As the battle for superiority in mini-leagues enters the final rounds, differential captain Son Heung-min (£9.9m) has given more than 721,000 Fantasy Premier League managers the edge over their rivals - for now!
The fourth most-captained player of Double Gameweek 35 (DGW35), Son converted a penalty in Tottenham Hotspur's 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday for a seven-point return, the best score among the top five captains.
But with Chelsea hosting Spurs tonight in the final game of DGW35, over two million managers will be hoping Cole Palmer (£6.2m) can redress the balance.
Notably, 15 of Palmer's 20 Premier League goals this season have come at home. Indeed, he has struck nine times in his last three outings at Stamford Bridge.
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Palmer has received his biggest ever backing as an FPL captain for his pair of matches.
DGW35 most-captained players
| Player | Captained by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Haaland | 3,194,496 | 5 |
| Palmer | 2,073,986 | 2* |
| Salah | 893,067 | 1 |
| Son | 721,063 | 7* |
| Watkins | 432,451 | 2 |
*One match still to play in DGW35
In his first outing of DGW35, Palmer disappointed those who have entrusted him with the armband, recording a rare blank as Chelsea drew 2-2 with Aston Villa.
However, a match-high six shots and a big chance at Villa Park will have given Palmer's backers cause for optimism, as will his previous performance against Spurs this season, when he scored and assisted for a 12-point return in Gameweek 11.
Big swing coming in top 100?
Palmer is the overwhelming captain favourite among the leading 100 managers in Fantasy, with 91 members of this elite group selecting him for double points.
See: Which chip strategies and players will decide FPL world title?
Palmer's DGW35 rival Son is the differential pick, selected for the captaincy by nine of the top 100.
Top 100 managers' DGW35 captains
| Player | Captained by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Palmer | 91 | 2 |
| Son | 9 | 7 |
As well as being among the top captains, Son was the most-recruited player for DGW35, with more than 1m Fantasy bosses adding him to their squads.
DGW35 most-bought players
| Player | Transferred in by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Son | 1,013,199 | 7* |
| Isak | 904,441 | 13 |
| Fernandes | 692,823 | 4 |
| Foden | 587,778 | 0 |
| Jackson | 586,696 | 2* |
*One match still to play in DGW35
It's the fifth time this season that Son has been the No 1 transfer target, and this is set to be his best return of the lot.
Son has blanked three times this season as the most-bought player of the Gameweek, but his meeting with Arsenal, a team he has traditionally done well against, helped reverse his fortunes.
His seven-point return means he now has 72 points in his last nine outings versus Mikel Arteta's side. And, with one match to go in the Double Gameweek, it could get even better for his new owners.
Son when he's the most-bought player 23/24
| Gameweek | Opp(s) | Transferred in by | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| GW35 | ARS (H), CHE (A) | 1,013,199 | 7 |
| GW29 | FUL (A) | 2,091,060 | 2 |
| GW27 | CRY (H) | 661,955 | 7 |
| GW8 | LUT (A) | 1,457,982 | 3 |
| GW5 | SHU (H) | 921,945 | 2 |
Jackson's second chance
Bought by more than 586,000 managers, Nicolas Jackson (£6.9m) completed the top five transfers in for DGW35.
The Chelsea forward looked to have given his backers a dream start when he put the ball in the back of the Villa net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
A frustrating afternoon continued as he hit the post in the 2-2 draw, so his owners will be hoping for a better outcome on Thursday against Spurs.
Jackson scored a hat-trick and totalled 16 points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the season.