FPL GW1 Best Captain: Who To Choose & An Alternate Pick
It’s a new season! A clean slate and all 20 teams are enthusiastic about their chances over the next 9 months. Equally, that can be said for the millions of players about to begin yet another Fantasy Premier League campaign.
Who to spend big on? Is it worth the money? What formation to play? These are just some of the questions that go into each player’s mind as they create their FPL team ahead of the opening weekend that is soon approaching. Of course, one of the first big choices FPL managers will have to decide on is who to give that armband to. Well, we have you covered.
The stereotypical player of FPL will go all in on making the best team possible and join numerous leagues only for them to forget about their team 4 gameweeks into the new season. This year, we are hoping to avoid this scenario, as every week we will be here to advise on (hopefully) the best players heading into the weekend.
We are having a look through the pros and cons of siding with the most popular picks ahead of the new season and GW1, along with an alternative pick for the captaincy this weekend.
FPL GW1 Best Captain
For most of last season, Liverpool’s talisman, Mo Salah, was embroiled in a situation regarding his contract with the club, but the numbers he continued to produce on the pitch were staggering. He finished with 344 points, his highest total ever, and broke numerous FPL records over the course of the last season.
His performance in last weekend’s Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace may concern fans, though; he struggled to make an impact in the match and skied his penalty over the crossbar in the shootout. However, this was a one-off fixture, and we are confident we will see him back terrorising defences as soon as possible. Although it’s a hefty price tag, it’s very hard to look past last year’s main man when submitting your team ahead of GW1.
The Egyptian is expected to bring in the highest total points in GW1, according to Fantasy Football Hub, with an xPoints of 8.6. Ultimately, we feel due to the home fixture and his opponent, Salah is the best captain pick for GW1.
Alternatively, having surrendered the golden boot to rival Mohammed Salah last season, we’ve no doubt Manchester City’s frontman Erling Haaland will be determined to start the season strong and regain his place as the top goalscorer in the league come May 2026. If you have gone without the Liverpool man, then the Norwegian is the man to pick.
There will also be many that will side against bringing Salah & Haaland into their team due to their price, with Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer & Bukayo Saka among numerous other options if that is such the case.
FPL GW1 Best Captain Options: The Alternate Pick
- Brennan Johnson (7.00m)
- Opponent: Burnley (H)
Given the options Tottenham currently have in forward areas, the emphasis on the established first-team players is going to be even stronger and we feel this is the perfect opportunity for Welsh International Brennan Johnson to stamp his authority on their forward line and hit the ground running this season.
He was the club’s top scorer in the league last season with 11 and even scored the only goal as Tottenham claimed their first trophy in 17 years as they lifted the Europa League.
Additionally, across pre-season, the Welshman started four out of six of the Lilywhites’ games. Furthermore, with Heung Min Son leaving the club, and no replacement signed yet, his minutes early on in the season could be quite high.
We are confident that newly appointed manager Thomas Frank will be keen to begin the season strongly and this weekend’s fixture at home to newly promoted Burnley gives them the perfect opportunity to do so.
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