One of the most common decisions that Fantasy Premier League managers need to make every week in FPL is choosing their team’s captain.
In this article, we will explain how captaincy works in FPL.
How does captaincy work in Fantasy Premier League?
In FPL, the captain is a player that you select to earn double points for that particular Gameweek. This means that whatever points your captain earns, those points are doubled in your FPL team’s score. You can put the armband on any player from your starting XI.
How to select a captain in FPL?
Selecting a captain is a straightforward process. When setting up your team for the upcoming Gameweek, you simply click on the player you wish to be captain and select the ‘Make Captain’ option.
It’s important to remember that you can only select one captain per Gameweek, and you must make your selection before the Gameweek’s deadline, which is one and a half hours before the first match kicks off.
Strategies for Choosing the Best Captain
Choosing the right captain is not always straightforward and often requires strategic thinking. One common strategy is to consider the fixtures for the upcoming Gameweek. If your player is up against a team that has a weak defence, they might have a higher chance of scoring goals, and thus, earning more points.
Another strategy is to look at a player’s current form. If a player has been performing well in recent matches, they might be a good choice for captain. However, it’s also important to consider the player’s consistency. A player who consistently performs well is often a safer choice than a player who scores a lot of points in one match but then performs poorly in the next.
It’s also worth considering the popularity of your captain choice. If many other FPL managers have chosen the same player as their captain, and that player performs well, you won’t gain much of an advantage. However, if you choose a less popular player who performs well, you could move up in your league’s rankings.
However, never overcomplicate the captaincy decision. If someone like Haaland is the obvious and the best captain for that particular gameweek, just captain him regardless how many other FPL managers captain him too. You want to choose the best captaincy option, not the second-best or third-best captaincy option.
Read more about picking a captain in FPL, you can check out our process here: How to pick the best captain in FPL?
The Vice-Captain Role in FPL
In addition to selecting a captain, FPL managers also need to choose a vice-captain for their team. The vice-captain is a backup for the captain and their points will be doubled if the captain does not play in that Gameweek. This means that if your captain is unexpectedly benched or injured and plays 0 minutes in their Premier League match, your vice-captain’s points will be doubled instead.
Read more about vice captaincy: How does vice captain work in FPL?
FAQ
What happens in FPL when your captain doesn’t play?
If your captain doesn’t play in a given Gameweek, the captain’s armband automatically moves to your vice-captain, and their points are doubled instead. If neither your captain nor your vice-captain plays, you won’t receive any doubled points for that Gameweek.
What is Triple Captain in FPL?
The Triple Captain is a chip in FPL that allows you to triple your captain’s points instead of doubling them for one Gameweek. This chip can only be used once in a season and is typically saved for a double Gameweek (when a team has more than one fixture in a Gameweek) to maximize potential points. Read more in our blog post: What is triple captain in FPL and how does it work?
How many points do you get for captain FPL?
In FPL, your captain’s points are doubled. For example, if your captain scores 8 points in a Gameweek, you will receive 16 points for that player.
Who to captain FPL this week?
You can find our latest captaincy recommendations in our article: FPL Captain Pick for this week.
Can you change your captain in FPL during the gameweek?
No, you cannot change your captain or vice-captain in FPL once the Gameweek deadline has passed. After the deadline, your team is locked in for that Gameweek, and any changes you make will not take effect until the following Gameweek. This includes changes to your starting 11, transfers, captain changes, and substitution priorities.
When can you change captains FPL?
You can change your captain and vice-captain before the deadline of each Gameweek. Once the Gameweek deadline has passed, your captain and vice-captain are locked in for that Gameweek and cannot be changed.
What is bus captain FPL?
The term “bus captain” in FPL refers to the player you have set as your captain when you initially set up your team for the next Gameweek, often right after the previous Gameweek has ended. The term comes from the idea of “setting your team and forgetting it,” similar to how you might set your team before getting on a bus with no internet access. It’s important to remember that your “bus captain” can be changed any time before the next Gameweek’s deadline.
