The Scout assesses the best alternatives to Erling Haaland (£14.9m) for the captaincy in Gameweek 13 of Fantasy Premier League ahead of Saturday's 13:30 GMT deadline.
If you still have your Triple Captain chip left to play, then backing Erling Haaland (£14.9m) at home to Leeds United this weekend could be a wise move.
To read more about using the chip on the Norwegian in Gameweek 13, click on the link below.
If you're looking for an alternative to going against Haaland, the data below helps to highlight the players who have boasted a similar potential for attacking returns across the last four Gameweeks.
Although Haaland's 15 shots in the box are a league-leading total, when it comes to big chances – or situations where a player is expected to score – he surprisingly sits in second spot.
His tally of seven is bettered by the eight of Brentford’s Igor Thiago (£6.5m), who is also at home to a promoted opponent - Burnley – this weekend.
It’s fair to say those two forwards have been in a league of their own recently for goal threat, with no other player in Fantasy having more than four big chances.
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) is joined by three Chelsea players in the assessment ahead of their head-to-head at Stamford Bridge.
Saka has had three big chances and also created two, which means he was involved in a total of five big chances.
Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) has boasted a major threat, averaging one big chance per match ahead of his visit to Crystal Palace.
Goal threat stats, GW9-12
| Player | Shots in box | Big chance | BC created | BC inv. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thiago | 10 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Haaland | 15 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Garnacho | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Joao Pedro | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Mbeumo | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Saka | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Fernandez | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Who is facing the worst defence?
By focusing on the opposing five defences of the players mentioned above, it's once again Thiago who comes out on top.
Similarly to Haaland, his opponents have conceded nine goals and are without a clean sheet in the last four Gameweeks.
However, in terms of big chances conceded, Leeds' total of seven is almost HALF the 12 of Burnley, suggesting Thiago is poised for another successful Gameweek.
Team defensive stats, GW9-12
| Team | Goals conceded | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| Leeds | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Crystal Palace | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Arsenal | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 3 | 3 |
So, who is the best captaincy alternative to Haaland?
Both the player and team data clearly mark Thiago out as the best alternative to Haaland.
Indeed, there'd be no real surprise if he did outperform Haaland, due to Burnley's poor defensive numbers.
Arsenal's Saka looks the best of the rest due to his all-round potential.
In away matches this season, the winger’s 10 shots, 10 shots in the box and 11 chances created are all team-leading totals for the Gunners.