Managers in Fantasy Premier League were spilt on who to captain in Gameweek 1 of the 2024/25 season, with little to choose between the top three picks.
With more than 8.8million managers playing Fantasy, there was a difference of less than 200,000 between those who backed Erling Haaland (£15.0m), Alexander Isak (£8.5m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), leading to some big early swings in mini-leagues.
GW1 most-captained players
| Player | Captained by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Haaland | 1,896,821 | 7 |
| Isak | 1,875,558 | 5 |
| Salah | 1,704,061 | 14 |
| Watkins | 510,100 | 2 |
| Saka | 280,351 | 12 |
The 1.7m Fantasy bosses who backed Salah are already sitting pretty after he produced a goal, assist and three bonus points in Saturday's early match at Ipswich Town, amassing 14 points.
Remarkably, Salah has never blanked in Gameweek 1. In eight opening-round appearances, he's now notched 99 points, including six double-figure hauls.
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Conversely, it was a frustrating day for managers who backed Isak at home against promoted Southampton.
The most-selected player in Fantasy, found in 60 per cent of teams, the Swede was handed the armband by just 21,000 fewer managers than Haaland.
But he could only manage a solitary assist and a five-point total, with the Magpies scraping to a 1-0 win and spending much of the match on the defensive after playing with 10 men from the 28th minute onwards, due to Fabian Schar's (£5.5m) straight red card for violent conduct.
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Haaland was the most-popular choice in 37 of the 38 Gameweeks last season, and he was the top pick again this weekend, with almost 1.9m managers handing him the armband.
Having scored a hat-trick against Chelsea during pre-season, Haaland netted again for Manchester City against the Blues as Pep Guardiola's side ran out 2-0 winners at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Despite being the No 1 choice, it's Haaland's lowest backing as captain since Gameweek 4 of the 2022/23 campaign, his debut season in the Premier League.
A price increase to £15.0m for 2024/25 has made the Norwegian the most-expensive Fantasy player of all time. This has contributed to his lowest ownership levels since his very first Gameweek in Fantasy.
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Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) was a differential captain pick at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers and justified his backers' faith in him with a goal, assist and two bonus points to deliver a 12-point haul in Arsenal's 2-0 win.
However, Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) failed to reward the 510,000 people who backed him with the captain's armband after he blanked in Aston Villa's 2-1 win at West Ham United.