Son Heung-min’s (£10.0m) appeal as the go-to captain for Blank Gameweek 29 of Fantasy Premier League has been boosted even further by doubts over the availability of Ollie Watkins (£9.0m).
The Tottenham Hotspur star is the most-bought player in the Gameweek on the back of his 17-point return against Aston Villa last weekend.
Son now has seven double-figure scores this season, including a 14-point haul against his weekend hosts Fulham in Gameweek 9.
Villa's Watkins had looked set to provide serious competition for the captaincy against West Ham United, with double-figure hauls in each of his last three road trips.
But with doubts over the forward’s fitness for Sunday’s match, handing Watkins the armband seems an unnecessary risk and his numbers will be omitted from the analysis.
Who are the form players ahead of BGW29?
In terms of recent output, Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) makes the most convincing case of any of Son’s rivals.
The Hammers' star trailed the South Korean by only one point in their last four matches, while he produced his career-high 20 points against Brentford in Gameweek 26.
Son’s team-mate Brennan Johnson (£5.8m), Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz (£4.5m) and Villa's Douglas Luiz (£5.7m) were all involved in at least three goals.
Fulham’s Alex Iwobi (£5.3m), meanwhile, has scored and earned double-figure hauls in two of his three starts since returning from international duties with Nigeria.
Players' form, GW25-28
| Player | Pts | Goal involvements | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son | 30 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Bowen | 29 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Johnson | 24 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Iwobi | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Muniz | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Douglas Luiz | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
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Who has had the greatest potential for goals and assists?
The underlying statistics over the last four matches show why Fulham forward Muniz is proving a cut-price sensation.
Assessed against his BGW29 rivals, the Brazilian’s 20 shots in the box are more than twice the total of any other player.
Luton Town’s Carlton Morris (£5.2m) takes second place with eight shots in the box ahead of his home contest with Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m) boasts an identical threat in the box to his team-mate Bowen, while the former's 15 shots are more than any other BGW29 midfielder.
Although Son managed just five shots in the box, he was still involved in a total of seven big chances, the highest of any player in the assessment.
Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga (£5.1m) is another standout player, and his five big chances are at least three more than any other player here.
Iwobi again offers encouraging numbers, with his 14 key passes the most of any BGW29 player.
Players' attacking threat, GW25-28
| Player | Shots in box | Big chances | Key passes | Big chances created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muniz | 20 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Morris | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Bowen | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Kudus | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Elanga | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Son | 5 | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Iwobi | 5 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
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Assessing the opponents’ defences
Analysing each player’s opponents can help identify any weaknesses to target.
Luton's statistics certainly look encouraging for Nott’m Forest, with the Hatters worst off here for conceding both big chances and shots in the box in their last four matches.
Elsewhere, there’s little to separate Villa, Brentford, West Ham, Burnley and Fulham when it comes to conceding big chances. Burnley's 45 shots conceded in the box indicates that Brentford's Ivan Toney (£8.1m) can end a run of four blanks at Turf Moor.
Opponents' defending, GW25-28
| Team | Big chances conc. | Shots in box conc. |
|---|---|---|
| Luton | 19 | 63 |
| Aston Villa | 14 | 36 |
| Brentford | 12 | 45 |
| West Ham | 12 | 36 |
| Burnley | 11 | 45 |
| Fulham | 11 | 33 |
What about the opponents' home/away form?
Villa’s data on their travels offers more encouragement for players such as Bowen, Kudus and playmaker Lucas Paqueta (£6.0m), with 45 big chances conceded in away matches.
Indeed, the numbers also suggest there could be limited clean sheets in the reduced round of matches, with few defences impressing here.
At home, Fulham's numbers are near-identical to those of Burnley, showing why a double-up with Son and James Maddison (£8.0m) can easily pay off.
Opponents’ home/away defending in 23/24
| Team | Big chances conc. | Shots in box conc. |
|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa (A) | 45 | 126 |
| Nott'm Forest (A) | 38 | 118 |
| Luton (H) | 37 | 135 |
| Burnley (H) | 33 | 126 |
| Fulham (H) | 32 | 117 |
| Spurs (A) | 32 | 116 |
So, who is the best captain?
It's difficult to look beyond Son for the armband. Even though his goal threat hasn't been overly impressive, his all-round potential has still helped him deliver big hauls.
His big chance involvement is superior to any of his rivals here, while Fulham's home numbers point to another successful Gameweek for the Spurs attacker.
Bowen and Kudus' prospects are lifted by Villa's poor defensive statistics as the best alternatives, while Morris is another player who can exploit his visitors' frailties at the back.
View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Gameweek 29 in Fantasy Premier League
