GW27 stats: Brave FPL managers rewarded for captaining Watkins

Gameweek 27 saw Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) trump his more-popular rivals in the Fantasy Premier League captaincy battle.

The third most-captained player, Watkins scored twice in Aston Villa's 3-2 victory over Luton Town for a 13-point return, eclipsing the totals of Erling Haaland (£14.5m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.2m).

Haaland produced six points in Manchester City's 3-1 derby victory over Manchester United, while Saka notched seven points as Arsenal won 6-0 away to Sheffield United.

Only nine per cent of Fantasy managers opted to back Watkins with the armband but they were rewarded with his third successive double-figure haul on the road.

He moves up to 183 points in 2023/24 Fantasy, seven ahead of Saka, his closest challenger in the player standings.

GW27 most-captained players

Haaland was the overwhelming captain favourite for Gameweek 27 having registered a career-high 23 points in the corresponding fixture against Man United last year.

Hopes were high he could deliver another bumper haul but his 5.4million backers had to settle for a single goal on this occasion.

That strike took him up to 18 for the season, two clear of Watkins in the race for the Castrol Golden Boot.

Best runs over six matches

Saka featured among the top three captains for the second consecutive Gameweek.

The most in-form player in Fantasy, Saka has totalled 66 points over his last six matches, the best run of any player this season.

Although, having been withdrawn at half-time, the 1.3m who entrusted him with the captaincy will feel a little disappointed with his seven points at Bramall Lane. 

Nonetheless, his two first-half assists saw him become the second player to reach double digits for both goals and assists this season, after Watkins. The Arsenal talisman has now scored 13 goals and laid on 10 assists.

GW27 most-bought players

The No 1 transfer target for Gameweek 27, Son Heung-min (£9.8m) rewarded his 661,000+ new owners with his 13th goal of the campaign.

The South Korean scored in Tottenham Hotspur's 3-1 win over Crystal Palace to collect seven points.

Managers moved for Son following the injury to team-mate Richarlison (£7.0m), the most-sold player of the round. The Brazilian's absence meant Son switched from the left wing to centre-forward, a position where he thrived earlier in the season.

Spearheading the Spurs attack between Gameweeks 4 and 15, Son notched five double-figure hauls in 12 outings.

Son impressed again in Gameweek 27 and could have delivered more points for his owners. He took five shots, four shots in the box and was presented with two big chances, all placing first or joint-first in the match.

His goal means the 31-year-old has now blanked just once in eight home appearances against Palace. 

He's totalled 68 points over those encounters, averaging 8.5 points per match.

Blank Gameweek 29 captaincy contenders

Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m) followed up his career-best 20-point haul from Monday night with an assist in West Ham United's 3-1 win at Everton for his 17th attacking return of the campaign.

Snapped up by more than 376,000 Fantasy managers ahead of the deadline, Bowen looks set to rival Son for the captaincy in Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29). 

Spurs and West Ham are among just eight sides with a fixture in the reduced round of matches due to FA Cup quarter-finals taking place that weekend.

Completing the top three, Dominic Solanke (£7.1m) was recruited by nearly 400,000 people.

There will have been relief among his owners when he was named in the starting XI for AFC Bournemouth's trip to Burnley, having been a doubt to play. 

But he was unable to add to his two appearance points, registering just one shot and no goals as the Cherries won 2-0.

GW27 top 100 most-captained players

Like the masses, the majority of the leading 100 managers captained Haaland, with 82 choosing to double his score.

Saka took second spot and Son was in third.

But the big winners were Jordi Taylor and Ben Humphrey, who each selected Watkins.

GW27 most-sold players

Two of the three most-sold players didn't play in Gameweek 27 due to injury.

The only one who could have made Fantasy managers regret their decision was Kevin De Bruyne (£10.6m), but he blanked in Man City's derby win.

The Belgian has flattered to deceive of late.

He produced 12 points during a 21-minute cameo on his return from injury in Gameweek 21, but has underwhelmed with only 20 points in six appearances since then.

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