Son Heung-min’s (£9.4m) huge captaincy backing for Gameweek 8 shows a growing number of managers in Fantasy Premier League have decided that Erling Haaland (£14.1m) may not be essential after all.
The Tottenham Hotspur star was captained by over 1.7million managers for his trip to Luton Town, while Haaland was handed the armband by 5.2m – his lowest total since his Blank Gameweek 32 last season.
But Haaland’s two-point return in Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal leaves him with 55 points, just four points off the top of the player standings behind Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.1m).
See: FPL experts: Is it time to stop captaining Haaland?
Assessed against the 2022/23 campaign, when he was the top-scoring player in Fantasy on 272 points, and the winner of the Golden Boot with 36 goals, Haaland has improved his attacking threat.
He is averaging 4.0 shots in the box compared with 3.3 in 2022/23, while his shots, shots on target and big chances per 90 minutes are also up.
Haaland stats per 90 compared
| 22/23 | 23/24 | |
| Shots | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Shots in box | 3.3 | 4.0 |
| Big chances | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Shots on target | 1.7 | 2.0 |
| Goal conversion | 29.3% | 25% |
Although his current goal conversion rate of 25 per cent is down from last season’s 29.5 per cent, the Norwegian is still getting plenty of chances.
Haaland’s last three full seasons
| Season | Club | Goals | Shots | Goal conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/21 | Borussia Dortmund | 27 | 93 | 29.0% |
| 21/22 | Borussia Dortmund | 22 | 80 | 27.5% |
| 22/23 | Man City | 36 | 123 | 29.3% |
Haaland’s historical goal record also offers encouragement he can get back to his very best.
He has scored 28.6 per cent of his shots in his three full seasons as an elite forward, and an improvement can be expected, particularly when Kevin De Bruyne (£10.2m) eventually returns to action.
In the early stages of 2023/24, owning and captaining Haaland has been a very easy decision for millions of managers.
The difference a year makes 🗓️
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 12, 2023
Despite averaging a goal a game this campaign, Erling Haaland has fewer points compared to this stage last season, worth his £14m value? 💰#FPL pic.twitter.com/yQRFK0TtNu
However, his 89 per cent of backers must now acknowledge that players such as Salah, Watkins, Son and Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) have established themselves as very strong alternatives.
Salah, Watkins and Saka have each blanked only once this season and have all outscored Haaland’s 6.9 points per start (PPS).
Tottenham Hotspur’s Son, meanwhile, has averaged 9.2PPS since being moved up front by Ange Postecoglou.
Top-scoring players in 2023/24 Fantasy
| Pts | G | A | Bonus | Blanks | PPS | |
| Salah | 59 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 7.4 |
| Watkins | 59 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7.4 |
| Haaland | 55 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 6.9 |
| Son | 54 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6.8 |
| Saka | 53 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 7.6 |
Ultimately, Haaland’s huge ownership in Fantasy will continue to drive the decisions of millions each Gameweek. A big haul for the Norwegian would have a devastating effect on a manager’s rank if their captaincy alternative blanks.
But with eight Gameweeks of the season now passed, players such as Salah, Son, Saka, Watkins and Kieran Trippier (£6.8m) have also emerged as crucial picks.
Their displays so far indicate that reinvesting the Haaland funds and building a more rounded squad across the outfield positions may not be quite as risky as many had feared.
For more on this hot topic, listen to the latest episode of the Off The Bench podcast below, as FPL experts Az Phillips and Oscar - aka FPL Focal - discuss what to do with Haaland.
View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Gameweek 9 in Fantasy Premier League