The Hard Tackle lists the five best options to consider for the captain’s armband heading into FPL Gameweek 15 of the 2025/26 season.
Gameweek 15 lines up like a classic FPL fork in the road: the obvious giant in Erling Haaland, a pair of resurgent Manchester United assets in Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo, a sharp-dressed differential in Nick Woltemade, and an old favourite enjoying a mini‑renaissance in Danny Welbeck. Each comes with a strong case, but also a very different risk profile depending on how brave you want to be with the armband.
The captaincy puzzle for Gameweek 15
Manchester City hosting Sunderland, Newcastle United welcoming a fragile Burnley, Manchester United visiting an open Wolves side, and Brighton & Hove Albion facing an up‑and‑down West Ham United all scream “points” for midfielders and forwards.
The fixtures are not just favourable; they line up styles and weaknesses in a way that seems tailor-made for the five names on this list. Sunderland and Burnley are both conceding plenty of chances, Wolves’ defensive structure has looked leaky, and West Ham’s form has swung from stubborn to shambolic within the same month.
Context matters this deep into the season. Erling Haaland is again on a record‑threatening FPL pace, Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo are central to a revamped Manchester United attack, Nick Woltemade has quietly become Newcastle’s main finisher, and Dany Welbeck is putting up some of the best underlying numbers he has ever produced at Brighton & Hove Albion.
This is not a week where you throw the armband on a full‑back and hope for the best. It is a week where your captain is likely to decide your green or red arrow.
Why Erling Haaland is still FPL king
The starting point is obvious. When Manchester City are at home to a promoted side, every serious manager at least thinks about slapping the armband on Erling Haaland and walking away. Sunderland have made a spirited return to the top flight, but the cracks in their defence are clear: they sit in mid‑table for goals conceded, have struggled to control matches against elite opponents, and can be dragged around by quick passing and movement in the box. Those are precisely the conditions City thrive on, especially at the Etihad.
Haaland’s own numbers barely leave room for debate. In the 2025/26 Premier League season he already has 15 goals and three assists in just 14 Premier League games, a rate that has him averaging more than a goal per 90 minutes. FPL‑wise he is tracking another monster campaign, with some models putting him on a double‑digit points-per-game trajectory and hinting he could surpass his own previous record if he stays fit.
Recent weeks have not slowed him down either: braces, penalties, and bonus points keep rolling in, and even when Manchester City spread the goals, Haaland rarely walks away with nothing. The Sunderland match-up makes this feel like a “don’t overthink it” scenario.
Their defensive line has looked vulnerable when forced to defend deep for long spells, especially against high‑tempo sides who pin them back and repeatedly recycle the ball into central areas. Manchester City are the masters of that suffocation, and Haaland is stationed right at the end of almost every dangerous move. If you want the safest route to a big Gameweek 15 haul, the Real Madrid target remains the benchmark captain.
Bruno Fernandes: the all‑action FPL alternative
If there is one player who can rival Erling Haaland in Gameweek 15 on pure involvement, it is Bruno Fernandes. Manchester United visit Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team whose defensive numbers this season have veered towards the alarming.
Wolves have struggled to keep clean sheets, concede more than their share of big chances, and often unravel under sustained pressure, particularly when midfield protection breaks down in front of their backline. For a player who thrives on volume shots and set-pieces, that is a very appealing landscape.
Fernandes’s raw goal tally in the league so far might not scream “explosive,” but the underlying picture is far more positive. He remains at the heart of everything Manchester United create, ranking highly for shots, key passes and expected threat, while also taking penalties and a hefty share of corners and free‑kicks and regularly accumulating DEFCON points.
From a captaincy standpoint, Bruno brings a different type of appeal to Haaland. Manchester United’s attack under Ruben Amorim has been rebuilt to funnel play through him and the new forwards, and he often posts “monster” involvement numbers even when he records only a single return.
Against a Wolves side that can be sloppy in possession and prone to late collapses, there is a real chance of multiple goal contributions. If you want a high‑ceiling, slightly more differential route than Haaland while still captaining a premium, Bruno is right near the top of the list.
Nick Woltemade: the brave FPL differential
For managers itching to make up ground, Nick Woltemade offers a compelling roll of the dice. Newcastle United host Burnley, and that alone is enough to make their striker interesting. Burnley have looked out of their depth at times this season; their attempts to play front‑foot football have left gaps all over the defensive third, and they remain near the wrong end of the table for goals conceded and big chances allowed.
St. James’ Park is not the place you want to take a fragile backline. Meanwhile, Woltemade has quietly grown into a central figure for Newcastle United. In the 2025/26 Premier League campaign he has five goals and one assist, making him one of the team’s leading scorers and a key outlet in the penalty area.
His underlying numbers back up the eye test: decent expected goals per 90, a healthy number of shots, and regular touches in the opposition box. However, the risk with Woltemade is obvious. Newcastle’s attack can blow hot and cold depending on fitness and fixture congestion. But this specific match-up looks tailor‑made for his skill set.
