FPL

FPL GW8 Captain Picks: Who Gets the Armband?

23 October 2026FPL Demon

Friday night deadline, so no time to dither. GW8 has the usual Haaland question, but this week it's closer than it looks. City are away at Villa, Chelsea host Spurs in a London derby, and there are three captains under 21% owned that the Demon rates. We ran every attacker through this week's projections, minutes and fixtures. No defenders or keepers here. Just the players most likely to double your points.

1. Erling Haaland (Man City, £15.7m)

Aston Villa (A). Owned by 77%. Projected 6.4 points.

Eight goals in seven starts. Twelve bonus points. Three Dream Team appearances. He's the Demon's top projected attacker again, a full 1.4 points clear of the next one, and he's first on City's penalties.

But it's the Saturday lunchtime game at Villa Park, and that's his lowest projection of the next four weeks. The Demon has him down for 0.77 expected goals, against 0.99 when Fulham visit in GW11. Still the best option on paper. Just not a banker.

Demon's Verdict: Captain him unless you're chasing. With 77% owning him, going elsewhere is a bet against the whole league, and Villa away isn't scary enough to take it.

2. João Pedro (Chelsea, £7.9m)

Spurs (H). Owned by 73.1%. Projected 5.0 points.

The best points-per-game player on this list after Haaland: 7.8 a game, with five goals, three assists, nine bonus points and three Dream Team appearances. When Chelsea score, he's usually involved.

Spurs at home in Saturday's late kick-off is the best fixture of any captain here. The only thing holding him back is minutes: the Demon expects 74, not 90, and he isn't on penalties.

Demon's Verdict: Nearly three quarters of managers own him, so he's a shield more than a weapon. The safest alternative to Haaland, but captaining him won't gain you much.

3. Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd, £7.9m)

Bournemouth (H). Owned by 20.9%. Projected 4.9 points.

Every minute of every game: 630 out of 630, and the Demon has him down for the full 90 again. Four goals, an assist and 3.96 expected goals, second only to Haaland on this list. His form rating is 8.0, also second best here.

He's second on United's penalties behind Bruno and takes some of their set pieces. Bournemouth at home is the kind of game where United should be on the front foot from the start.

Demon's Verdict: The nailed differential armband. Four in five managers don't own him, and he never comes off.

4. Alexander Isak (Liverpool, £9.0m)

Brighton (H). Owned by 13.3%. Projected 4.8 points.

Five goals and 11 bonus points from only 491 minutes. That's a goal every 98 minutes, and his 3.87 expected goals say he's earned every one. Per 90 minutes, only Haaland gets better chances of the five players here.

The catch is the clock. The Demon only expects about 70 minutes from him, and he's second in line for penalties behind Szoboszlai. If he starts and stays on, Brighton at Anfield is a real chance for a haul.

Demon's Verdict: The high-ceiling gamble. At 13% owned, an Isak brace is how you leapfrog half your mini-league in one weekend.

5. Igor Thiago (Brentford, £7.8m)

Hull City (A). Owned by 8.8%. Projected 4.2 points.

The unluckiest striker in the game. Thiago has 3.69 expected goals and only one actual goal to show for it. That's the biggest gap on this list by a distance, and chances like that usually start going in.

Everything else is in place. He's first on Brentford's penalties, he's started all seven games, and the Demon expects 89 minutes at Hull on Sunday, the most of any striker here, Haaland included.

Demon's Verdict: The 'due' armband. His projection is the lowest of the five, but at under 9% owned, the week he finally clicks is a big one to be on.

Conclusion

Haaland is still the captain. 6.4 projected points, first on penalties and owned by 77% of managers. Villa away makes him less of a certainty than usual, but nobody else gets close on the numbers.

If you need to make up ground, Mbeumo is the smart gamble: 90 minutes guaranteed, a home game and only 21% owned. Isak has the highest ceiling if he gets the minutes, and Thiago is the punt for anyone who believes the goals are coming. Morgan Gibbs-White (Ipswich away, 4.9) just missed the cut.