Who is the best FPL captain for Gameweek 35?

The Scout compares the main contenders for the captaincy in Gameweek 35 of Fantasy Premier League ahead of Friday’s 18:30 BST deadline.

The three top-scoring players in Fantasy – Erling Haaland (£14.6m), Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m) and Gabriel (£7.2m) – all present managers with strong options for the captain’s armband in Gameweek 35.

Manchester City’s Haaland is finally back to his best after overcoming the injury niggles that have limited his output for a number of matches. The Norwegian visits Everton having scored in each of his last two Premier League matches as Pep Guardiola’s side battle Arsenal for the title.

Manchester United’s Fernandes, meanwhile, has supplied at least one assist in each of his last seven appearances ahead of his home match against Liverpool.

Arsenal’s Gabriel hosts Fulham having blanked just once in his last eight appearances at Emirates Stadium. The centre-back has combined a goal and two assists with five clean sheets to collect 58 points. 

Who’s in the best form?

A look at the form players over their last four matches shows why investing in certain clubs who are battling relegation can pay off.

Nottingham Forest have three of the five top-scoring players over this period, with Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.6m) leading the way on 43 points.

The midfielder has scored five goals, supplied an assist and collected five bonus points in this spell, with his team-mates Neco Williams (£4.8m) and Igor Jesus (£5.9m) also ranked highly in the table below.

Similarly, Leeds United’s Noah Okafor (£5.6m) and West Ham United duo Konstantinos Mavropanos (£4.5m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m) have all made crucial contributions to keep their sides of the relegation zone.

Haaland’s team-mate Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) have each claimed 29 points, one ahead of Fernandes. Both O’Reilly and Watkins remain relatively overlooked for the run-in, with ownership of around 16 per cent.

Top-scoring players, last four Gameweeks

*Defensive contribution points

Who’s had the most attacking threat?

The underlying data highlights that when it comes to big chances – situations where a player is expected to score – Watkins has impressed the most over his last four matches.

Villa’s frontman has had five such opportunities and created three more of them for his team-mates, which essentially means Watkins has been involved in eight big chances in his last four matches, more than any other player in Fantasy.

Unai Emery’s side face a bottom-three opponent in each of the next two Gameweeks, hosting Tottenham Hotspur this weekend before visiting relegated Burnley.

Leeds’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.7m) and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz (£7.2m) are tied at the top for big chances on six apiece.

Watch: Experts’ captain picks

Fernandes, meanwhile, ranks top for big chances (BC) created, on four, with the Portuguese also having two of his own.

Haaland and his midfield team-mate Rayan Cherki (£6.5m) also catch the eye here. Both have been involved in five big chances and are the top two players in the assessment for shots in the box, with 17 and 12 respectively.

Most big-chance involvements, last four Gameweeks

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Who’s facing the weakest defence?

An assessment of the team data across their last four matches looks very encouraging for Fernandes.

His visitors Liverpool have conceded 14 big chances – better only than the 19 of relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers – but have conceded just four goals.

The statistics suggest that Arsenal and Man City are also facing opponents who have been somewhat fortunate in defence recently.

Arsenal attackers Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) and Eberechi Eze (£7.2m) face a Fulham side who have conceded just three goals in their last four matches. Yet the Cottagers have allowed their opponents 12 big chances – the same as Sunderland, who have conceded 10 goals.

Haaland and Cherki‘s hosts Everton have allowed their opponents 11 big chances in their last four, the same as Burnley and Chelsea. Whereas Everton have conceded just six goals, Burnley and Chelsea have each conceded 10.

Burnley’s numbers also suggest Calvert-Lewin could have a profitable Gameweek 35. But the Leeds forward has scored just one goal in his last eight matches and has managed just one double-figure haul at home all season, which highlights the risk attached to giving him the captaincy.

Most big chances conceded, last four matches

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So, who is the best captain?

Over the season, Fernandes and Gabriel are near-identical for output in home matches, averaging 7.3 and 7.2 points per start (pps) respectively, as the table below shows.

However, when it comes to huge hauls, the Man Utd star is by far the leading contender, delivering a double-figure haul in eight of his 15 appearances at Old Trafford this season.

Haaland’s away form has been far less consistent, with seven blanks in 16 fixtures. Nonetheless, he has been hampered by injury niggles for an extended period and has still managed four double-figure (DD) hauls.

If you’re willing to go against Fernandes’s formidable home record then Haaland seems the likeliest to reward your faith.

Home/away stats across 2025/26 season

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