Burnley’s tendency to leave space between the lines and fail to track runners into the box is exactly what a clever centre‑forward can exploit. If you are chasing in mini‑leagues and want a captain who only a small percentage will back, Woltemade is one of the standout punts for Gameweek 15.
Bryan Mbeumo: Manchester United’s new FPL menace
Bryan Mbeumo has been one of the headline attacking signings of Manchester United’s summer rebuild, arriving from Brentford in a big‑money move after a productive season. His profile is tailor‑made for FPL: a wide forward who cuts inside to shoot, whips in a high volume of crosses, and covers huge distances to stay involved across the entire front line.
Under Ruben Amorim, he has quickly been integrated as a first‑choice attacker on the right or as an inside forward, and his numbers underline that impact. In the 2025/26 Premier League campaign he has started 13 games, scoring five goals and adding an assist for Manchester United so far, with over 30 shots registered.
That puts him firmly in the mid‑price “premium” bracket in FPL terms, and his form has included several strong recent displays with goals and key contributions in the final third. Importantly, his style naturally racks up bonus points when United win, thanks to his work rate, dribbling and chance creation.
The Wolves defence he faces in Gameweek 15 is anything but intimidating. As noted earlier, they have been porous this season, conceding regularly and struggling to control opponents who attack with pace and width. Their full‑backs have been exposed frequently, and back‑post defending has been a particular issue.
That plays directly into Mbeumo’s game, with his trademark back‑post runs and late surges into the box. As a captain, he carries more risk than Bruno Fernandes because he is slightly less central to set-pieces. However, his open‑play goal threat, combined with a soft defence, makes him a very strong, slightly under‑the‑radar shout.
Danny Welbeck: the nostalgic powerhouse
Danny Welbeck has quietly turned the clock back at Brighton & Hove Albion this season. Across his time at the club, he has reached 40 Premier League goals with 16 assists, but his 2025/26 campaign stands out: seven goals in just 14 outings, with a per‑game scoring rate comfortably higher than in any of his previous full seasons for the Seagulls.
The Englishman’s average match rating and minutes played underline that he is not merely a rotation piece; he is a central cog in Brighton’s attack. Recent weeks suggest there is more to come. Welbeck’s current season profile shows him averaging a goal every roughly 100 minutes or so, a significant uptick from earlier years where he often functioned more as a facilitator.
FPL managers have started to notice, with his ownership creeping up as managers search for mid‑priced forwards who actually deliver. His movement between the lines, experience in timing runs, and ability to occupy centre‑backs all help Brighton’s fluid attacking structure click.
Gameweek 15 pits Brighton against a West Ham United side that has been the very definition of inconsistent. Across the 2025/26 season, the East London club’s form has swung around mid‑table, but their defending has often been chaotic: stout in some matches, soft and error‑prone in others.
The Hammers concede plenty of chances when pressed, and their backline can look disorganised when dragged wide and forced to deal with quick combinations. This is exactly the kind of opponent Brighton typically enjoy facing, and Welbeck, as the focal point of their attacks, stands to benefit. As a captain, he is a bolder call than Erling Haaland or Bruno Fernandes, but in this fixture he has a realistic route to a double‑digit return.
Key FPL captaincy options at a glance
| Player | Club | Opponent (H/A) | Main appeal | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | Sunderland (H) | Elite goal rate, penalties, and a soft promoted defence at the Etihad. | Low |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | Wolves (A) | On penalties and set pieces, huge creative volume versus leaky Wolves. | Medium |
| Nick Woltemade | Newcastle United | Burnley (H) | In‑form focal point against one of the league’s most porous back lines. | Medium–High |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Manchester United | Wolves (A) | High shot volume, wide threat and counter‑attacking speed v shaky defence. | Medium |
| Danny Welbeck | Brighton | West Ham United (H) | Hot recent form and strong finishing against an inconsistent back four. | Medium–High |
Honourable mentions
Gameweek 15 is not only about the five headline options. Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall continues to tick along as a creative hub, especially in home fixtures where he dominates set pieces and chance creation for his side.
Phil Foden remains a live threat in Manchester City’s attack, with his minutes and output both trending in the right direction whenever he starts in advanced roles. Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez offer routes into Chelsea’s attack, with Palmer on penalties and Fernandez increasingly arriving in advanced positions from midfield.
Jean‑Philippe Mateta has emerged as a strong mid‑table forward pick, benefitting from Crystal Palace’s more adventurous style and delivering a steady stream of shots and goals. Harvey Barnes, when fit and starting for Newcastle United, always has the potential to explode with late runs into the box and sharp finishing on the break.
If you are in full differential mode, any of these could be justified as a captain in the right squad structure. But for most managers, the smartest move in Gameweek 15 will come from the Haaland-Bruno-Mbeumo-Woltemade-Welbeck pool.