The Hard Tackle lists the five best options to consider for the captain’s armband heading into FPL Gameweek 17 of the 2025/26 season.
FPL captaincy is often about balancing safety with upside, and Gameweek 17 captures that tension perfectly. With the fixture list throwing up heavyweight clashes and awkward away trips, the familiar comfort of “just stick it on Haaland” suddenly has a bit more competition. Bruno Fernandes, Phil Foden, Harry Wilson, and Hugo Ekitike all have a genuine case to challenge the Norwegian as the standout armband pick this week.
Gameweek 17 is also one of those slates where fixture difficulty and form do not always point in the same direction. Some premium assets face tough opponents on paper, while a couple of mid‑priced options enjoy kinder matchups but carry more risk around consistency.
Manchester City host West Ham United, Liverpool travel to Tottenham, Manchester United go away to Aston Villa, and Fulham welcome Nottingham Forest, so there are storylines everywhere you look. That opens the door for managers willing to zig while others zag, especially in mini‑leagues where one bold captain can flip the standings in a single afternoon.
The other layer is form. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden remain at the heart of everything good Manchester City do in the final third, while Bruno Fernandes continues to shoulder creative and goalscoring responsibility for Manchester United despite their uneven season.
Further down the ownership ladder, Harry Wilson has quietly become one of the most reliable sources of attacking returns for Fulham, and Hugo Ekitike’s surge at Liverpool has pushed him into the conversation as a genuine differential captain against an unpredictable Tottenham side.
With that context, the Gameweek 17 captaincy debate narrows to five compelling names: Haaland, Fernandes, Foden, Wilson, and Ekitike. Each brings a different profile of risk and reward, and each is backed by numbers that go beyond simple goals and assists. What follows is a closer look at why each could be the best‑placed option for your armband this week, before bringing everything together in a quick‑glance table and a nod to a few honourable mentions.
Erling Haaland: the FPL bully
Manchester City’s home game against West Ham United is the classic FPL captaincy spot: an elite attack at home to a defence that has creaked badly over the first half of the season. West Ham have spent long spells under pressure in matches, conceding plenty of shots and relying on their goalkeeper to keep scorelines respectable, and their xG conceded numbers reflect a side that allows too many good chances in the box.
When you give up that kind of volume inside the penalty area at the Etihad, Haaland is usually the one who punishes you. The Norwegian striker’s underlying numbers remain outrageous. The 25-year-old sits among the league leaders for goals and non‑penalty xG, and he continues to rack up multiple shots per game, most of them from central, high‑value positions.
Recent weeks have only reinforced that trend, with Haaland posting repeated double‑digit FPL hauls across the last handful of gameweeks thanks to braces and the odd assist sprinkled in. Even in matches where Manchester City have not been at their slickest, he has a habit of turning half‑chances into goals, which is exactly what managers want from a “set and forget” captain.
Bruno Fernandes: form over fixture
On the surface, an away trip to Aston Villa looks like the kind of fixture to avoid for FPL captaincy, with Unai Emery’s side enjoying strong results and an imposing home record over the last couple of seasons. Dig a little deeper, though, and the picture is more nuanced: Villa can be aggressive and front‑foot, which sometimes leaves space between their midfield and defence and behind their high line, especially when their full‑backs push on.
The Villans have conceded their fair share of big chances this season, and that style can actually suit Bruno Fernandes, who thrives when games become stretched and chaotic. The Manchester United captain’s output continues to be driven by volume and responsibility. He remains Manchester United’s chief creative hub, topping their charts for key passes and chances created, while also contributing a solid goal tally from open play and penalties.
In the 2025/26 campaign he has already produced several double‑figure FPL returns, with recent gameweeks featuring a mix of goals, assists, and bonus points that underlines his all‑round profile. When United score, he is usually involved, which makes him a viable captain even in a tricky away fixture, particularly for managers who like betting on talisman status over pure fixture ease.
Phil Foden: City’s in‑form star
If Erling Haaland is the obvious captain, Phil Foden is the one for managers who want to stay in the Manchester City attack but chase a slightly more explosive, creative profile. The England international has been in blistering form this season, operating mostly in central or right‑sided roles that allow him to drift into pockets, shoot from the edge of the box and slide teammates through on goal.
The Englishman’s recent domestic and European outings have been full of high match ratings, heavy involvement in build‑up and a steady stream of decisive actions. The numbers back that up.
