Gameweek 22 captain tips is a yet another Fantasy Premier League article where we look to ease your captaining headaches. Two slim gameweeks are behind us where usual suspects like Ozil, Mahrez, Kane, De Bruyne, Vardy and Ighalo blanked. What kind of a reap can we expect in gameweek 22 though? Some new faces have emerged on the scene to shake up template teams. Do we trust proven players again or is it best to seek value among differential players? These are the issues this article will address. Let’s start.
Gameweek 22 captain tips Fantasy Premier League – Top 5
When looking for an appropriate captain, there is usually a dilemma whether to captain in form player or the one with the extremely favourable matchup. I tend to seek for players that have both characteristics combined. However, this time, there are no obvious easy matches for teams with in-form players. On paper, Spurs and Leicester should have an easy job in gameweek 22. Spurs are entertaining Sunderland at White Hart Lane. Kane should return FPL points against the shaky defense that Sunderland has, but he has been looking a bit off form. Leicester travels to face Aston Villa. This team is the main relegation candidate but Vardy and Mahrez have blanked in 4 consecutive gameweeks. Can we trust each of the above-mentioned players? This is my list of 5 FPL captain picks for GW22 ordered by likelihood of return based on what I’ve seen from them in recent matches.
#1. GW22 captain pick – Kevin De Bruyne
Once again I am placing De Bruyne on top of my captain list. Man City couldn’t break down Everton but Crystal Palace could be an easier match for them. I already wrote how De Bruyne looks much more comfortable playing at home and this one should not be an exception. While I think Aguero is a good captain pick as well, I would give De Bruyne a slight edge. He has assisting potential to complete his goalscoring ability. Palace had a disappointing match against Aston Villa. I expect Man City to come out strong as they can’t afford any more slip ups. If they manage to score an early goal, they won’t stop attacking. Palace has great defensive record away, but Man City is averaging 2.6 goals at home this season.
#2. GW22 captain pick – Dimitri Payet
I speculated in my last FPL captain tips article that Payet is not yet on the highest level following a recovery from injury. I was proven wrong as he showed once again how important he is to the Hammers. He scored a fantastic goal from a free kick and assisted Valencia. His job was done and Bilic took him out, but without him, West Ham probably wouldn’t have escaped with a win. West Ham plays one more away. This time in Newcastle. It is a new opportunity for Payet to shine and there is no reason to doubt him now. He is my second Fantasy Premier League captain tip for gameweek 22.
#3. GW22 captain pick – Riyad Mahrez
Aston Villa finally won a match and that could make them more confident and dangerous for high-flying Leicester. Vardy has not been looking like himself lately. He was doubtful to play against Spurs, but he managed to recover in time. Still he is likely physically not yet 100% fit. This is why I would suggest Mahrez over him at this point. Leicester also won a huge match at White Hart Lane and they are joint at the top again with Arsenal. I really expect them to keep it going against Villa. It could be a tricky match but I believe Mahrez will step up once again. He is third on my FPL captain list for gameweek 22.
#4. GW22 captain pick – Andre Ayew
Ayew was among my risky differential captain tips last GW, and he delivered big time. This time, I am placing him on the fourth spot. He has a lot of potential but failed to live up to it for a big period of time. Hopefully, his performance against Sunderland is a sign of improvement. Swansea has one more home match against Watford on Monday and it is a good opportunity for Ayew. Swansea has to step up. Watford looked bad in a loss at Southampton. Ayew is worth a risk.
#5. GW22 captain pick – Harry Kane
Finally on the last spot, I am placing Harry Kane. I was actually considering placing Lukaku on this spot, but he has the considerably more difficult match at Chelsea. I really expected Kane to score against Leicester. It seemed to me that Leicester is finally losing their breath and with their main players out of form, it looked like a slam dunk for Kane. However, he didn’t look good. The only reason he is on my Fantasy Premier League captain tips list is the fact Spurs are playing at home against one of the weakest teams in the league. Sunderland is allowing 2.7 goals on average away from home and I would be surprised to see Kane blanking again.
Differential Gameweek 22 FPL captain tip
It has to be Firmino. He responded very well up front against Arsenal. I expect to see him leading the attack again with Benteke starting from the bench. If that is the case, I can’t see a reason for him to blank against Man Utd’s defense. This will be another huge derby at home for the Reds and motivation shouldn’t be an issue to say the least. Their defense is leaking goals as well so their strategy might be to outscore opponents. With an ownership of 1.4%, he looks like a terrific differential captain for GW22.
Risky Gameweek 22 FPL captain tips
In this category, I would like to mention Rooney, Ozil and Ighalo. Rooney has been really poor all season long but somehow managed to put himself on the map in last two matches. He scored three goals and returned one assist. This should serve as a huge confidence builder for the Liverpool match. His ownership is on a decent level and if you choose to give him an armband, you won’t be the only one.
Ozil dropped from the main list of captain candidates after two blanks in a row. Away at Stoke might be a difficult match for Arsenal and I would think twice before captaining Ozil. He looked bad against Liverpool and it is hard to trust him now.
Ighalo might actually be the least risky of the three, but he too blanked two in a row. Desperate Swansea (A) is their next match and I wouldn’t expect an easy game for Watford. Not after a pale performance midweek.