FPL GW2 Captain Picks : Clash of the Titans!

A week of rest from Premier League action and we are back again for gameweek 2 of the FPL.

After a high-scoring GW1 particularly due to the heroics of Mo Salah and Bruno Fernandes, we find ourselves in familiar territory as both of them are expected to once again, be at the heart of the armband debates for GW2.

Let’s have a look at who I think are the top captaincy options for this GW. It is worth noting that this week the prime candidates seem to be as inseparable as it gets – so your final decision might have to come down to who you trust more – backing your gut is the way to go in such situations.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive right in:

#5 Danny Ings vs Newcastle (H)

Danny Ings had a very quiet game in his PL debut vs Watford in GW1; capping off an ordinary performance by scoring a stoppage-time penalty in Villa’s 3-2 defeat to Watford.

Aston Villa would be expected to put out a much better display in front of their home fans in GW2 as they welcome a Newcastle side that looked extremely suspect defensively. They had an xGc of 3.78 in their 4-2 loss to West Ham, which was the highest in the league.

Newcastle conceded 6 big chances and unless Newcastle tightens up, Ings could well find joy playing against the Magpies the way Michail Antonio did in GW1.

Another good thing about Ings is his tendency to pick up bonus points with just 1 goal. The fact that he scored a consolation penalty in a game that had 5 goals and still grabbed a bonus point says it all.

While I don’t think he should really be much of a captaincy option this week just because of the other options we have available, he is still a great player to own for this week.

#4 Son Heung-Min vs Wolves (A)

Wolves is never an easy fixture to captain against, but then again, it’s not like Son had an easy fixture in GW1. The South Korean superstar rewarded his owners with a double-digit haul in GW1.

Son could be in for a great FPL season with the uncertainty surrounding Harry Kane; being their talisman and likely on penalties and other set-pieces.

It’s not the best fixture in terms of matchups if Wolves set up the way they did last week, as Son is more suited to matches where the opponent plays a high line.

However, if Spurs were to get an early goal that could change everything as Wolves would not be able to afford to sit back, giving Son plenty of chances on the counter, and we all know he doesn’t need too many of them.

I personally don’t think there will be too many goals in this game and can see Spurs edging it – if they do score – expect Son to be involved though.

#3 Riyad Mahrez vs Norwich (H)

Norwich. At Home. Fixture wise it doesn’t really get much better than that. A wounded Man City side will be out to get a statement win and win in style.

If you have Mahrez in your team, there’s a good chance you picked him just for this fixture. His ceiling this GW definitely can not be denied, it’s just that other factors involved lower his floor a bit, and considering the two options that I have ahead of him also have incredibly high ceilings.

It makes me doubt whether the risk is worth taking on someone like Mahrez. Pep would want a response and you never know with him. While I do expect Mahrez to start, you just never know with Pep, and even if he does, his minutes might be limited.

The risks involved with this punt are enough to put me off as owning him is differential enough, however, if you really fancy Mahrez I wouldn’t say it’s the worst idea. I also think De Bruyne would have been an excellent captaincy choice if we had a bit more clarity about his fitness.

#2 Bruno Fernandes vs Southampton (A)

Putting Bruno in at 2nd place after his sensational GW1 hat-trick was a very hard decision. I would have put him joint-top but I have to select which way I am leaning towards – which is the point of this article.

Bruno captaincy has a lot of things going for it and he can easily haul this GW as well. Home advantage seems to be making a big difference based on GW1, although Bruno has previously done better in away games FPL wise. It will be interesting to see how that changes with fans back.

Southampton also conceded 9 penalties last season and the way they play is something that could result in United’s attackers winning penalties for Manchester United.

All in all, it goes without saying that Bruno is a strong captaincy option this week, and if you’re backing him to go big then go for it!

#1 Mohamed Salah vs Burnley (H)

Salah. At a roaring Anfield. Against Burnley. Most weeks this would be a no-brainer captaincy decision, the fact that it doesn’t just speak volumes about how good an option Bruno is as well this week.

But all things considered, it is very hard for me to overlook the home advantage factor and with Salah having a great record at Anfield in front of fans, it is hard to look past him.

Burnley haven’t been the solid, defensive force of late that they have known to be over the years under Sean Dyche. Their record vs the big-six teams has been very underwhelming and we have seen some big scorelines in the last couple of seasons.

One thing that has slightly worried a lot of managers is Salah’s record against Burnley which isn’t great by his lofty standards, however, he has had decent underlying stats in these games (as pointed out by @FPLLost), so it could well just have been a case of variance.

As long as he gets the chances this is the perfect game for him to grab a haul. I kept it simple in GW1 and it worked for me. I think I will be doing the same again by keeping my faith in the Egyptian King.