In the Premier League this season, Foden has already registered around seven goals with additional assists, putting him among the Premier League’s leading midfield scorers. His recent run shows him starting almost every league match, playing big minutes and returning in several consecutive gameweeks, including multi‑return performances as City’s attack has clicked into gear.
Combined with West Ham’s defensive issues and the likelihood of Manchester City dominating territory at the Etihad, Foden offers both a strong floor from minutes and creativity and a high ceiling if he happens to be the one on the end of their best moves.
Harry Wilson: the dependable mid‑priced pick
Fulham’s home clash with Nottingham Forest looks like one of the more quietly appealing fixtures on the Gameweek 17 slate. The Tricky Trees have been inconsistent all season, mixing spirited performances with stretches where they struggle to control games or protect their back line, particularly away from home.
That volatility suits Harry Wilson, who has become a key figure for Fulham in the final third through his set‑piece delivery, long‑range shooting and clever movement from wide areas into central spaces. The Welshman’s FPL profile this season is that of a steady climber.
He has contributed multiple goals and assists in the Premier League, and recent data shows he has produced attacking returns in each of the last three gameweeks, making him one of the form midfielders in the game. That streak has already earned him a place in FPL discussions and has kept him in the conversation in FPL pieces for more than one week running, underlining the sense that he is no longer a one‑off punt but a repeatable option.
While Wilson’s ceiling might not match Haaland’s on any given day, a home tie against a flaky Nottingham Forest defence gives him every chance of another double‑digit haul, especially for managers seeking a differential midfielder with penalties or set‑piece involvement.
Hugo Ekitike: the high‑upside differential
Liverpool’s signing of Hugo Ekitike has given Arne Slot a different sort of focal point, and the French forward has responded with a rapid adaptation to life at Anfield. His movement across the front line, ability to run in behind and composure in 1v1 situations have all stood out, and he already looks comfortable leading the line in a high‑pressing, high‑tempo system.
That attacking environment, combined with Tottenham’s inconsistency, fuels the argument for Ekitike as a bold captaincy shout. The raw numbers are impressive for a relatively new arrival. Ekitike has already hit double figures in all competitions for Liverpool, including seven goals in his first ten Premier League starts, a return rate that underlines how quickly he has settled.
His underlying metrics, such as shots on target and xG, place him among Liverpool’s primary goal threats, and he has produced multiple attacking returns across recent league matches to back up the eye test. Tottenham, for their part, remain unpredictable: capable of brilliant attacking spells but also prone to leaving space in behind and conceding chances when their press is beaten, which is exactly the sort of game state a direct, clinical striker like Ekitike can exploit.
Key FPL captaincy options at a glance
| Player | Club | Opponent (GW17) | Main appeal | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | West Ham United (H) | Elite goalscorer at home against a defence that allows many box chances. | Low |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester Utd | Aston Villa (A) | Central to all United attacks with penalties and set pieces. | Medium |
| Phil Foden | Manchester City | West Ham United (H) | Red‑hot form, combining goals and creativity in a dominant attack. | Medium |
| Harry Wilson | Fulham | Nottingham Forest (H) | In‑form mid, on set pieces versus an inconsistent defence. | Medium |
| Hugo Ekitike | Liverpool | Tottenham (A) | Fast‑starting striker with strong scoring rate in an attacking side. | High |
Honourable mentions
A few other names are worth a brief nod for managers looking even further off the beaten track. Antoine Semenyo continues to offer a powerful, direct threat for Bournemouth and can be a handful for any defence on his day, especially when he finds rhythm early in matches. Dominic Calvert‑Lewin remains Everton’s main penalty‑box presence and can quickly turn underlying xG into returns if his fitness and supply line hold up.
From the wide and creative roles, Bukayo Saka is almost always a viable captaincy candidate thanks to his combination of penalties, set‑pieces and consistent involvement in Arsenal’s best moves. Morgan Rogers has shown flashes of end‑product and dynamism that make him a potential explosive differential in the right matchup, while Igor Thiago’s physical presence and penalty‑area instincts give him a route to big returns if his team creates enough around him.
For most managers, though, the smart money in Gameweek 17 will sit somewhere among Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Phil Foden, Harry Wilson, and Hugo Ekitike, with the choice coming down to how brave you feel when that armband is finally locked in.
