Erling Haaland (£14.4m) and Bruno Fernandes (£10.3m) are set to battle for the captaincy for millions of managers in Gameweek 32 of Fantasy Premier League ahead of Friday's 18:30 BST deadline.
Manchester City’s Haaland has suffered huge sales for a number of Gameweeks in Fantasy, with his output significantly reduced due to ongoing injury niggles.
But his hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup last weekend indicates the Norwegian is finally back to his very best for the run-in. Up next, Haaland visits a Chelsea side who are without a clean sheet across their last nine Premier League matches.
Manchester United’s Fernandes, meanwhile, hosts a Leeds United team who have kept just two clean sheets and conceded 28 goals over their 15 away matches.
The Portuguese has been a huge success under Michael Carrick, establishing a 15-point lead at the top of the midfielder standings on 189 points.
He has produced a double-figure haul in all five of his home appearances for Carrick, scoring twice and supplying six assists to earn 53 points.
Who are the form players in Fantasy?
Fernandes' form under Carrick is very much in evidence here, with the midfielder amassing 44 points across his previous four matches.
The playmaker has produced two goals and five assists, along with 11 bonus points.
Haaland's team-mate Nico O'Reilly (£5.0m) runs Fernandes the closest, totalling 38 points across his last four appearances thanks to a recent change of position.
Listed as a defender in Fantasy, the 21-year-old has played as a central midfielder in his last four Premier League matches, scoring three goals and collecting two clean sheets. O'Reilly further underlined his attacking potential by scoring both of Man City's goals in their recent 2-0 EFL Cup final win over Arsenal.
As the table below shows, Fulham's Harry Wilson (£6.1m), Arsenal's Gabriel (£7.2m) and Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) have each produced TWICE the total of Haaland's 15 points. Indeed, the Norwegian is only included in the table as a means of comparison.
Whereas Wilson and Gordon both have away matches, visiting Liverpool and Crystal Palace respectively, Gabriel's home encounter with AFC Bournemouth has to bring him into the captaincy conversation.
The Brazilian has earned 46 points over his previous six outings at Emirates Stadium, combining a goal and an assist with four clean sheets, seven bonus points and four defensive contribution points (DC).
Top-scoring players, last four matches
| Player | Pts | G+A | Clean sheets | DC/Bonus pts |
| Fernandes | 44 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O'Reilly | 38 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Wilson | 32 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Gabriel | 31 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Gordon | 30 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Beto | 29 | 4 | N/A | 6 |
| Gibbs-White | 28 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Haaland | 15 | 2 | N/A | 1 |
*Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. G = Goals, A = Assists, DC = Defensive contribution points
Who's had the most attacking potential?
A delve into the underlying data helps to show why Fernandes has been such a big success.
Over his last four matches, the Man Utd star has had three big chances - situations where a player is expected to score - while creating a further six of them.
This means he was involved in a total of nine big chances, at least two more than any other player over their last four matches in Fantasy.
Chelsea's Joao Pedro (£7.8m), meanwhile, boasts the standout goal threat - his six big chances and 12 shots in the box both rank top.
O'Reilly's huge threat is also highlighted here. Indeed, his 11 shots in the box are second among all players, while his four big chances sit top among Man City players.
There's no denying that Haaland's numbers aren't the best here, but they do at least show he's still been a relatively decent threat despite being far from fully fit.
Goal threat stats, last four matches
| Player | Big-chance inv. | Big chances | Big chances created | Shots in box |
| Fernandes | 9 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joao Pedro | 7 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| Flemming | 6 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Tavernier | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| O'Reilly | 4 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| Beto | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Thiago | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Gordon | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Haaland | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Semenyo | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
Who's facing the weakest defences?
An assessment of the team defensive data over their last four matches shows why West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) and Brighton & Hove Albion's Danny Welbeck (£6.2m) can continue their strong form.
Bowen has scored twice and supplied five assists over the Hammers' last nine matches, totalling 50 points. He hosts a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who have conceded a league-high 15 big chances in their previous four contests.
Welbeck, meanwhile, is the most-bought player in the Gameweek, earning 313,000+ new owners ahead of his visit to Burnley and Double Gameweek 33 (DGW33), at Tottenham Hotspur and at home to Chelsea.
He has scored four goals in his last four starts to collect 32 points, including his season-high 12 points against Liverpool last time out.
Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.4m) could be overlooked gems. Both midfielders are selected by under six per cent of managers ahead of their matches against Newcastle United and Aston Villa respectively.
Elsewhere, owners of Fulham's Wilson should be more than happy to start him away to Liverpool, who have now managed just a single clean sheet across their last nine matches in all competitions.
The Reds have allowed their opponents 10 big chances over their last four league contests - only three other clubs have a worse record.
Team defensive stats, last four matches
| Club | Big chances conceded | Goals conceded | Clean sheets |
| Wolves | 15 | 4 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 14 | 9 | 1 |
| Newcastle | 12 | 6 | 1 |
| Aston Villa | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| Spurs | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| Liverpool | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| Nott'm Forest | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| Fulham | 9 | 3 | 1 |
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
So, who's the best captain for Gameweek 32?
A look at the seasonal data shows why Fernandes' potential for huge hauls at Old Trafford, as well as his consistency, make him the best captain pick.
The Man Utd star has delivered eight double-figure returns in his 13 starts at Old Trafford this season, blanking on only three occasions.
Watch: FPL experts reveal their Gameweek 32 captain
As you can see, Gabriel's 7.4 points per start in home contests is near-identical to the 7.8 of Fernandes. But the Arsenal star has delivered 10+ points in just one of those 11 matches.
Haaland's four double-hauls in away matches shows he offers far greater upside than Gabriel in home matches, but the Norwegian has blanked in six of his 14 starts.
Fernandes, Haaland and Gabriel compared
| Player | Double-digit hauls | Returns* | Starting blanks | Pts per start |
| Fernandes (H) | 8 | 12 | 3/13 | 7.8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haaland (A) | 4 | 13 | 6/14 | 6.7 |
| Gabriel (H) | 1 | 10 | 2/11 | 7.4 |
*Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. A return is a goal, assist or clean sheet
Compare that with Fernandes' home form and Haaland seems the riskier pick of the pair for Gameweek 32.