Bruno Fernandes (£9.9m) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.9m) provide managers in Fantasy Premier League with very tempting alternatives to Erling Haaland (£14.8m) for the captaincy in Gameweek 28.

Both Manchester United‘s Fernandes and Liverpool‘s Ekitike have home matches this weekend, facing Crystal Palace and West Ham United respectively, while Manchester City‘s Haaland is at Leeds United. 

Who are the form players?

There’s no doubt that Fernandes is the form player of that above-mentioned trio, with the Portuguese proving a major success in Fantasy since the appointment of Michael Carrick as head coach in Gameweek 22.

As the table below shows, both Fernandes and his team-mate Bryan Mbeumo (£8.7m) rank among the six top-scoring players in Fantasy over those last six Gameweeks.

While Mbeumo has been the more reliable, with just a single blank across those six outings, it’s Fernandes who has had the edge for bringing in big hauls. Indeed, he’s produced 10 points in each of his three home matches under Carrick.

The statistics show that Chelsea pair Joao Pedro (£7.7m) and Cole Palmer (£10.6m) have similarly profited from a change of head coach.

Joao Pedro has scored five goals and assisted five more to produce 55 points, with Palmer’s five goals and an assist earning him 46 points.

However, with a visit to Arsenal this weekend, both can surely be ruled out of the captaincy conversation. 

The table also helps to show why Ekltike’s team-mate Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) has emerged as a huge target for managers ahead of Friday’s 18:30 GMT deadline.

The centre-back has produced all his attacking returns this season – two goals and an assist – over the last six Gameweeks. Van Dijk’s 43 points also consists of two clean sheets, five bonus points and four defensive contribution points (DC), underlining his many routes to points in Fantasy.

Top-scoring players, last six Gameweeks

Player
Pts
G+A
Clean sheets
DC/Bonus pts

Joao Pedro
55
10
N/A
10

Palmer
46
6
2
8

Van Dijk
43
3
2
9

Summerville
42
4
3
6

Mbeumo
41
5
3
5

Fernandes
39
5
3
7

Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. DC = Defensive contribution points

Who’s had the most attacking threat?

Over those last six Gameweeks, Chelsea’s Palmer was involved in a league-high 10 big chances, which are situations where a player is expected to score.

He had eight of his own (including four penalties) and created two more for his team-mates.

However, when it comes to goal threat, it’s Ekitike who has the advantage. His nine big chances are more than any player over the last six Gameweeks, while his 17 shots in the box are joint-top with Joao Pedro.

Fernandes’ potential for assists is also very much in evidence here. His seven big chances created (BCC) are a league-high and, added to his two big chances, gives him a total of nine big-chance involvements, level with Ekitike.

Brentford pair Dango Ouattara (£5.9m) and Igor Thiago (£7.1m) also rank highly for big-chance involvements, with the former’s one per cent ownership marking him out as a huge differential at Burnley.

Haaland’s threat fares poorly, by contrast, and he is added to the table as a means of comparison. As you can see, he’s only had three big chances across the last six Gameweeks – three times fewer than Ekitike – while his total of nine shots in the box is almost half the 17 of Ekitike and Joao Pedro.

While that drop is partly down to Haaland’s minutes being managed by Pep Guardiola due to a recent knee problem, it also coincides with a change in formation as the Man City boss looks to spread the goal threat around.

Attacking stats, last six Gameweeks

Player 
Big-chance inv.
Shots in box
Big chances
BCC

Palmer
10
11
8
2

Ekitike
9
17
9
0

Fernandes
9
3
2
7

Joao Pedro
8
17
8
0

Ouattara
8
7
5
3

Jimenez
7
14
7
0

Thiago
7
12
6
1

Barry
7
10
5
2

Haaland
5
9
3
2

Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. BCC = Big chances created

Who’s facing the weakest defences?

An assessment of the defensive data across the last four matches shows why Everton’s Thierno Barry (£5.7m) and Fulham‘s Raul Jimenez (£6.1m) can have successful weekends.

Both are among the best goal threats in the table above and face opponents – Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively – who have conceded 10 goals and are without a clean sheet during this period.

Similarly, Burnley’s numbers also look encouraging for Brentford’s Ouattara and Thiago.

Elsewhere, Leeds’ 14 big chances conceded and no clean sheets certainly lifts the prospects of Haaland, while Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers (£7.7m) can exploit a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who have allowed their opponents an average of four big chances across their last four matches. 

Team defensive stats, last four matches

Club
Goals conceded
Clean sheets
Big chances conceded

Newcastle
10
0
17

Wolves
6
1
16

Spurs
10
0
14

Leeds
8
0
14

Nottingham Forest
5
1
12

Fulham
9
0
11

Bournemouth
2
2
11

Burnley
8
0
10

Scroll across to see the full table on mobile

So, who is the best captain?

Fernandes and Ekitike’s big-chance involvements over the last six Gameweeks make them the most appealing alternatives to Haaland.

There’s an argument that the Liverpool star’s far superior goal threat should earn him the armband, but his poor conversion rate of 9.5 per cent over those last six Gameweeks (two goals from 21 shots) shows the risk you are running by backing him.

Fernandes’ home form, on the other hand, is too reliable to overlook: the Portuguese has produced six of his eight double-figure hauls this season at Old Trafford.

Although Haaland shouldn’t be ruled out of the conversation, the quick turnaround in fixtures – with a home match against Nottingham Forest in midweek – is enough to slightly limit his appeal after he only recently returned to full fitness.