Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) and Antoine Semenyo (£7.9m) have the form and fixtures to prove the best armband alternatives to Erling Haaland (£14.5m) in Gameweek 8 of Fantasy Premier League.
West Ham United and Bowen have a home fixture against Brentford on Monday evening, the Hammers' first home match under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The England international has scored and earned three bonus points in three of the last five Gameweeks, collecting nine points on each occasion.
AFC Bournemouth's Semenyo visits a Crystal Palace side with only one clean sheet across their previous four outings.
The Ghana international has established a 21-point lead at the top of the midfielder standings, scoring six goals and assisting a further three to total 66 points.
Manchester City's Haaland, meanwhile, has amassed 70 points on his way to the top of the overall standings, thanks to nine goals and an assist.
The Norwegian has produced eight or more points in six of his first seven outings this season.
That consistency, allied with an ownership of 61 per cent, which now makes Haaland the most-selected player in Fantasy, is why he is the best captaincy pick at home to Everton.
Who is facing the worst defence?
A delve into the defensive data shows Nottingham Forest's struggles under Ange Postecoglou.
They have conceded a league-high 15 big chances - or situations where the player is expected to score - in his four matches in charge and are also without a clean sheet.
That suggests Chelsea pair Joao Pedro (£7.7m) and Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m), providing the latter recovers from a knee problem, can profit in Saturday lunchtime's match at the City Ground, with Enzo expected to be next in line for penalties ahead of Joao Pedro as Cole Palmer (£10.3m) remains sidelined through injury.
Both Bowen and Semenyo's opponents also rank among the worst teams for conceding big chances over the last four Gameweeks. Along with Burnley, Brentford are one of two sides to concede at least two goals per match.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£14.4m) could also be one to watch, with his visitors Manchester United the second-worst for conceding big chances.
Team defensive stats, GW4-7
| Club | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
| Nottingham Forest | 7 | 0 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man Utd | 7 | 1 | 13 |
| Burnley | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| Brentford | 8 | 0 | 12 |
| Chelsea | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Crystal Palace | 4 | 1 | 11 |
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
Who has the greatest attacking potential?
Listed below are the players who have had a minimum of six shots in the box and four big-chance involvements across the last four Gameweeks.
While Haaland once again leads the table, Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) has also boasted a considerable threat. The Frenchman has had seven big chances and created a further one, giving him a total of eight big-chance involvements.
Salah and Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.5m), meanwhile, take joint-third here on five big-chance involvements. Notably, the latter's opponents Burnley also feature in the weak defences table above.
Elsewhere, Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres (£9.1m) has had 12 shots in the box, second only to Haaland, with the Swede's total of four big chances matched by his fellow summer signings, Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade (£7.2m) and Man Utd's Benjamin Sesko (£7.3m).
Player attacking stats, GW4-7
| Player | Shots in box | Big chances | Big chances created | Big-chance inv. |
| Haaland | 15 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mateta | 10 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Calvert-Lewin | 7 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Salah | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Gyokeres | 12 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Woltemade | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Sesko | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Kudus | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Minteh | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
So, who is the best alternative to Haaland?
If you're brave enough to overlook Haaland as your captain, there are a number of players worth consideration.
While the player and team numbers are encouraging for Salah and Calvert-Lewin, neither are in form right now. Meanwhile, Mateta seems another risky pick against a Bournemouth side who rank joint-third for the fewest big chances conceded this season.
Bowen's ability to deliver bonus whenever he scores, added to Brentford's poor defensive showings, gives him the edge.
Semenyo's hauls of 13, 15 and 18 points this season also show why he can reward you against a Palace side who have conceded only one fewer big chance than Burnley over the last four Gameweeks.