Bruno Fernandes (£9.7m) has rewarded the 1.5million Fantasy Premier League managers who handed him the captain's armband with a goal and a share of the bonus points as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.
It's the fifth successive Gameweek in which he's registered an attacking return, taking his total to 42 points over that period.
It's also his eighth double-figure haul of the campaign, the joint-most in Fantasy, level with Erling Haaland (£14.9m).
And not only was his 1.5m backing with the armband his biggest since Gameweek 3 of the 2021/22 campaign but he also featured among the two most-bought players for the third successive Gameweek, with his ownership increasing by over 2.7m in that time.
GW25 most-captained players
| Player | Captained by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Haaland | 4,556,907 | 11 |
| Fernandes | 1,558,848 | 10 |
| Joao Pedro | 1,425,548 | 8 |
| Salah | 759,205 | 2 |
| Ekitike | 454,861 | 2 |
Nearly three million managers have taken the captain's armband off Haaland since Gameweek 21 following a run of just one goal in seven matches.
And he has suffered his biggest sales of the season across the last two rounds, with 657,000+ parting company with Fantasy's most-expensive player.
However, Haalaad reminded Fantasy managers of his quality with a late goal and assist in Manchester City's dramatic 2-1 win at Liverpool. The Norwegian also claimed maximum bonus to reward the 4.5million managers who kept the faith. An 11-point return at Anfield is Haaland's first double-digit haul since Gameweek 17.
Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.9m) were both popular captains after producing attacking returns in Gameweek 24 against Newcastle. Ekitike, in particular, impressed with six shots in the match, leading to more than 400,000 transfers in. But both players blanked in the Reds' defeat.
Joao Pedro (£7.5m) won two penalties, both converted by Cole Palmer (£10.4m), to earn two assists and eight points in Chelsea's 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The No 1 transfer target for Gameweek 25, he's enjoying his best period of form this season, having totalled 38 points in four matches.
The Brazilian is now the third most-owned player in Fantasy, found in over 42 per cent of all teams.
Most transfers for Gameweek 24
| Most transfers in | Most transfers out | ||
| Joao Pedro | 889,478 | Saka | 678,930 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernandes | 749,487 | Guimaraes | 587,761 |
| Enzo | 615,658 | Thiago | 550,219 |
| Ekitike | 402,203 | Foden | 385,916 |
| Rice | 342,443 | Haaland | 345,131 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
It wasn't such a good afternoon for Joao Pedro's team-mate Enzo Fernandez (£6.9m) as he blanked for just the second time in seven outings.
His 615,000+ new owners can take encouragement from his performance, however, with the Argentina international creating three goalscoring chances and having three shots, giving him an expected goal involvement (xGI) of 0.89, which, excluding penalties, was the highest in the match.
Chelsea face Leeds United and Burnley at home in the next two Gameweeks.
Among the most-sold players of the round, both Bruno Guimaraes (£7.1m) and Thiago (£7.1m) confounded their sellers by notching attacking returns in Brentford's 3-2 triumph at Newcastle United. They each scored a penalty for their respective teams with Guimaraes also supplying an assist and earning a share of the bonus.
But there was no such regret for those who shipped out Bukayo Saka (£9.9m) as he missed Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Sunderland with injury.
Transferred out of 678,000 Fantasy squads, many managers replaced him with his team-mate Declan Rice (£7.5m), who hit the defensive contribution threshold and earned five points in Saturday's win. In Saka's absence, Rice also took four of Arsenal's five corners, creating three chances.
Next, the Gunners play TWICE in Double Gameweek 26, taking on Brentford AND Wolves. The round begins on Tuesday with a 18:00 GMT Fantasy deadline.