FPL Gameweek 7 Captaincy: Who To Captain

Captaincy Court, GW7: Two Analysts, One Armband

Four names on the shortlist this week: Haaland at home to Ipswich, Palmer away at Everton, Saka at Forest, and Semenyo also facing Ipswich. Our two resident loudmouths have had their say — and for once, the ceiling man and the floor man walked into court with the same verdict.

Haulage King says:

Haaland. IPS (H). Next question.

Look, I'm paid to find the big score, and nothing on this list comes close. Our projections have him pencilled in for over 10 points this week — double what Palmer, Saka or Semenyo are expected to return. On a normal week he's good for about 9, and when it clicks he can hit 16-plus. The clincher is the haul odds: roughly a one-in-two shot at a monster. One in two! Palmer at Everton is one in six. Saka at Forest, same. Semenyo gets the identical Ipswich fixture and he's one in seven. There's no debate here — if you want the week that wins you your mini-league, it's Haaland, and you don't blink at the £15.6m price tag because this is exactly the week it pays for itself.

Cheapy says:

I came here to argue the boring case, and the boring case is... also Haaland.

My job is to stop you burning the armband, and the numbers say he's the safest pick as well as the biggest. Even on a stinker of a week he's projected around 2 points — Palmer, Saka and Semenyo all bottom out at 1, with typical weeks of just 3. Nailed minutes, home fixture against Ipswich, and about 7-and-a-half in 10 managers already own him, so captaining him isn't a punt — it's self-defence. If half the game hands him the armband and he hauls without it on your captain, you've lost ground for nothing. The cautious play and the greedy play are the same play. That almost never happens. Take it.

The verdict:

When the man chasing hauls and the man dodging blanks land on the same name, you don't overthink it. Palmer at 25.5% owned and £9.7m is a fine differential *transfer* conversation for another day — but with a one-in-six haul shot against Everton, he's not an armband this week. Captain Haaland. Everyone else is a hit to your own team.