The Scout assesses the best armband picks for Double Gameweek 29 in Fantasy Premier League.
Marcus Rashford (£7.3m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£5.5m) are among the best captaincy alternatives to Erling Haaland (£12.0m) in Double Gameweek 29.
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Although Manchester City’s Norwegian has just a single fixture at home to Liverpool, his huge 75 per cent ownership means he could again be the most-selected armband pick.
In Friday's press conference, Pep Guardiola provided an update on the forward's fitness, with Haaland recovering from a groin problem.
“This afternoon is the last training session then we'll see how he feels," said Guardiola.
“We will see today. Again, the doctors and especially the player will decide how does he feel.
"Yesterday I spoke with him and he feels good. But we will see.
"Life is risk in these stages. You have to take it. We score a lot of goals this season. He scored an incredible amount of goals. But in the past always we scored a lot of goals.”
Haaland has scored an incredible eight goals in his last two matches in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium, and is averaging 9.9 points per home start in his debut Fantasy campaign.
Top-scoring DGW29 players since GW17
Player | Pts | Gls | Ass. | Blanks | Double-digit hauls | Pts per start |
Rashford | 94 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8.1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March | 75 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6.8 |
Mitoma | 73 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6.6 |
Salah | 72 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6.0 |
Fernandes | 71 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5.9 |
Watkins | 69 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5.8 |
Toney | 62 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5.6 |
Rashford, however, is the joint-top scoring player in Fantasy since the season resumed, earning 94 points thanks to 10 goals and two assists.
Manchester United star Rashford averaged 8.1 points per start over that run ahead of his matches with Newcastle United and Brentford.
Crucially, he has also been one of the most reliable players for attacking returns from Gameweek 17 onwards, blanking in only three of his 11 starts.
That consistency is also a vital part of Mitoma’s appeal for his encounters with Brentford and AFC Bournemouth.
Although he trailed his Brighton & Hove Albion team-mate Solly March (£5.1m) by 73 points to 75 since Gameweek 17, the Japanese proved far less likely to disappoint his owners, recording only three blanks to the six of March.
Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) has matched the five goals, four assists and three double-figure hauls of Mitoma, yet, like March, has blanked on six occasions and been far less reliable.
Salah’s away form also has to be a concern ahead of Liverpool’s visits to Man City and Chelsea. The Egyptian has managed only one assist in his last outings six on the road.
Consider Mac Allister?
Elsewhere, Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m) could be the biggest armband differential thanks to a new role as a No 10.
The Argentinian's 15 shots in the last four matches rank top among all Double Gameweek players, while Mac Allister's 10 shots in the box are also more than Mitoma and March.
Chelsea’s Kai Havertz (£7.6m), Newcastle’s Alexander Isak (£6.7m) and Leicester City’s James Maddison (£8.2m) also offer in-form options with low ownership who could prove decisive with the armband.
Nonetheless, it is Rashford who is the likeliest to reward managers with the armband, while Mitoma’s consistent output must make him another top contender.
Also in this series
Part 1: Scout Selection: Best FPL team for Double Gameweek 29
Part 3: FPL experts: Who to captain in Double Gameweek 29
Remember, the Double Gameweek 29 deadline is at 11:00 BST on Saturday 1 April