Welcome to our fantasy premier league captaincy analysis for the the upcoming gameweek 8. The FPL gameweek just gone was dominated by a fine Alexis Sanchez hat-trick & Daniel Sturridge returning to the Liverpool side with 2 goals. The week was rounded off when Romelu Lukaku grabbed a brace in a fine Everton comeback at the Hawthorns. On the other hand it was a disappointing week for some of the popular picks with Mahrez, Ayew & Aguero failing to perform. Just before we move onto our analysis for this week lets take a look at how our picks last week did.
1. Anthony Martial – 5 points
2. Dimitri Payet – 8 points
3. Ross Barkley – 2 points
Differential – Callum Wilson – 1 point
Gamble – Riyad Mahrez – 2 points
Now as we always do lets dissect this week’s options.
1. Dimitri Payet (SUN)
The dynamic attacker has continued his fine start to the season and appears to be West Ham’s main attacking outlet so any success the Hammers have at the Stadium of Light against struggling Sunderland on Saturday will most likely involve Payet which means he is a solid bet for your captain’s armband this week. To add to that West Ham have been much better on the road so far which will lead many managers to putting their faith in the West Ham number 10. The standout option this week.
2. Jamie Vardy (NOR)
The Leicester and England frontman has been in red hot form of late and overtook teammate Mahrez to top the scoring charts. Vardy has scored 4 goals in his last 3 games so it must be a good bet to back him to add to that tally when his Leicester side travel to East Anglia to face Norwich. Despite a high scoring defeat to Arsenal at the weekend many are expecting the likes of Vardy & the tenacious Riyad Mahrez to bring their Leicester side back on track on Saturday afternoon. Based on form he looks like a solid choice.
3. Kevin De Bruyne (NEW)
The Belgian has hit the ground running since his arrival from Wolfsburg scoring 2 in 2 games, and after racking up an impressive 20 points in just 3 games, the fire headed Belgian is settling into his second spell in England like a duck to water which is making many managers sit up and take note. City play host to a Newcastle side who apart from a good 60 minutes against Chelsea have been pretty poor this season so far and up to this point are without a win. City will be looking to bounce back from a shocking performance at White Hart Lane and a home game against a struggling Newcastle could be the perfect remedy. De Bruyne is playing well so many will consider him a viable captaincy option this week.
Now we will move onto the gamble and differential choices and this week they are players with solid form but due to tough fixtures aren’t safe choices.
Differential – Sadio Mane (CHE)
The Southampton winger is another who has been on good form in the last few weeks with only a tough fixture probably preventing more from giving him the armband. The Saints travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday night which is traditionally a really tough place to get a result, however it’s fair to say Chelsea are a shadow of last season’s team which would dispatch teams with ease. This will give Southampton some optimism that they can get a result with many expecting the lively Senegalese international to be at the forefront of it all. Remember he scored big against United so there’s no reason he can’t do the same against Chelsea. You’d need to be very brave to captain him but with that said Mané will be lively so could get a good return.
Gamble – Alexis Sanchez (MUN)
The Chilean scored a fine hat-trick at the King Power on Saturday and finally delivered on the expectation of many managers. The performance of Alexis was sensational and its lead many managers to justify a large outlay on him. Arsenal host Manchester United on Sunday which could be a very tough fixture for the Gunners. The North London outfit suffered a damaging loss in the Champions League this week so it’s anyone’s guess how they will respond against an improving United side. Alexis is a huge risk for captaincy however on his day he makes things happen singlehandedly so it’s never safe to write Sanchez off.
As always thanks for reading & the best of luck with the gameweek ahead!
By Bonus FPL
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