team.
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.
You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk
All aboard.
