Hugo Ekitike (£8.9m) and Gabriel (£6.7m) both have the form and fixture to outscore Erling Haaland (£15.1m) with the captaincy in Gameweek 22 of Fantasy Premier League.
Liverpool’s Ekitike has five goals, an assist and 42 points across his last five league outings.
Having returned from injury with a goal and an assist against Barnsley in the FA Cup on Monday evening, he now has a home match against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal’s Gabriel has amassed 30 points in his three starts since recovering from his own injury.
Two goals and two clean sheets in those encounters shows the centre-back’s major potential at both ends of the pitch for the Gunners’ visit to Nottingham Forest.
Manchester City‘s Haaland, meanwhile, has frustrated his 74 per cent owners with just a single goal over the last four Gamweeks.
But with a derby at Manchester United next up for the Norwegian, can managers risk going against the most-owned player in Fantasy?
What is Haaland’s Manchester derby record?
Haaland has scored eight goals and assisted a further three across his six derby outings.
The Man City talisman has produced three double-figure hauls – including a 13-pointer in the reverse fixture in Gameweek 4 this season – and has blanked twice.
He’s amassed 62 points across those contests, averaging 10.3 points per match.
Haaland’s Manchester derby record
Season
G
A
Pts
2022/23 (H)
3
2
23
2022/23 (A)
0
0
2
2023/24 (A)
2
1
16
2023/24 (H)
1
0
6
2024/25 (H)
0
0
2
2025/26 (H)
2
0
13
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Who’s had the greatest attacking threat?
A delve into the underlying data helps to show those players who have either surpassed or matched Haaland for goal threat over their last four matches.
Aston Villa‘s Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) is in fine form ahead of a home match against Everton this weekend.
Watkins’ total of eight big chances – situations where a player is expected to score – over his last four matches is a league-high total. He scored four goals during that spell to collect 26 points.
Brentford‘s Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade (both £7.1m) have boasted huge all-round potential ahead of the Bees’ visit to Chelsea.
Thiago has had seven big chances and created a further three over his last four matches, which means he was involved in a total of 10 – more than any other player in the league. Schade claims joint-second alongside Watkins here, with a total of eight big-chance involvements.
Watch: FPL experts reveal their captain picks
As the table below also shows, Haaland and Ekitike have both had 13 shots in the box and four big chances across their last four outings. However, the Frenchman has also created two big chances, underlining his potential for assists.
Meanwhile, Man Utd’s Benjamin Sesko (£7.2m) has had 19 shots in the box over his last four matches, more than any other player. The Slovenian scored twice against Burnley last time out to claim his season-high haul of 13 points.
Goal threat, last four matches
Player
Shots in box
Big chances
Big chances created
Big-chance inv.
Thiago
15
7
3
10
Watkins
13
8
0
8
Schade
10
6
2
8
Sesko
19
6
0
6
Ekitike
13
4
2
6
Haaland
13
4
0
4
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Who’s facing the weakest defence?
An assessment of the defensive data over the last four Gameweeks helps to highlight the teams with the most frailties.
Among the players in the table above, Ekitike fares the best here. His visitors Burnley have allowed their opponents 15 big chances across their previous four matches, second only to Sunderland.
Sunderland and Crystal Palace go head-to-head this weekend, suggesting key attackers such as Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) should get plenty of opportunities.
Elsewhere, AFC Bournemouth‘s budget forward Junior Kroupi (£4.6m) visits a Brighton & Hove Albion side who have also allowed 15 big chances.
The Cherries attacker – who has scored seven goals in under 600 minutes of pitch time this season – is now expected to earn more starts due to the recent departure of Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m) to Man City.
Team defensive stats, last four Gameweeks
Club
Goals conc.
Clean sheets
Big chances conc.
Sunderland
5
1
16
Burnley
7
1
15
Brighton
5
1
15
Aston Villa
6
1
13
Crystal Palace
4
1
12
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So, who is the best captain?
Both the player and team data indicate Ekitike is the player most likely to outscore Haaland in Gameweek 22.
Gabriel’s displays over the season as a whole also suggest he now merits serious consideration as a captain pick.
Three goals, two assists and nine clean sheets have helped him average 7.5 points per match, second only to the 7.8 of Haaland.
But with Haaland, the huge ownership has to come into consideration here and there’s no doubt he will again be the top-selected captain.
Crucially, he’s still getting plenty of attempts – his 17 shots over the last four Gameweeks are second only to Sesko – he’s simply failed to live up to his own high standards in front of goal. Whereas his seasonal goal conversion rate is 24.1 per cent, he’s dropped to 5.9 per cent across Gameweeks 18-21, and will surely improve upon that record soon.
Added to his Manchester derby record, the Norwegian still looks the safest option for the Gameweek 22 captaincy.