FPL
GW1 Captain Board: Haaland Was Right. Palmer Was the Haul.
24 August 2026
This is the first piece in the captain series. Five names, ranked by Demon xPts before the GW1 deadline, then the points they actually scored. A hit means the player's own points matched or beat the xPts. The captain column is that score doubled.
- Haaland was the armband. Home to Bournemouth, 7.39 xPts, the clear number one.
- Bruno and Saka were level on 6.52. One blanked at Hull. One scored at the Emirates.
- Palmer was fourth on the board and finished with 13. The best captain return of the five.
- Mbeumo went to Hull with Bruno. Both came home on 2.
- Next in the series: the GW2 captain board.
The five
| Player | Fixture | xPts | Points | Captain | Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haaland | Bournemouth (H) | 7.39 | 2 | 4 | No |
| Bruno Fernandes | Hull (A) | 6.52 | 2 | 4 | No |
| Saka | Coventry (H) | 6.52 | 9 | 18 | Yes |
| Palmer | Fulham (A) | 6.43 | 13 | 26 | Yes |
| Mbeumo | Hull (A) | 6.23 | 2 | 4 | No |
Demon's readHaaland was the right favourite. The week paid the two who had the shot volume.
Haaland at home was still the armband
Bournemouth at the Etihad is the fixture you circle in August. Haaland was £15.5m, owned by 70% of managers, and the model had him clear of everyone. Last season's goals were the whole rate. No 2026/27 minutes existed yet. The betting odds were 85% of the team projection. That is as strong a captain case as the first week can produce.
City won 2-1, and he did not score. Sky's report had him on five efforts. BBC had him missing from a couple of yards, then blazing one over and scuffing another wide. Petrovic kept him out. Guehi headed the equaliser in the 84th minute and Gvardiol won it in stoppage time, both off Cherki. The team did the job. The captain did not. Two points, doubled to four. That is a miss against 7.39, and it is also why you do not rip him out after one blank. The chances were there. The finish was not.
Hull away was the trap under Bruno and Mbeumo
Bruno at 6.52 and Mbeumo at 6.23 were the United pair, both away at a promoted side. On paper that is an attack you captain. Hull had just come up. United had the names. The model liked both because last season's rates plus a promoted defence usually prints.
Hull won 2-0. Ajayi in the 17th minute, Mendy's header in the 38th. Sky called it a lacklustre United who hardly laid a glove on them. Bruno and Mbeumo both finished on two. Promoted does not mean open. A side that sits in, scores from a set piece and a second ball, and does not let you have the box, kills two captain options in the same team. That is the lesson, not a reason to sell either of them.
Saka and Palmer were the ones who hit
Saka was level with Bruno on xPts and had the kinder match. Arsenal, the champions, at home to Coventry in Coventry's first Premier League game in 25 years. Havertz scored on 15 minutes, Saka doubled it on 23, Odegaard added a third on 49. Coventry did not make a tackle in the first half. Saka's finish was the rebound after Rushworth palmed Tzolis's cross. Nine points, 18 with the armband. That beat the 6.52.
Palmer was the one the board slightly underranked. Fulham at home, a derby, Xabi Alonso's first league game. ESPN had Chelsea at 1.70 xG to Fulham's 1.35. Palmer set up Joao Pedro after 31 seconds, then scored the third himself on 49 minutes, after Joao Pedro held it up. Rogers scored on his debut in between. Fulham still got two, both with a hand from Sanchez. It finished 3-2. Palmer's 13 was 26 with the armband, the best return of the five, from the fourth name on the list. Away from home, in a game that was a basketball match. That is the captain you want when the fixture is messy and the player is on penalties and the final ball.
The series carries on with the GW2 captain board. Bruno goes top. Haaland stays second, and this time the Palace away number is the one we had already cut down.
