It’s been a difficult few weeks for those who have backed the captaincy template in Fantasy Premier League, with four blanks in five for Erling Haaland (£15.3m).
The Manchester City striker’s dip in form may not justify a sale just yet, but being differential with your captain pick each week, especially given Haaland’s patchy recent form, can provide you with a welcome rank boost.
So who are the candidates for differential captain picks for the month ahead and who are the teams to target against where captaincy is concerned?
The importance of cracking the captaincy conundrum
Week to week, captaincy in FPL provides the biggest variance in the game. Get it right and you’ll often rise through the mini-league rankings — but a captaincy failure could break your week.
We are at a stage where we can’t simply back Haaland each week, with Manchester City struggling to create chances for their main man.
The fixtures turn for Manchester City now too: they face Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the next four gameweeks. There are plenty of captaincy differentials to consider.
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It’s worth noting that, especially when we hit busy European midweeks, it can be wise to use the armband on a player free from the same intense schedule. These come in the midweeks prior to Gameweek 11 and Gameweek 13.
There are some significant clashes at the top of the Premier League table to avoid too, including Chelsea hosting Arsenal in Gameweek 11 and Liverpool’s showdown with Manchester City at the start of December.
We’ve also seen that certain teams are worth targeting, with Ipswich Town conceding the most big chances (45) on their goal this season and Leicester City conceding the most shots (182) in this campaign.
Picking a captain candidate that has recent form, plus a plum home game is a great starting point. Add into the mix someone producing 90-minute performances consistently and someone on penalties, and that creates the perfect blend.
Top differential picks for Gameweek 11
In Gameweek 11, the key differential captain alternative is Spurs’ Dominic Solanke (£7.6m) ahead of the visit of Ipswich, who have conceded 23 big chances in the last four gameweeks.
Solanke rewarded the patience of his owners with a 16-point haul in his side’s 4-1 win against Aston Villa last time out, producing two goals and one assist. They were his first goals in four gameweeks.
Despite that dip in form, Solanke’s underlying numbers have shown great promise all season, with his 1.27 big chances per 90 minutes ranking him third behind Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) and Haaland in the Premier League.
The only downside to backing Solanke in this game is Spurs’ midweek schedule, with a gruelling trip to Galatasaray in the Europa League on the cards this evening (kick-off 5.45pm GMT; 12.45pm ET). Keep an eye on his minutes in that game.
Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke passed his captaincy audition with 16 points in Gameweek 10 (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest are flying high in the Premier League table, with their talisman Chris Wood (£6.5m) a sound candidate ahead of their home game against his old club Newcastle United this weekend.
Wood has been so consistent this campaign, scoring eight goals from 11 big chances, including five goals in his last four games. He has blanked in just one home game this season.
I’d also consider Wolves striker Matheus Cunha (£6.6m) ahead of the visit of fellow strugglers Southampton in what could be a classic six-pointer at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Cunha has five goal involvements from the opening 10 gameweeks of the season, with 29 shots on goal this season. He’s creative too, ranking third of all players for big chances created with eight.
It’s believed that Cunha is first choice on penalties for Wolves, having been the preferred option when fit last season. In the 2023-24 season, he produced 19 goal involvements in 29 starts.
Top differential picks for Gameweek 12
Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£8.3m) is a worthy candidate come Gameweek 12, when West Ham visit St James’ Park. European players have the edge coming off the international break, with reduced air miles compared to those travelling further across the globe.
The Newcastle striker has been in good scoring form since returning from injury in Gameweek 8, with two goals in this time. He sits top for shots on target (8) in this spell and second for big chances (5).
He also has penalties in his locker, which is an important route to points. Isak enjoys playing against West Ham, with a brace home and away against them last season. They’ve conceded eight goals in their last three games.
Alexander Isak is back from injury and back among the goals (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
We do need to keep an eye on Raul Jimenez (£5.8m) inclusion in Mexico’s squad for the international break before considering him for the armband in Gameweek 12. At the time of writing, he’s expected to be involved and that could result in late return to the UK for the 33-year-old.
A clash against his former employers Wolves could be a significant one. He has the form at Craven Cottage, with three goals in four home starts this campaign.
Bournemouth budget midfielder Antoine Semenyo (£5.6m) can also be considered for the visit of Brighton, with his home form particularly prevalent in 2024-25, with three goal involvements in five.
Top differential picks for Gameweek 13
Forest frontman Wood comes back under consideration in Gameweek 13 as Ipswich become the latest visitors to the City Ground, with the home team expected to dominate this game.
Wood has now become the recognised penalty taker in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and regularly completes 90 minutes. Going into Gameweek 11, Ipswich have conceded 13 goals in five away trips.
Bryan Mbeumo (£7.8m) should also be considered a key candidate ahead of Brentford’s home game against Leicester City in Gameweek 13, a side who concede a lot of shots.
Brentford have been in great form at home this season, with four wins and a draw. They’re also top for goals in this time (15), as well as big chances (25). Mbeumo has been involved in almost half of those, scoring a league-leading seven home goals this season.
Holly Shand’s differential captain picks
| Gameweek | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gameweek 11 |
Dominic Solanke |
Chris Wood |
Matheus Cunha |
|
Gameweek 12 |
Alexander Isak |
Raul Jimenez |
Antoine Semenyo |
|
Gameweek 13 |
Chris Wood |
Bryan Mbeumo |
Bruno Fernandes |
While Wood will be the obvious differential captain pick, Mbeumo cannot be overlooked in any game for Brentford this season, especially while his superb form continues.
Manchester United’s home game against Everton in Gameweek 13 will be Ruben Amorim’s first league game in charge at Old Trafford, so expect fireworks at a this crucial time for the club.
Captain Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m) will be looking to make an impact under his new manager, having scored from the penalty spot in Gameweek 10 against Chelsea. He scored in this fixture last season, too.
(Top photos: Antoine Semenyo and Bruno Fernandes; Getty Images)