The captaincy this week is genuinely the kind of decision that will separate the top managers from the rest, and getting it right could be worth a serious chunk of rank.
Honestly, this is one of those weeks where there is no easy answer. I have gone back and forth on this more times than I would like to admit, which tells you everything about how open this week really is.
Manchester City are at Anfield, which takes away the obvious go-to option that most of us lean on when we are not sure, and what we are left with is a genuinely open captaincy picture with a few interesting cases to make. Let me walk you through each one.
Who is the best FPL captain in GW6?
Erling Haaland (£15.6m) first, because there is always a case for Haaland.
He is top for expected goal involvement in the entire league this season and he is always the safe bet. But I will be honest, this is a week where I am tempted to go against him. The situation at City right now is a mess, and Anfield in that kind of context is going to be absolutely electric. That is not the environment you want your captain walking into if there are decent alternatives on the table, and this week I think there are.
Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) is the one that excites me most. He leads all midfielders for expected goal involvement this season, has a share of the set pieces and is sitting below 15% ownership, which means if he hauls, the rank gains are significant.
Leeds United at the Emirates is a game Arsenal should be winning, and Saka was rested in England’s friendly against the Czech Republic during the international break so his legs should be fresh.
The one thing to keep an eye on is whether Havertz is fit, because if he misses out, Viktor Gyokeres could start and take penalties ahead of Saka. That’s worth checking before the deadline locks.
Bruno Fernandes (£11.9m) is probably the pick of the week for those who own him, if I am being completely honest. He is second only to Saka for expected goal involvement among midfielders this season, looked sharp for Portugal in the break and Man United have a home game against a Tottenham Hotspur side sitting bottom of the league.
The underlying numbers at Man United are fascinating too; they have scored roughly two goals fewer than their Expected Goals (xG) figure of close to 10 this season, which means they are well overdue a strong performance.
Cole Palmer (£9.7m) pulled out of the England squad for load management reasons, which means he should be fit and raring to go against Bournemouth at home. He has been in good form this season and Chelsea at home to the Cherries is a very manageable fixture. A straightforward and sensible option for his owners if he is fit and back in training.
Joao Pedro (£7.7m) has been brilliant this season, second only to Haaland among forwards for FPL points, and the fixture looks good on paper. But he has not trained in three weeks and there is no real update on his fitness heading into the weekend as yet. Until we hear something concrete, the armband has to go elsewhere regardless of how tempting the matchup looks.
So where does that leave us? If you own Fernandes, he is probably your man this week. If you want the differential angle, Saka is the pick. Palmer, if fit, is also an appealing option. And Haaland, as always, is the comfort blanket if none of the above feel right. A proper captaincy puzzle this week, which is exactly what makes it interesting.
