Who is the best FPL captain for Gameweek 12?

Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) has both the form and fixture to remain the best captaincy option for managers in Gameweek 12 of Fantasy Premier League.

Liverpool’s Egyptian visits promoted Southampton on the back of a seventh double-figure haul of the season against Aston Villa last time out.

Eight goals, six assists and a mere two blanks in 11 appearances under Arne Slot have established a 23-point advantage at the top of the player standings for Salah.

Southampton, meanwhile, have a single clean sheet to their name, conceding 21 goals in 11 matches. They rank among the worst three sides for allowing both shots in the box and big chances - situations where the player is expected to score.

Combined with Salah’s consistency and potential for huge returns, the captaincy call looks a fairly straightforward one this week.

Who are the best alternatives to Salah?

Manchester City star Erling Haaland (£15.2m) and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£10.9m) are the likeliest to challenge Salah.

Haaland entertains Tottenham Hotspur having scored his 12th goal of the season last time out, extending his lead to four goals in the race for the Golden Boot.

Similarly to Salah, Palmer also faces a promoted side, visiting Leicester City. He sits second only to the Egyptian in the player standings, amassing 84 points thanks to seven goals and five assists. 

Who has the worst defence?

By assessing the underlying numbers, managers can pinpoint the clubs with weaker defences and therefore target attackers from opposing sides.

There’s no surprise to see all three promoted clubs have been the worst for allowing big chances, with Ipswich Town conceding a league-high 47. 

This also boosts the armband prospects of Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m), with Manchester United visiting Ipswich in their first match under new head coach Ruben Amorim. Indeed, Fernandes delivered his season-high 17 points against Leicester last time around. 

Palmer’s Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m) is also worth a mention – he is the Blues' top-scoring player in away matches this season, eclipsing the England star by 34 points to 33.

Elsewhere, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£8.5m) and Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) are both at home to sides who rank among the six worst for conceding big chances.

Isak is the form pick of the two ahead of Newcastle's home encounter with West Ham United, having scored in three successive Gameweeks.

Similarly to the Hammers, Crystal Palace have also allowed 33 big chances, which can help Watkins get back to his best after a poor run of one goal in five appearances. Watkins’ 15 big chances rank second only to Haaland in 2024/25 and is twice the total of any of his Villa team-mates. 

While the wealth of strong options means that few will consider Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) at home to Nottingham Forest, his form at Emirates Stadium has been exceptional. Saka has earned 46 of his 67 points at home this season, with three goals, four assists and only one blank in those five matches.

Who has been involved in the most big chances?

By analysing each player’s involvement in big chances when playing at home or away, based on whether they have a home or away fixture in Gameweek 12, it’s clear to see that Haaland is the most likely to score.

His total of 10 big chances in home matches leads the way, with Watkins and Salah tied on eight in joint-second – Watkins has had eight such situations in home matches, while Salah has had eight in away matches. 

But when you also factor in creativity, both Saka and Salah leapfrog the Man City star. Saka has had four big chances at home, while also creating a further nine, which gives him a total of 13 big-chance involvements.

Nonetheless, Salah's far superior goal threat - he's had twice the number of big chances as Saka here - lifts his potential for more points in Fantasy and only further serves to highlight why he's the best armband option for Gameweek 12.