This article is part of our The Armband series.
Gameweek 5 felt a little too easy for picking a captain. All of the bigger clubs had favorable matches, so you couldn't go wrong no matter which way you went. Of course, when things feel too easy, that usually means the opposite in fantasy Premier League.
Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea all flopped in favorable spots last weekend. Spurs were arguably the most disappointing as Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen were given the armband by many. Instead, Tottenham struggled once again at Wembley Stadium. While I gave that as a reason to not consider a Spurs player, I never believed the match would end in a scoreless draw. The same can be said for the Chelsea match in which Arsenal actually made an appearance. As for those that captained anyone from the two Manchesters, it was likely a good week. Led by Sergio Aguero and David Silva, City again topped lists along with Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
In theory, we could just captain Lukaku or Aguero every week and hope it all works out, but what's the fun in that? To combat that theory, there's an influx of matches at the moment, with the major teams having four in a period of 11 days due to midweek League Cup and UEFA fixtures. At some point, the aforementioned stars are going to sit and we won't know when that is. For now, let's assume Aguero and Gabriel Jesus will form City's attacking line against Crystal Palace. If not, then Silva and Kevin De Bruyne are next in line. If not them, then surely Kyle Walker and at the very least Nicolas Otamendi. This may be a great week to go with a defender, and since Palace still haven't scored in league play, City are a good place to look for clean sheets.
Arsenal are the other big club at home, though they face a side that's higher than them in the table in West Brom. That may be true, but the Baggies gave up three goals the last time they were away, while the Gunners have at least looked competent in their last few matches, scoring three on Bournemouth in their last Emirates appearance. With the continued uncertainty around Alexis Sanchez, the next best option may be Alexandre Lacazette, though a defensive mindset may be just as fruitful for Arsenal. Sead Kolasinac isn't a bad choice with two shots and four crosses in the last two matches. West Brom also have only scored four times in five matches this season.
Even after their recent result, plenty will be on Spurs to rebound, especially since they've been better away so far with five goals scored and zero allowed in two matches. Kane continues to get shots off each match, but I prefer everything else Eriksen does and think he's due for an assist. He has 10 chances created in the last four games yet none of those have ended up in the back of the net.
Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool are all away, so there should be some trepidation for backing any of their players. Of those three, I'd stray from the Reds as their road form isn't great and they are still haven't figured things out without Sadio Mane.
The Red Devils travel to a Southampton side that has allowed just four goals this season, but have lost their last two home matches by a 2-0 score line (League Cup included). Lukaku will be a favorite again with Mkhitaryan an underrated option already with one goal and five assists. In the absence of Paul Pogba, Mkhitaryan has had a jump in crosses with 18 in the last two matches compared to eight in the first three.
The Blues are at Stoke, which battled Man United in their last home match. I'd be wary of Alvaro Morata, as he isn't getting as many shots off as guys like Kane and Lukaku, though it's hard to argue his three goals and two assists.
Elsewhere, it could be useful to look at Everton for some differential options, as Bournemouth aren't playing great and have failed to score in both away matches this season. Everton had some difficult early fixtures, but this one should lead to three points and help them out of the bottom three. Determining a captain will be a bit more difficult with Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Leighton Baines the top choices. While the Toffees haven't scored in Sigurdsson's three starts, he at least has six shots and four chances created in those matches so there is some hope. Betting on a clean sheet isn't a terrible idea, either.
For my bold captain of the week that no one should consider, Robbie Brady is at home against Huddersfield. He has seven shots, 13 chances created and 39 crosses this season.
