FPL Holly returns for the 2018/19 Fantasy Premier League season to give her ultimate captain guide. Will Liverpool's Mo Salah be essential for your FPL team in Gameweek 1? Getting the captain armband right is important and can provide a huge boost in overall points and rank at the start of the season. Last season, Mo Salah scored 303 fantasy points, which would have equated to 606 points if you left the armband on him for the entire season. Before checking out all the captain hints and tips, make sure that you join the FPL Bet Mini League. This year, the challenge is not only to become the undisputed fplbet.com king but you also have the added fun of competing against my clueless Husband. Take on the Clueless Husband to prove your fantasy capabilities! This year's overall winner, will also take home a cracking Sonos Play 1 Smart Speaker - Courtesy of FPlbet.  Auto-join link is here. Last years winner was Jordan Pearce from New Zealand - read his interview for tips on how to win.

Fantasy Gameweek 1-4

During the opening Gameweek's, many Fantasy Premier League managers favour playing safe with their captain picks, opting for high profile players from the big teams. There are many unknowns at the start of the season and a cautious approach means that you can't fall too far behind the pack. Ideally, your captain should have a home game against a less established Premier League side. You should be opting for a player well-established in the Premier League. A player who didn't feature in the knockout rounds of the World Cup will be a safe bet in the early weeks. The opening weeks look very difficult to navigate from an armband perspective. The options in Gameweek 1 are limited, since Arsenal face Manchester City. Spurs may be a tricky option in Gameweek 2, since they are at Wembley and missing key players from the World Cup. In Gameweek 3, Manchester United host Spurs. Here's a breakdown of the most favourable fixtures:

• Gameweek 1: Liverpool vs West Ham, Manchester United vs Leicester
• Gameweek 2: Manchester City vs Huddersfield, Spurs vs Fulham
• Gameweek 3: Liverpool vs Brighton, Arsenal vs West Ham
• Gameweek 4: Manchester City vs Newcastle, Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Liverpool and Manchester City players dovetail quite nicely for rotating the armband up until the first International Break. It looks essential for fantasy managers to own an attacking player from each of these teams for Gameweek 1. In terms of Liverpool, Mo Salah will be the most captained player in Gameweek 1 and Gameweek 3. With his ownership already tipping the scales at 50%, he will be a huge shield pick for both weeks. The combination of ownership and fixtures will convince many fantasy managers that he is worth the 13 million price tag. Sadio Mane will be another key contender, he's been taking penalties in pre season and seems to be in reasonable form: if you cant afford Salah, you really need Mane in your side in reserve. Firmino has yet to return for pre season following the World Cup, so shouldn't be relied upon as a captain contender in Gameweek 1. The picture at Manchester City is even more challenging, since Pep Guaridola's rotation policy is difficult to predict. It looks likely that Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling will miss the opening couple of weeks: managers will be looking to Mahrez, Sane, Silva or Aguero for the armband in Gameweek 2, and hopefully in Gameweek 4 also. To complicate things further, Pep has criticised Sane in the press and Mahrez has a slight injury. Sunday's Community Shield will give a guide to how City may line up in the opening weeks: Aguero, David Silva or Sane look to be the key captain contenders. It will as always, be a lottery when selecting a captain from this side.

FPLbet Captain Picks Guide

Each week, I will be bringing you a number of of captain picks, in a variety of categories. Here's your guide to the selections. Shield Pick - likely to be the highest captained of the gameweek and a high ownership player. If they succeed, you keep pace with managers around you. If they blank, you won't lose too much ground on rivals. Sword Pick - likely to be a less popular captain option with a lower ownership. If they succeed, you can expect a big jump in overall rank. A blank could lead to a significant fall, especially if the shield prevails. Form Pick - the attacking player with the highest form rating in the game. Fixture Pick - an in form attacking player from a top six side with a promising fixture. Punt Pick - a differential player, with low ownership and an unlikely captain option. Bus Pick - a defensive player, who's in form with a strong fixture. Clueless Husband Pick - an infamous gamble, with some illogical decision making from my Husband who has no interest in football. Until next time... Good Luck!