CAPTAINCY HYPE 2018/19: FPL Gameweek 28
Picking a Captain to double down on in the Fantasy Premier League is the most important question asked ahead of each of the 38 Gameweek's in the Premier League season. There's a lot of self-help out there for FPL enthusiasts, with our Hype Team providing three major considerations for the armband for each and every Gameweek. We'll be detailing the Essential choice for captain, a popular alternative that's pushing the consensus, and a Wildcard pick to add to the chaos. Captaincy can make of break a Gameweek so strap in tightly, it's time to lose your marbles. All aboard.
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 28 Deadline
For the 2016/17 Premier League season, the FPL deadline will be one hour before the commencement of the week's first game. The Premier League website lists each FPL deadline, you can always ask on social media, and you can also view a real time countdown on our Weekly Hype page
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE ESSENTIAL PICK
Our Essential picks for captain are selected each and every week on our main Twitter account, @RealHypeTrain, with four highly selected FPL options battling it out for alpha status amongst fellow FPL players.
Gameweek 28: Essential Captain
Player: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
Position: Midfielder
GW28 Fixture: Watford (H)
Player Price: £13.6 million
Player Selection %: 49.7%
The best part about cleaning up the wreckage that was Gameweek 27 is knowing that we all don't have a long time to wait before we can rebound with a round of games that has a higher ceiling of potential given the fixtures.
Our essential captaincy picks all face promising fixtures this week, but when you scratch beneath the games at hand, you'll find yourself picking one of four poisons.
Paul Pogba finds himself in an injury ridden team after Man United lost 3 players during their 0-0 home draw with Liverpool in the first-half alone, and will likely be without Marcus Rashford, with the Forward playing the entire Liverpool game with an obvious ankle complaint.
Sergio Aguero just got through 120 minutes of a League Cup final against Chelsea, though his stay of execution in Pep Guardiola's team might be safe due to Gabriel Jesus's injury.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has only played 15 minutes of the last 2 league games, with Lacazette's suspension in the Europa League prioritising which attacker gets the lone role in attack. Auba's omission from the starting lineup in a 2-0 home win against Southampton might see him as a valuable asset this week, though there are major trust issues with the armband.
Lastly, Liverpool have proven to be hold and cold since the turn of 2019 and it looks like we're hitting another cold patch as The Red's looked out of ideas in recent matches against Man United, West Ham, and Leicester, with Jurgen Klopp's side dropping 6 vital points. Roberto Firmino, the glue that binds Liverpool's attack, also left Old Trafford on crutches, and this will only detract Salah's points potential in a fixture which he scored 4 goals in last season.
Ultimately, given the permutations this week, players have opted for the latter of the options, with Mo Salah gaining a large minority victory in our poll this week.
It's actually quite easy dissecting Mo Salah's form heading into the Watford game, and hopefully this simple thought is enough to ease your mind: against the bigger sides this season, Salah has struggled, though he has excelled against opposition lower down the table.
Salah hasn't provided an assist in 7 games, and has only scored 1 goal in 4 fixtures - hardly form that is deemed as essential, though we're looking to write off last week as a dud due to most (if not all) top options blanking or not playing due to the Cup final.
Watford are 7th in the Premier League table after a commanding 5-1 victory at Cardiff last Friday night, with Gerard Deulofeu and Troy Deeney in brilliant form. Javi Gracia's side have won back-to-back games and will be hoping to do significantly better at Anfield this season, with Salah the key component in a 5-0 win.
Liverpool won 3-0 at Watford earlier in the season during Gameweek, with Mo Salah scoring on that occasion.
Roberto Firmino's injury means that Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have to play against Watford and will be the key men either side of Daniel Sturridge - or potentially with Salah playing in the lone Forward position with Xherdan Shaqiri entering the side.
We anticipate Liverpool bringing back in attacking talent that missed out against Man United - aka Naby Keita, knowing full well that The Hornets will make themselves hard to play against and will drop deep. If Liverpool are serious about the title, they'll need to make a big statement in this one, and if they do, you'll be glad that Salah was the captaincy pick you banked on.
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE ALTERNATIVE PICK
Our Alternative selection for captain typically commands a smaller FPL ownership percentage, but can be reserved for The Hype Train's own gut instincts on who could be captaincy inspiration.
Gameweek 28: Alternative Captain
Player: Alexandre Lacazette (ARS)
Position: Forward
GW28 Fixture: Bournemouth (H)
Player Price: £9.5 million
Player Selection %: 10.7%
Form can sometimes be a fickle thing to back on in Fantasy Premier League, especially ahead of a midweek round of Premier League games, but it can also be a powerful device to gain serious advantages.
If you're looking for a safe bet right now in the league, Alexandre Lacazette is without question the go-to option. Banned from both Europa League last 16 ties against Ligue 1 side, Rennes, Laca's sole focus is on the league and chasing a Champions League birth next season.
The Frenchman, who can't cut the mustard in the national side no matter how well he performs, has scored 5 goals in his last 7 league matches, with 4 of those goals coming in home matches at The Emirates.
Arsenal's form at home is also why we're considering Lacazette as the perfect alternative to some potential dubious essential options. The Gunners have won their last 7 matches in the league at home, last failing to win in a 1-1 draw against Wolves during Gameweek 12. Additionally, aside from a 2-0 defeat against Man City on opening day, Unai Emery's side haven't tasted defeat in the league at home.
There is a hint of rotation incoming, but against a Bournemouth side that will likely field 3 central defenders, we're anticipating that both Lacazette and Aubameyang earn a starting birth, and if so, Lacazette's form should push him to a 5th home strike in a row.
Lacazette's points potential might be capped, with only 2 double-digit hauls this season (GW4 & GW8), but he's a steady bet to keep you ticking over until the weekend's action when we go again.
CAPTAINCY HYPE: THE WILDCARD PICK
Our Wildcard selection is one of the ten differential picks that is featured in our Weekly Wildcards article. This captaincy selection has a very small percentage of owners in the FPL, and is our left field option.
Gameweek 28: Wildcard Captain
Player: Nathan Redmond (SOU)
Position: Midfielder
GW28 Fixture: Fulham (H)
Player Price: £5.3 million
Player Selection %: 2.5%
Our last stop this week sees us travelling to the South Coast at a team desperately looking to form a good run of form to take them away from the threat of relegation. Southampton's initial surge under Ralpha Hassenhuttl has simmered, with The Saints looking well beaten at The Emirates on Sunday in a 2-0 defeat.
Back-to-back defeats at home to Cardiff and Arsenal have put Southampton in a must-win position against Fulham - a fixture that was a high-scoring affair in Fulham's favour in the return fixture. The 3-2 win, which was marked with doubles from Stephen Armstrong and Alexsander Mitrovic, promises the potential of even more goals this time out.
Nathan Redmond, who has started 26 of 27 league games this season has been a consistent presence in Southampton's team this season and ticks all of the boxes that we look for in a differential player. He's playing out of position in attack, is a bargain at £5.3 million and is playing the team that leaks goals for a living.
Redmond' 3 goals and 2 assists might not appeal to the statistician in you, but he's one of the ever-presents in a side that must perform in a high-stakes game against Fulham. Redmond, who might find himself on the shopping list in the summer if the club gets relegated, might find that form elusive form to persuade clubs to invest in the Englishman should tragedy strike.
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in the Fantasy Premier League (#FPL), providing beautiful graphics and weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb ranking tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review movies, live sport, and professional wrestling.
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The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog 2016' by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), with the final presentation held at Old Trafford in Manchester.
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All aboard.
