The Scout assesses the best armband alternatives to Haaland, with Ekitike and Foden among the standouts
If you’re willing to take the big risk of going against Erling Haaland (£15.0m) with the captaincy, then Phil Foden (£8.8m) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.6m) have the form to outscore the Manchester City forward in Fantasy Premier League.
Foden is thriving in a more advanced role under Pep Guardiola and has delivered four successive sets of double-figure hauls ahead of Man City’s home encounter with West Ham United.
It’s a change of position that has also helped Ekitike to his best form for Liverpool. Playing as a forward, the summer signing has scored twice and earned 13 points in each of the last two Gameweeks.
That form has made Ekitike a must-have for many managers – indeed, he’s the second most-bought player ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 GMT deadline, earning 703,000+ transfers in.
Who’s in the best form?
As you can see from the table below, Foden has claimed an incredible 55 points across Gameweeks 13-16, more than any other player in Fantasy.
He has six goals, an assist and no blanks during that spell, compared with Haaland’s three goals, two assists and two blanks.
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£9.3m) and Fulham’s Harry Wilson (£5.6m) have also comfortably bettered Haaland’s 31 points.
Both midfielders have scored three goals and supplied four assists across the last four Gameweeks, claiming 46 and 42 points respectively.
Fernandes has climbed to the top of the midfielder standings ahead of Man Utd’s visit to Aston Villa.
Wilson, meanwhile, is the most-bought player in the Gameweek, with over one million managers bringing him in for Fulham’s home match against Nottingham Forest.
Top-scoring players, GW13-16
Player
G
A
Blanks
Pts
Foden
6
1
0
55
Fernandes
3
4
0
46
Wilson
3
4
0
42
Calvert-Lewin
4
0
0
31
Haaland
3
2
2
31
Ekitike
4
0
2
28
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Who’s had the greatest attacking threat?
An assessment of the big chances statistics – or situations where a player is expected to score – helps to show those players who have boasted a similar attacking threat to Haaland recently.
As you can see, in terms of goal threat alone, the Norwegian has had nine shots in the box and four big chances across the last four Gameweeks.
Both those totals were either bettered or matched by Foden, Ektike, Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.7m) and Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.8m).
However, Haaland also created two big chances, which means he has been involved in a total of six of them. That places him level with Foden and one behind Fernandes’ seven at the summit.
The all-round potential of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) is also in evidence here, with three big chances and two big chances created (BCC) earning him fourth spot in the table below.
Goal threat stats, GW13-16
Player
Shots in box
Big chances
BCC
Big-chance inv.
Fernandes
10
3
4
7
Foden
10
5
1
6
Haaland
9
4
2
6
Saka
7
3
2
5
Ekitike, Calvert-Lewin
11
4
0
4
Mateta
9
4
0
4
Watkins
8
3
1
4
Georginio
8
2
2
4
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Who’s facing the weakest defence?
There’s been very little to separate the league’s worst defences when it comes to conceding big chances lately.
Six clubs allowed their opponents an average of at least three per match across the last four Gameweeks, with Fulham the worst of all, with a total of 14.
Among the players listed above who have had the greatest attacking potential recently, it’s Saka and Mateta who are up against the weakest defences.
As you can see from the table below, Saka’s opponents Everton have conceded 12 big chances – the same number as both Leeds and Burnley, suggesting they were somewhat fortunate to claim two clean sheets.
Brentford”s Igor Thiago (£7.2m) could also have a big impact on Gameweek 17. The Brazilian is expected to recover from a knock to face bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Team defensive stats, GW13-16
Club
Goals conc.
Clean sheets
Big chances conc.
Fulham
10
0
14
Brighton
7
1
13
Wolves
8
0
13
Burnley
9
0
12
Everton
6
2
12
Leeds
8
0
12
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
So, who is the best captain?
Although he’s not been at his very best recently, Haaland‘s hauls of 14 and 13 points over the last four Gameweeks have shown just why he’s both the most-owned and top-scoring player in Fantasy.
While the Norwegian is still the gold standard of captains this season, it is worth noting he had only one shot in the box in each of his last two home matches against Leeds and Sunderland.
If you are going to go against him, then, Foden’s numbers suggest he is the best option. Elsewhere, Ekitike is the league’s leading player for shots in the box and big chances over the last two Gameweeks and can maintain that run against Spurs this weekend.
