Fantasy Premier League 2021/22 | Decoding the perfect captain pick for Gameweek 37
Make the right pick for captain
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The 2021-22 PL season has been full of highs and lows for every team and the thrilling ride is set to come to an end this month as we approach Gameweek 37. Now is the right time to cash in all your chips and establish your supremacy in FPL and to do that you have to make the right pick for Captain.
The penultimate round of Fantasy Premier League is sure to deliver plenty of action for managers who will be tasked with making the right moves out of a double game week. The deadline for the gameweek is fast approaching and this particular gameweek being a double gameweek has made the captaincy issue slightly tricky.Â
It's a huge juncture of the fantasy football season. This gamweek could prove to be a season-defining one for managers worldwide as it brings the perfect opportunity to make up points on your friends or to distance yourself from the rest of the pack in the overall grand scheme of things.
The usual suspects for captaincy candidacy have a single fixture while the other less reliable picks have two fixtures to play for. It would be wise to look at both single gameweek players and double gameweek players and then decide on who would be the best GW37 captain pick.
Let us combine a little bit of statistics and armchair psychology to determine who is the right pick to be appointed as the captain for this week.
Option 1: Rely on the in-form Wilfried Zaha
Crystal Palace faces Aston Villa and Everton in gameweek 37 in what will be a decisive week for their campaign. Palace have the opportunity to leapfrog several teams into the top half of the table.
You would expect Palace to do well against both teams on paper. Zaha is a man in form over recent weeks and the English side will have to depend on their star winger to have any chance of a positive result.
The 29-year-old has been in superb form in recent weeks as he has scored seven goals in his last ten games. The winger faces an Everton side that concedes a lot of shots. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has made 103 saves this season which ranks him among the top percentile of keepers who are regularly called into action.
The Crystal Palace winger has scored 12 goals from an xG of just nine which means he doesn’t need so many chances to score a goal and could prove to be a decisive player for you if you choose to name him as captain.
Option 2: Bank on Richarlison
Everton are in the midst of a heated relegation battle and their results have matched their performances in recent weeks as they look to retain their Premier League status at the end of the season.
The Toffees have also turned Goodison Park into a fortress under Frank Lampard, winning three of their last four home games. The Merseyside club is set to welcome Brentford and Crystal Palace onto their home turf here and Frank Lampard's men will do everything in their power to stave off any relegation fears. Richarlison has some solid numbers with 13 shots inside the box, three big chances, and a good xG of 2.53 in his last five games.
The Brazilian forward has four goals and an assist in his last seven games making him a good choice for some responsibility.
Option 3: Count on the goalscoring antics of Son Heung-min
Well, Tottenham has only one fixture this game week and thus it may not be the best option to appoint a Spurs player as captain. But hear me out.Â
Tottenham faces Burnley this week, a Clarets side who could be without two of their key players in James Tarkowski and Ben Mee. The Clarets also rank 18th for expected goals conceded
We’ve seen time and time again that Son and Kane could score against any team and you won’t put it past them to put a couple past Burnley in gameweek 37. Choosing any of Kane and Son would be a wise move although in my opinion, you should anoint Son as the captain out of the two if you want to bank on Spurs.
 Son has been absolutely lethal in front of goal this season as he has scored 20 goals from an xG of 12.28. The South Korean winger also has the most non-penalty goals in the league this season and is just one goal behind Mohamed Salah in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
The South Korean was my prescribed pick for captain last week and he delivered as he had goalscoring appearances in the London club’s matches against Liverpool and Arsenal. Relying on Son rarely disappoints and that should be the case this week too.
Wildcard pick
Choose Jamie Vardy
Well, this one really doesn’t make much sense right? Injuries have plagued the Leicester striker this season and his absence has been a key factor in Leicester's failure to maintain a challenge towards the top of the table.Â
Vardy has scored 161 goals for the Foxes and registered two goals against Norwich City in the Foxes’ midweek fixture. The 35-year-old is set to face off against another relegated team this week in the form of Watford who have nothing to play for.
Hence why I think it's a decent shout to name Vardy as captain as he could prove to be the unexpected difference you crave for.
My pick
It was hard to choose between Son, Richarlison and Zaha although I would have to prescribe the Crystal Palace forward as the ideal pick due to the fact that he has been in great form in recent weeks and Palace have a double gameweek this season.
All picks have their advantages and disadvantages. You will not go wrong in picking another option for this week as it's guaranteed to give you maximum returns.
