Newly crowned Fantasy Premier League champion Ben Crabtree earned 755 points from his captain alone – almost 30% of his title-winning total of 2564.
He captained a forward in 28 of 38 Gameweeks, turning to Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero on 10 occasions – more than any other player.
We questioned Ben on the factors behind his selection, in a bid to glean further insight ahead of the new campaign.
Ben Says:
Generally, I choose my captain based on a mix of form and fixture. I’m obviously looking for a big score so the ability to reward me with a double-figure tally is vital.
If someone has a favourable home match-up, then that is my first consideration and, as a rule, I rarely look beyond my strikers.
In past seasons this has been simple – if Sergio Aguero is fit and looks remotely on form, then he is my captain. But clearly, Harry Kane has now moved into that same realm.
I broke from tradition on one notable occasion.
In Gameweek 20 I gave Leighton Baines – from my beloved Everton – the armband.
There were a lot of fixtures around that period, with squad rotation on the cards but Baines appeared a certain starter and hosted a Southampton side that were struggling for goals.
Baines got me a goal, a clean sheet and three bonus points to return 15 points in total. So the one time I captained a defender, it really paid off.
The Scout Says:
Ben’s faith in his strikers is again highlighted by his selection policy when it comes to the captaincy.
"You want as many attackers as possible"#FPL champion Ben Crabtree reckons the 3-4-3 formation is a must-have: https://t.co/LYaBbw78E8 pic.twitter.com/OT01JQHpyb
— FPL (@OfficialFPL) May 28, 2017
He gave his armband to a forward in each of the opening six Gameweeks and was rewarded with double-digits in all but one fixture.
He did remain open-minded, however. The big call on Baines was fuelled by his fixture and the need to trust in an assured starter – both important factors.
But Ben suggests he will look to Kane next season.
Having averaged 7.5 points per match, the Spurs striker will likely dominate as the top-owned forward and therefore always contest for the captaincy.
Counting the days...
— FPL (@OfficialFPL) May 22, 2017
We can reveal: next season's game launches week commencing 10 July 📅 #FPL pic.twitter.com/ei9UKXOxXE
Kane has shown that he can be both consistent with regular goals and devastating with big hauls. Producing a goal or an assist in 18 of his 29 starts, he delivered nine sets of double-digits, including five lots of 15+ point tallies.
Formerly crucial ingredients that we have associated with Aguero, they are now very much part Kane’s make-up as a Fantasy asset and, to a lesser extent, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku.
