Who is the best FPL captain for Gameweek 10?

A single goal across his last four appearances place big question marks over Erling Haaland's (£15.4m) appeal as the best captain option for Gameweek 10 of Fantasy Premier League.

While his huge ownership of 73 per cent means that the Norwegian will, in all likelihood, remain the most-selected armband pick, Haaland's potential has been somewhat reduced by Manchester City's growing injury list ahead of their trip to AFC Bournemouth. 

Haaland's 11 goals have helped him amass 75 points, placing him third in the player standings behind Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Cole Palmer (£11.0m).

Liverpool's Salah has six double-figure hauls over the first nine Gameweeks - TWICE the total of any other player this season - ahead of a home match against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Chelsea's Palmer has been involved in a league-high 12 goals, scoring seven and assisting five. The Blues visit a Manchester United side who have conceded three goals in two of their previous three league matches at Old Trafford. Palmer's team-mate Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m) is the second top-scoring player in away matches this season, earning 33 points thanks to four goals and two assists. 

Meanwhile, Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) has been the most consistent player in Fantasy across the first nine Gameweeks, with only a single blank in eight appearances. A visit to Newcastle United looks promising for his prospects, with the winger scoring and earning 10 points in his previous meeting with the Magpies.

Tottenham Hotspur's home encounter with Aston Villa pits two of Fantasy's big-hitters against one another. The hosts' Son Heung-min (£9.9m), who is expected to recover from injury, has averaged 9.0 points per match (ppm) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season. Villa's Ollie Watkins (£9.1m) has averaged 8.0ppm across his last three road trips. 

Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood (£6.4m), Fulham's Raul Jimenez (£5.7m) and Brentford midfielder Bryan Mbeumo (£7.7m) all have the form to deliver big hauls.

Wood is another player who is expected to shrug off a minor knock for Gameweek 10. He has scored seven goals, averaging 6.6ppm, ahead of Forest's home fixture against West Ham United. 

Jimenez has averaged 6.3 points per start since securing a place in Fulham's first XI in Gameweek 4. Mbeumo visits Craven Cottage on Monday evening on the back of his season-high haul of 15 points last weekend. 

Attacking output in GW1-9

Who is the most likely to score?

The underlying statistics help to illustrate why Haaland has had such a prolific start to the new campaign.

The Norwegian's 43 shots, 39 shots in the box and 14 big chances - situations where the player is expected to score - are all league-high totals, helping him convert 25.6 per cent of his attempts.

Watkins and Jackson also occupy places in the top three for big chances, with 12 and 11 respectively.

Wood's appeal as a huge source of value is underlined by his 10 big chances - identical to Salah - although the former's 36.8 per cent goal conversion rate is likely to be unsustainable over the course of a full season.

Similarly, Mbeumo's 38.1 per cent goal conversion rate is a little too lofty to maintain, although the same can't be said for Saka - by contrast, his lowly 11.1 goal conversion indicates plenty of room for improvement here. 

Goal threat in GW1-9

Who is most likely to get an assist?

Factoring in each player's creativity gives an indication of their prospects for assists and, combined with their goal threat, can help identify those with the greatest all-round attacking potential.

Palmer and Saka are particularly impressive in this respect, with both supplying 20 key passes - that is FOUR times Haaland's total of five.

Palmer has created nine big chances and, allied with his own eight such opportunities, means he has been involved in 17 big chances - more than any other player over the first nine Gameweeks. 

Saka's influence is all the more impressive when assessed against Haaland here - he has created a league-high 12 big chances, compared with the Norwegian's one. 

Salah is tied with Haaland on 15 big-chance involvements and, thanks to his creative efforts, has helped the Egyptian play a part in a hefty 65 per cent of Liverpool's goals under Arne Slot when selected.

The all-round style of play of Mbeumo, Jimenez and Son is also very much on display here, with each creating at least four big chances. 

In terms of goal involvement, Jimenez has either scored or assisted 71 per cent of Fulham's goals when on the pitch this season, underlining his talismanic displays for Marco Silva's side.

Son's 38 per cent goal involvement is the lowest in the analysis, an indication that the goals - and attacking returns - are being more evenly shared among Ange Postecoglou's regular starters.

Creativity stats in GW1-9

So, who is the best captain?

Salah's potential for both goals and assists gives him the edge over Haaland in Gameweek 10. This is partly down to the injury situation surrounding Pep Guardiola's side right now, with the statistics clearly showing the Norwegian is almost exclusively reliant on his team-mates supplying him with quality scoring opportunities.

Palmer's all-round ability also looks hugely encouraging for his output at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon - similarly to Salah, his clinical finishing also makes him a far better option than Saka, despite the latter's consistency. 

Meanwhile, Watkins' recent away form - combined with his considerable number of big chances - suggests he could also be in for another successful Gameweek.