Who is the best FPL captain for Double Gameweek 35?

A Double Gameweek 35 (DGW35) for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur means two of the big-hitters in 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League, Cole Palmer (£6.2m) and Son Heung-min (£9.8m), will contest for the captaincy.

Palmer, who has returned to training after missing the midweek defeat at Arsenal due to illness, approaches Chelsea’s pair of matches against Aston Villa and Spurs in outstanding form, having amassed 84 points in his last six league matches, at least 17 points more than any other player.

He scored 10 goals and also supplied three assists, with four double-figure hauls and no blanks in that run, explaining why millions of managers will be handing the 22-year-old the armband.

AVL

2-2

CHE

Highlights Available

TOT

2-3

ARS

Highlights Available

CHE

2-0

TOT

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Son is his nearest contender among the Chelsea and Spurs players. The South Korean faces Arsenal and Chelsea on the back of two goals, three assists and 37 points over his last six appearances.

Nicolas Jackson (£6.8m) and Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) both combined two goals and two assists to collect 30 points. 

Player form, last six matches

Who has had the greatest attacking threat?

Palmer’s underlying statistics are even more convincing when assessed against the other three.

Incredibly, his 19 shots on target are more than the COMBINED TOTAL of Son, Jackson and Johnson. 

The Blues midfielder has had 34 shots, just two fewer than the combined 36 of his three rivals. Palmer also outclassed them for creativity, with 17 key passes, more than double the total of any of his rivals. 

Son’s 14 shots and 12 shots in the box are the best of the rest, although he was outdone for big chances by Jackson and Johnson, with five and seven respectively.

Indeed, Johnson’s seven big chances across his last six matches place him joint-fourth among all players in Fantasy.

Player attacking threat, last four matches

How do their opponents compare?

A look at the seasonal data only strengthens Palmer’s case further.

The numbers show that Aston Villa have conceded 23 goals, 124 shots in the box and 42 big chances in home matches this season. 

Palmer then hosts a Spurs side who have allowed 154 shots in the box and 42 big chances in away matches.

Arsenal’s defensive displays on the road significantly dent Son’s appeal. They have conceded only 11 goals and 13 big chances in such encounters, keeping 10 clean sheets.

The combined totals of big chances conceded is particularly telling here. Palmer’s DGW35 opponents have allowed 84 such opportunities in the home/away season data, more than double the 41 of Son’s.

Palmer: Aston Villa (A), Spurs (H)

*Clean sheets

Son: ARS (H), CHE (A)

So, who is the best captain?

Palmer ticks every box you want from a captain and, if he's fit, you have to hand him the armband.

The big question for those with their Triple Captain chip remaining, though, is should they now play it on Palmer?

Double Gameweek 37 (DGW37) offers another opportunity, with six sides set to play twice. Palmer and Son will then compete with Erling Haaland (£14.1m), Alexander Isak (£8.1m) and Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) for the armband.

By assessing the seasonal home/away form of their respective opponents in a similar vein as above, the big chances conceded indicate Palmer in DGW35 could be the most opportune occasion.

The team data also favours Haaland, Son and Isak in DGW37. The trio take the top three spots here for shots in the box conceded by their opponents, while also ranking among the top four in the big chances allowed.

Similarly to Son in DGW35, Fernandes' prospects as a captaincy contender in DGW37 take a hit due to Arsenal's resilient away form.

Opponents' defensive stats 23/24