The most Triple-Captained defender of all time in Fantasy Premier League, Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.1m), had to rely on defensive contribution points to avoid a blank in Arsenal's first match of Double Gameweek 26.
Gabriel received just his second yellow card of the campaign as Mikel Arteta's side surrendered a one-goal lead to draw with Brentford. But the Brazilian's nine clearances in the match helped him to a total of 18 defensive contributions and ensured he finished on three points instead of one.
Although, with Arsenal playing twice in this round of matches, Gabriel will have a second opportunity to reward his backers when the Gunners visit Wolverhampton Wanderers next Wednesday.
The importance of that encounter next week cannot be overstated: more than 622,000 Fantasy managers have played their Triple Captain chip on Gabriel, only Erling Haaland (£14.9m) and Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) have ever been Triple-Captained in greater numbers.
DGW26 most Triple-Captained players
| Player | Triple Captained by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriel | 622,854 | 3 |
| Rice | 103,154 | 4 |
| Gyokeres | 92,256 | 1 |
| Haaland | 50,894 | 5 |
| Timber | 34,876 | 2 |
Declan Rice (£7.6m) was the most-popular alternative to Gabriel, with over 103,000 managers selecting him for the Triple-Captaincy.
Not only did he pick up two defensive contribution points for the second successive match, but he created a team-leading three chances against Brentford, giving his owners encouragement ahead of his second match of DGW26.
In total, four Arsenal players occupied places among the top five Triple Captains, with Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8m) and Jurrien Timber (£6.4m) joining Gabriel and Rice.
Both endured disappointing starts, however, as Gyokeres was unable to add to his three goals in two matches and, along with Timber, had no shots in the match. Arsenal's Swede also received a yellow card to finish on one point.
The only non-Arsenal player to feature in the top five, Haaland scored for the second successive match as Manchester City beat Fulham 3-0. But that's where the good news ended for those who Triple-Captained him as he was withdrawn at half-time.
The Norwegian finished on five points and has now amassed 62 points in eight appearances against Marco Silva's side, having racked up 14 points in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.
Most transfers for DGW26
| Most transfers in | Most transfers out | ||
| Gyokeres | 578,699 | H. Wilson | 638,262 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 478,328 | Thiago | 479,033 |
| Zubimendi | 460,900 | Saka | 299,734 |
| B. Fernandes | 417,903 | R. James | 259,701 |
| Joao Pedro | 398,135 | Foden | 249,477 |
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Unsurprisingly, the top three transfer targets were all from Arsenal.
Back-to-back goals from Martin Zubimendi (£5.3m) led to the cut-price midfielder being recruited by 460,000+ managers. But, in keeping with a poor start from his team-mates, Zubimendi also blanked.
There were contrasting fortunes for the two single-Gameweek players included among the most-bought players.
Joao Pedro (£7.6m) impressed in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Leeds, scoring and assisting for a 10-point return, taking him to 48 points over his last five matches. No player has amassed more during that period.
And it could have been even better for this 398,000+ new owners as he took seven shots in the box at home to Leeds, the most he's ever registered in a Premier League match.
But while Joao Pedro continued to delight his Fantasy bosses, Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m) suffered his first blank in six outings. Fernandes created a match-high four chances in Manchester United's 1-1 draw at West Ham United, but failed to muster a shot.