With the Gameweek 8 deadline of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) fast approaching, it’s time to have a good think about who to captain.

In Gameweek 7, Erling Haaland (£15.7m) rewarded the millions of FPL managers who captained him, and left the 600,000+ who played the Triple Captain on the Norwegian with a season’s best 13-point haul at home to Ipswich Town. Those who backed a Chelsea attacker, Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) or the most-transferred-in player, Rayan Cherki (£8.0m), were left disappointed.

This week, the decision looks less straightforward with Man City playing the improving Aston Villa. Chelsea’s Joao Pedro (£7.9m) and Cole Palmer (£9.8m) come to the forefront of the debate for the Blues’ clash with Spurs. Arsenal and Nottingham Forest also have appealing fixtures on paper.

So, is it worth looking beyond Haaland and Man City’s trip to Villa Park for the captaincy in FPL Gameweek 8? That’s what we’re considering in this week’s ‘Captain Sensible’ article.

First, we will assess the on-site captaincy poll, analyse myriad player and team statistics, consult the Rate My Team (RMT) points projections, and settle on a top three for the armband, ahead of Friday’s 6.30pm BST deadline.

Captaincy Poll

Once again, Haaland holds a commanding lead in the Fantasy Football Scout captaincy poll, boasting 45% support from site users. The Norwegian has scored in six consecutive Gameweeks and was declared “100% ready” by Enzo Maresca in Thursday’s press conference.

Pedro sits second, with a competitive 17% of the vote ahead of Chelsea’s London derby against Spurs on Saturday. The Brazilian sits in 73% of teams, is the top-scoring Blues asset and is yet to blank at Stamford Bridge this season.

Elsewhere, two other players have managed to garner more than 5% support: Chelsea’s Palmer and the differential Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.9m). The latter has dropped in price this week after missing Gameweek 7 with a knock but has since been declared fit.

Player Stats – Last Six Gameweeks