Fantasy Premier League 2020/21 – Captains and not picks will transform Gameweek 1

Siddhant Lazar
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The night before the 2020/21 Premier League season kicks off and it’s shaping up to be a chaotic start to the new FPL year with only sixteen teams in action. The game still goes on, the world still turns around one day at a time and managers around the world still need to pick a captain.

The sure-fire pick

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Arsenal captain, and their last season’s top scorer, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now a midfielder and he joins the ranks of the wonderful Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and co. However, while that poses a lot of problems for FPL managers, the man is our sure-fire captain pick. Now remember, sure-fire doesn’t mean sure-fire but this is as close as one does get especially given Aubameyang's presence at Arsenal.

The Gunners play Fulham, a team they thrashed black and blue last time the Cottagers they were in the Premier League, and it could be interesting. The 31-year-old is on a nice run of form and given the relatively small break between the end of the 2019/20 and the 2020/21 season, it could very well continue. The small sample size, aka the Community Shield, has proved that the forward certainly knows where the goal and with a new deal on the horizon, this could be a nice way to thank the club.

The maybe/maybe nots

Mohammed Salah

19 goals, 10 assists and yet Mohamed Salah falls into the maybe/maybe not category. Well, you can’t really blame us given that his Liverpool face Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United. They’re about as unknown a category as Premier League teams come and that could prove slightly problematic but barring that it’s Salah, isn’t it? The man has defied expectations everywhere he has gone and he has done it in absolute style over the last few years.

He ended last season with 233 points and while that’s a drop off from the season before (259) and a drop off from the season before that (303). But even then, given that he’s only picked by just about 30% of teams across the world, it does hurt his chances to score goals, or does it?  

Son Heung-Min

Tottenham’s man of the year and he certainly deserves it. The North Londoners didn’t have the greatest season in the world especially with Harry Kane out injured. But when they needed a man of the moment, up stepped Son Heung-Min and boy did the South-Korean thrive. He ended the season with 11 goals, 13 assists and 169 points which makes him the highest-scoring Tottenham man.

It does make him one of the best options this season especially if you’re looking at someone in the 9.0m bracket and given his consistency, that price is a bargain. Not to mention, if there is anyone at Spurs who is locked into Jose Mourinho’s team, then it’s this 28-year-old forward. Lucas Moura, Dele Alli, Hugo Lloris and a fit Harry Kane also make that list but few will be as threatening as Son. That also makes him a good captain pick but at the same time, he’s a little streaky. So maybe, maybe not?

The Flash in the Pan

Danny Ings

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now classified as a midfielder, yay, it means that only two FPL rated forwards scored more points than Danny Ings. Superstar Danny Ings and after his 22 goal season, the Englishman has earned himself another England cap and a massive price-boost. He started last season at £6.0m and now starts this season at £8.5m, which is a massive upgrade. That makes him a risky bet to pick especially given his injury history and possible propensity to be a one hitman.

Now Ings himself has assured us that he is anything but one hit seasons are certainly possibly and hopefully the 28-year-old breaks the mould. He is the perfect man for Southampton and exactly the forward Ralph Hasenhuttl needs which means when fit, Ings starts every game. But his injury history isn’t exactly perfect and neither is his record in front of goal. And yet, something tells us, all FPL managers, that Danny Ings might just be the man to break the mold or maybe that’s just football fans being romantic.

Timo Werner

Germany’s start is in England and not in Liverpool as many expected. But that’s a story about as old as time and yet given the strikers at Chelsea, you’d expect Timo Werner to become the first choice and few would hate you for that. The German is a wonderful forward, the man made by the era he is playing in and if there is one thing he knows how to do, it’s score goals. Bundesliga defenses are now glad that they don’t have to deal with the pacy forward with him plundering 95 goals in just under 160 appearances for RB Leipzig.

However, it was his final season in a Leipzig kit that saw Werner transformed into a more complete forward with him netting a sensational 28 goals and creating 8 more. Only, super Robert Lewandowski scored more than him with Jadon Sancho a far off second with 17 goals. Can ol Timo replicate that here in England? Against the cold harsh environment of the Premier League? Something tells us that he might especially after the sensational transfer window that Chelsea have had. Plus there’s Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and a few others all helping young Timo thrive.

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