Dec 14

Gameweek 17 Captain Picks

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FPL Holly is back this week with her selection of captain picks for Gameweek 17. With the majority of sides given some room to breathe from the busy schedule, there's plenty of options this weekend. As the template breaks up, captaincy will be split once again. Gameweek 16 was another tough one for captaincy, with many sides hindered by players being benched or substituted early. A late Aubameyang assist rescued some, but Kane only featuring as a substitute was unfortunate for many. Meanwhile, Salah converted an impressive hat trick away to Bournemouth, as he rediscovers his impressive form of last season. There's the final round of European group round games preceeding Gameweek 17: with crucial matchups for Liverpool at home to Napoli, and Spurs away to Barcelona. There's then EFL Cup Quarter Final action immediately following Gameweek 17 for Leicester, City, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Bournemouth. Rotation looks most prevalent for Spurs, but the other traditional top six sides may be affected too. As always, keep an eye on any players allowed a rest in European fixtures, or those substituted early, and select a vice captain with care.

Shield Pick: Mohammed Salah vs Manchester United (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 5/6 Salah currently lies as the second most owned attacking player in the game, following a flagged Callum Wilson. He is joint top for form, having delivered 4 goals and 1 assist across his last 4 games, so will be a popular option in the final match of Gameweek 17. The fixture is traditionally a tough one on paper, but Manchester United haven't had quite the same intimidating factor this season, so you'd expect Liverpool to perform well. United have conceded 2+ goals against each of the current top 5 this season. There's no chance that Liverpool's star man will be rested against one of their fiercest rivals. Liverpool have managed 3+ goals in three of their last four league games. Meanwhile, United have just two clean sheets for the season, conceding 26 goals in 16 games. Likely to be among the top 3 captain options, will you be playing safe with the shield pick?

Sword Pick: Harry Kane vs Burnley (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 2/5 Many managers have brought in Harry Kane with captaincy for this fixture in mind: if you own him then you'd be wise to give him the armband too. Having had a slight rest last weekend, you'd expect Kane to start once more here. His form is excellent, he has 3 goals and 2 assists from his last 4 Premier League starts, plus he's on penalties too. Burnley have conceded 32 goals this season, averaging 2 per game: they've shipped 3+ goals to each of the current top five teams. Harry scored a hat trick against Burnley in December last season. Will you be opting for the sword pick?

Form Pick: Heung-Min Son vs Burnley (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: Evens Son has gone under the radar but is currently matching Harry Kane for form and at a cut price. He could prove a viable alternative for captaincy, for those managers without the England captain. Son has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 4 games, seeing significant minutes in this period: check out his Champions League minutes against Barcelona before committing to the armband here though! Are you going for the form pick?

Fixture Pick: Raheem Sterling vs Everton (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 5/6 Given his versatile positioning in recent games, Sterling looks the pick of the Manchester City attackers for Gameweek 17. His form has dipped a little, but he still has two goals and two assists from his last 4 games, and a rest seems unlikely given the standard of the opposition. He has 3 double-digit hauls at home this season and will be crucial in unlocking a resolute Everton defence, that have conceded very few goals of late. Sterling scored home and away against Everton last season. A home game for the best attacking team in the league provides a great captaincy fixture!

Punt Pick: Felipe Anderson vs Fulham (A)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 14/5 West Ham have managed 3 goals in each of their last 3 games, with Anderson contributing 2 goals and 1 assist during this period. He's the latest value midfielder and could be considered a captaincy punt due to his explosivity: he's accumulated 4 double digit hauls already. Fulham sit rock bottom of almost all defensive stats this season, having failed to keep a clean sheet in 16 games, shipping 40 goals. Ranieri has failed to stop the drop: are you going to take the punt?

Park the Bus Pick: Andrew Robertson vs Manchester United (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 18/1 Clean Sheet Odds: 13/10 Liverpool's defence has been resolute at home this season, with just a solitary league goal conceded at Anfield. With Mourinho likely to set up defensively in this one in an attempt to halt the Liverpool attack, it could be an opportunity for yet another home clean sheet to add to their total of 10 for the season. Robertson is also capable of chipping in with attacking returns and bonus, he has 4 assists to his name this season. Are you brave enough to captain a defender?

Clueless Husband Pick: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Southampton (A)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 19/20 After some disappointing choices, the Clueless Husband is going more mainstream this week, with the latest bandwagon Aubameyang. The Arsenal man has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 4 starts, and takes penalty duties too. Southampton are struggling despite a change of personnel, they've conceded 3+ goals against the other top five sides this season. Will you side with my Clueless Husband? Until Next Week… Good Luck! Holly and her Clueless Husband Follow fplbet for weekly fantasy features... [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_6" layout="1_6" spacing="" center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" mer_position="all" padding="" dimension_margin="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no" element_content=""][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]