Which FPL players were most likely to contribute to 1, 2 or even 3 or more goals in GW22?

Last week we introduced readers to our ‘Definitive Armband Guide‘, which aimed to point Fantasy Premier League managers in the right direction when assessing their captaincy options for a selected gameweek.

By factoring in the projected goals of all the teams playing in a given game round and each player’s expected contribution to his respective side in terms of goals and assists, we produced ratings designed to identify the players most likely to deliver attacking returns.

GW22 ‘Captometer’ Ratings

Editor’s note: This article was originally published during the 2016/17 Fantasy Premier League season. The original GW22 Captometer table is no longer available following a later website migration. The accompanying analysis has been retained as part of the Fantasy Sports Portal archive and provides an example of how our original captaincy model was applied on a gameweek-by-gameweek basis.

Diego Costa topped the Gameweek 22 rankings but the major question was whether the controversial striker would be recalled to the starting line-up by manager Antonio Conte. Following a bust-up with Chelsea’s fitness coach that resulted in him being dropped from the previous weekend’s matchday squad and forced to train alone, Costa was back training with the first-team squad.

If he was guaranteed to start against Hull City, he would be the standout captaincy pick for GW22 but there remained a possibility that he might have to settle for a place on the bench, should Conte opt to stick with the same starting XI that comprehensively defeated champions Leicester City.

Despite hobbling off with a knock in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Swansea City, Olivier Giroud was expected to be available for the visit of Burnley. Alexis Sánchez, who vented his frustration when he was substituted in the same game, was therefore unlikely to lead the line, which might not have been the most welcome news for anyone opting to give the Chilean the armband.

Philippe Coutinho got a 65-minute run-out in Liverpool’s FA Cup replay against Plymouth and looked the pick of the Reds’ contingent, while the in-form Matt Phillips offered an alternative for those FPL managers looking for a differential.

Diego had been deadly that season but was he a risk worth taking in Gameweek 22?