Managers in Fantasy Premier League who opted against Erling Haaland (£12.2m) for the captaincy in Double Gameweek 25 are currently ruing the decision after the Manchester City forward outscored his biggest rivals on Saturday.
DGW25 most-captained players
| Player | Captained by (000's) | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Haaland | 4,649 | 10 |
| Salah | 1,536 | 3 |
| Saka | 1,379 | 3 |
Haaland was the top captain pick for the 22nd time this season, and he duly delivered a goal and assist for a 10-point haul in a 4-1 win at AFC Bournemouth.
However, a host of FPL managers were lured away by the prospect of an even bigger haul from a star who plays twice in Gameweek 25.
More than 1.5million backed Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) for his pair of fixtures against Crystal Palace and Everton, but they have so far been disappointed after the Egyptian blanked at Selhurst Park, going agonisingly close when he hit the crossbar.
Similarly, over 1.3m gave Bukayo Saka (£8.5m) the armband against Leicester City and Everton, and they were frustrated as the Arsenal star failed to register an attacking return in the 1-0 win over the Foxes.
Top signings fall short
The three most-popular signings in FPL have all disappointed in the first of their two matches.
DGW25 most transferred-in players
| Player | Transferred in by ('000s) | Pts |
| Salah | 1,271 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Tarkowski | 1,022 | 1 |
| Darwin | 927 | 0 |
Over 1m FPL managers backed James Tarkowski (£4.4m) to continue his revival at Everton under Sean Dyche, but he blanked in a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa.
The centre-back will have another chance to secure points in midweek but has a tough trip to Arsenal.
Over 927,000 managers have turned to Darwin Nunez (£8.8m), but they were dismayed as the Uruguayan forward missed Saturday's trip to Palace. They will share Jurgen Klopp's hope that Nunez will be available for Wednesday's home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Managers deploy chips
A host of Fantasy managers sought to capitalise on the Double Gameweek by using one of their chips.
Over 640,000 played their Free Hit chip. It is the second-highest number of Free Hits deployed this season, following Gameweek 12's total of 1.1m.
A further 384,000+ managers used their second Wildcard, the most since the season resumed after the FIFA World Cup 2022.
🆓 640,760 Free Hits 🆓
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 25, 2023
🃏 384,397 Wildcards 🃏
© 122,560 Triple Captains ©
🪑 17,935 Bench Boosts 🪑
How are those #FPL chips going so far? 🍟 pic.twitter.com/rniG3cSmIk
As none of the three most-sold players have a fixture in Double Gameweek 25, there is no chance of their sellers feeling any remorse.
Newcastle United face Manchester United in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, meaning zero points are guaranteed for Kieran Trippier (£6.0m), Marcus Rashford (£7.2m) and Luke Shaw (£5.3m) in FPL.
DGW25 most transferred-out players
| Player | Transferred out by ('000s) | Pts |
| Trippier | 1,219 | 0 |
|---|---|---|
| Rashford | 1,110 | 0 |
| Shaw | 934 | 0 |
The trio will return to Premier League action in Gameweek 26 but have tough fixtures. Newcastle visit Man City, while Man Utd travel to Liverpool.
See: Fantasy Premier League stats
Also in this series
Part 1: DGW25 bonus points
Part 3: Saturday review: In-form Watkins in demand for secure fixtures