Who is the best FPL captain for Blank Gameweek 34?

Gabriel (£7.1m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) both have the home form to rival Bruno Fernandes (£10.3m) for the captaincy in Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34) of Fantasy Premier League.

SIX teams have no Premier League fixture this weekend – giving them a BGW34 – because they played twice in Double Gameweek 33 (DGW33) instead. Players from the following clubs will therefore score zero points – AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds United and Manchester City, including Erling Haaland (£14.5m), who has often been the No 1 captain pick this season.

BGW34 schedule
Sunderland v Nott’m Forest
Fulham v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
West Ham v Everton
Wolves v Spurs
Arsenal v Newcastle
Man Utd v Brentford

So there seems little doubt that Fernandes will be the most-selected captain for Manchester United’s home match against Brentford due to Haaland being without a Premier League fixture due to Man City’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton taking place this weekend.

Fernandes has five double-figure hauls in his six appearances at Old Trafford under Michael Carrick, producing two goals, seven assists, 57 points and no blanks.

Arsenal’s Gabriel and West Ham United’s Bowen also have home matches in BGW34, facing Newcastle United and Everton respectively.

An assessment of all three players’ output over their last seven home outings maintains Fernandes’ flawless record, with the Portuguese averaging 10.0 points per match (ppm) across those contests.

Over their last seven at home, Gabriel and Bowen, meanwhile, have each blanked once and amassed 50 points. 

Gabriel has combined a goal and two assists with four clean sheets, while Bowen has scored twice and supplied six assists. 

Comparison over last seven home matches

*Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. PPS = Points per start

Who are the form players?

Bowen’s West Ham team-mate Konstantinos Mavropanos (£4.5m) has amassed 42 points over his last four matches, more than any other player in Fantasy.

The centre-back has scored three goals and kept two clean sheets, while also collecting four defensive contribution points and five bonus points.

He goes head-to-head with Everton’s Beto (£5.0m), who has scored four goals and supplied an assist in the Toffees’ last four. The Guinea-Bissau international is a slight doubt for this weekend due to a head injury.

Fernandes, meanwhile, has scored once and supplied five assists to pick up 33 points over his last four appearances, a total matched by Nottingham Forest duo Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.5m) and Neco Williams (£4.8m) ahead of their visit to Sunderland.

Top-scoring players with a fixture in BGW34, last four matches

*Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. G = Goals, A = Assists, DC = Defensive contribution points

Who’s had the most attacking threat?

A delve into the data helps to show why Ollie Watkins (£8.7m) is the priority target for managers ahead of Friday’s 18:30 BST deadline.

Over his last four matches, the Aston Villa forward has had five big chances – situations where a player is expected to score – while creating a further three of them for his team-mates. 

This means Watkins has been involved in eight big chances in his last four matches, at least two more than any other BGW34 player.

Arsenal’s Kai Havertz (£7.3m), meanwhile, has had six big chances – more than any other player in the table.

Fernandes‘ all-round potential helps him match those six big-chance involvements; he’s had two of his own and created four more.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) has stepped up his output ahead of his home match against Crystal Palace, scoring in each of his last three starts.

As you can see from the table below, his 10 shots in the box rank joint-top with Beto in the analysis.

Goal threat, last four matches

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

Who’s facing the weakest defences?

An assessment of the team defensive data suggests Spurs’ Dominic Solanke (£7.2m) can take advantage of relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend.

Wolves have conceded 23 big chances over their last four matches – at least 10 more than any other side in the league – while Solanke’s six shots in the box are a team-high total in Roberto De Zerbi’s two matches in charge. 

Newcastle’s frailties could be great news for Havertz and Eberechi Eze (£7.2m) as Arsenal look to go on the attack, with the Magpies’ claiming second-bottom on 13 big chances conceded.

While Fulham’s data can be good news for Watkins, it’s worth noting that the Cottagers have been defensively stubborn in home matches for most of this season. Indeed, they have conceded more than one goal in just four of their 16 contests at Craven Cottage.

Everton, meanwhile, have conceded two or more goals in each of their last three on the road, which looks more encouraging for Bowen. 

Team defensive stats, last four matches

Scroll across to see the full table on mobile

So, who is the best captain?

Fernandes‘ consistency and ability to regularly deliver huge points returns at Old Trafford, combined with his hefty 46 per cent ownership, makes the armband decision a relatively straightforward one in BGW34.

While Watkins’ numbers do mark him out as one to own for the reduced round of matches and beyond, Fulham’s season-long home record suggests handing him the armband comes with an added degree of risk. 

Instead, it’s Gabriel and Bowen whose numbers hold up the best when compared with Fernandes, with the Arsenal centre-back’s run of two blanks in 12 some starts showing he’s very unlikely to let you down.