The short answer
Erling Haaland is the default captain in most weeks: no player matches his goal threat and his ownership together. Bruno Fernandes is the alternative with a route to points through goals, assists and set pieces, and he becomes the better armband when Manchester United's fixture is clearly the kinder one.
The live numbers are below, then the three checks that decide it in any week.
| Measure | Haaland | B.Fernandes |
|---|---|---|
| Club | MCI | MUN |
| Price | £15.8m | £11.7m |
| Owned | 78.3% | 24.1% |
| Points | 66 | 33 |
| Points per game | 8.2 | 4.7 |
| Form | 9.0 | 0.7 |
| Goals | 9 | 3 |
| Assists | 0 | 1 |
| Bonus | 14 | 3 |
| xGI | 6.86 | 4.16 |
| Minutes | 709 | 630 |
| Status | Available | Available |
| Next 3 | BHA (H)NFO (A)FUL (H) | CHE (A)AVL (H)LIV (A) |
Every figure is this season’s, from the FPL game. Fixtures are coloured by FPL’s own difficulty rating, green easiest to red hardest.
Check one: the fixture
Start with the Next 3 row in the table above. A home game against a side FPL rates as easy is the strongest captaincy setting in the game, and a hard away trip the weakest. When Haaland and Bruno Fernandes have clearly different fixtures, that is usually the week's answer on its own.
Bruno Fernandes gets points from set pieces as well as open play, so a kind fixture lifts him more than a midfielder who depends on open play alone. When United are at home to a weaker side and City face a hard away game, he is the stronger case.
Check two: minutes
Then the Status row. A player flagged as doubtful, or back from a knock, carries the risk of a short appearance. The captain doubles whatever he scores, including a cameo, and the vice-captain takes over only if the captain plays no minutes at all.
Both are regular starters when fit. The more likely risk is a suspension or a late knock, so read the team news before the deadline rather than on the morning of it.
Check three: ownership and your rank
Ownership decides what the armband does to your rank rather than your points. Captaining the more-owned of the two is the protective choice: if he returns, most of the game returns with you. Captaining the other is an attack, worth making only when the first two checks give him a real edge that week.
The two are owned by very different numbers of managers, and the gap tells you what the choice means for your rank. The captain page shows both ownerships side by side for the next deadline.
This week's call
The captain page ranks every realistic option for the next deadline by projected points, with ownership alongside. When the two are close there, the more-owned player is the safer armband; when one is clearly ahead, take him. Bruno's set-piece role is listed on the set-piece takers guide, which is worth checking in any week he is on penalties.