Holly Shand from Fantasy Football Community returns with captaincy corner and her three player picks in three positions for Gameweek 34+.

Gameweek 33+ was a huge weekend for the captaincy, with those managers who backed Manchester United assets hugely rewarded. Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were all heavily backed, with them all hitting the scoresheet. Captaincy remains difficult to navigate though, with a midweek round of games sandwiched between weekend action too. Rest times look particularly tight for Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs.

Captaincy Corner

The shield pick is likely to be the most captained player of the week, allowing you to play safe and keep pace with the pack. The sword pick will be a less popular selection: if they perform it can shoot you up the overall rankings, but the risk from failure is higher.

Shield Pick: Kevin de Bruyne vs Newcastle

Kevin de Bruyne remains the highest owned player in the game, and the only player over 50% ownership. His form is still significant, with three goals and two assists at the time of writing, since the restart. In the reverse fixture earlier this season, he grabbed a goal. Penalties have certainly helped his cause in recent weeks: Manchester City have received ten penalties this season, behind just Manchester United. At the time of writing, he has converted two spot kicks since the restart, placing him on an impressive 11 goals and 20 assists for the season. He has his highest points tally in FPL this season. He has two goals and four assists in six Premier League games against the Magpies. Will you play it safe with the Shield Pick?

Sword Pick: Harry Kane vs Bournemouth

It's at this point in the season where a punt on the captaincy could pay off, particularly when teams have something to play for. Spurs are chasing the Champions League spots and Bournemouth are struggling to survive at the other end of the table, having conceded 9 goals in their last two games. Kane's form has been patchy since the restart, but at the time of writing, he does have two goals since the restart and was perhaps unlucky not to come away with more against Sheffield United. He has penalties, and his underlying numbers are promising too: with ten shots between GW30+ and GW33+. He has seven goals in seven league games against the Cherries. Are you going to take a risk in selecting the Sword Pick?

Holly's Hopefuls

I share my top three players for each Gameweek, selecting one defender, one midfielder and one striker. These are players that I'm tipping for the FPL Dream Team and they could also make intriguing differential captain decisions for you to consider too.

DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Brighton

Trent Alexander-Arnold gets the nod again, as Liverpool come up against a goal-shy Brighton side. Brighton have scored three goals in four games since the restart, so there are high hopes for a clean sheet here. Trent is on course for his best ever season, with three goals and 14 assists, putting him on 187 points. There are always fears of rotation, but he can provide an impact even as a substitute. Can he achieve the holy grail of attacking return, clean sheet and bonus points once more?

MID: Bruno Fernandes vs Aston Villa

With a huge 15 points in each of his last two games, Bruno Fernandes remains very popular, with his ownership now creeping over 25%. That puts him on six goals and five assists for the season. There's hope that he will take the next penalty for Manchester United, with a likely rotation with Marcus Rashford. He has played a lot of minutes of late, including 90 minutes against Bournemouth, but there is a slightly longer gap in Manchester United's schedule now. The Aston Villa defence will struggle under the pressure of this United attack.

FOR: Jamie Vardy vs Arsenal

Finally, Jamie Vardy is right back on the radar, after bagging a brace against Crystal Palace at the weekend. That puts him on 21 goals for the season and pole position for the Golden Boot once more. It's been a varied restart for Leicester, but there's signs that they are settling into things now, following that 3-0 win. Up next it's Arsenal, who have improved defensively, but should set up for attack, which will leave space for Vardy to get in behind. He grabbed a goal and an assist in the reverse fixture.

Until next time…
Good luck!

Holly

Find even more Fantasy Premier League Tips over on Holly's website: Fantasy Football Community