Mohamed Salah’s (£13.7m) role as the go-to captain in Fantasy Premier League is under increased competition from Alexander Isak (£9.4m) and Cole Palmer (£11.4m) in Gameweek 22.
Liverpool’s Salah visits Brentford after blanking for only the THIRD time this season in the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest in midweek.
Despite that rare disappointment, he has still amassed 60 points over his last six appearances, scoring five goals and assisting a further five.
Yet that total was surpassed by Newcastle United’s Isak, who has nine goals, two assists and 66 points across his previous six outings ahead of a home meeting with AFC Bournemouth.
Chelsea’s Palmer, meanwhile, has also proven a reliable source of returns ahead of a home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The England star, who is a minor injury doubt, has produced 10 points in three of the last four Gameweeks, beating Salah’s score on each of those occasions.
It's fair to say the trio's displays have not gone unnoticed recently, either.
In Gameweek 21, all three, along with Erling Haaland (£14.8m), were each captained by over one million managers - the first time this season, and only the third time EVER that four players have achieved this feat in the same Gameweek.
Certainly, Manchester City’s Haaland, along with Fulham’s Raul Jimenez (£5.7m) and Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood (£6.9m), could all prove great alternatives in their matches against promoted clubs.
Haaland and Jimenez visit Ipswich Town and Leicester City respectively having each produced three goals and 23 points in the last three Gameweeks.
Wood has three goals, an assist and 29 points across that same period and is at home to Southampton.
Form in last six matches
| Player | Goals | Assists | Pts |
| Isak | 9 | 2 | 66 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salah | 5 | 5 | 60 |
| Palmer | 3 | 0 | 38 |
| Wood | 3 | 1 | 35 |
| Haaland | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| Jimenez | 3 | 0 | 27 |
Who is most likely to score?
The underlying statistics highlight Isak's superior goal threat across his last six matches. He's had 11 big chances - situations where a player is expected to score.
Newcastle’s forward also leads the way in the table below for goal involvement – when selected, he’s scored or assisted 61 per cent of their goals in that spell.
Salah’s all-round style of play does give him the slight edge when it comes to being involved in big chances, though.
He’s had eight of his own and created a further nine, giving him a total of 17. That leaves Isak in second on 15, with Palmer’s total of nine earning him third place in the analysis.
Big chance (BC) stats in last six matches
| Player | Goal involvement | BC | BC created | BC involvement |
| Salah | 53% | 8 | 9 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isak | 61% | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| Palmer | 50% | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Haaland | 27% | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Jimenez | 50% | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Wood | 40% | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Rotate your mobile device to see full table
Who faces the worst defence?
The opposition defensive data over their last six matches can also help to determine your captaincy decision.
Southampton's numbers show just why Wood is the most-bought player in the Gameweek, with their 31 big chances conceded a league-high.
It's a similar story for Haaland and Jimenez, with Ipswich and Leicester's numbers highlighting the frailties of the promoted clubs.
This is the one area where Isak fares the worst, with Bournemouth ranked top of the opposition defences for conceding goals and big chances, as well as keeping clean sheets.
Opponents' defensive stats in last six matches
| Club | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
| Southampton | 16 | 1 | 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 16 | 0 | 17 |
| Ipswich | 10 | 1 | 16 |
| Wolves | 10 | 2 | 15 |
| Brentford | 9 | 2 | 14 |
| Bournemouth | 5 | 3 | 11 |
So, who is the best captain?
Isak and Salah's underlying statistics are far superior to their rivals and help to highlight why they have been performing so well.
There's little to separate the pair and there would be no surprise if both delivered big hauls again.
Isak's home advantage and momentum just about gives him the edge in his bid to extend his scoring streak to nine Premier League matches.
