This article is part of our The Armband series.
Even with only seven matches, Gameweek 35 went to plan for the most part. That is, if you knew Kelechi Iheanacho would start, score a brace and assist on another. That is, if you knew Eden Hazard would score two goals, which happened to be his first two of the Premier League season. That is, if you knew both Alexis Sanchez and Harry Kane would turn in duds in favorable matchups.
Sure, some players came through like guys I ranked last week in Christian Eriksen, Leonardo Ulloa and Aleksandar Kolarov, but if you happened to captain Kane or Alexis, you weren't alone.
Fortunately, things are back to normal for Gameweek 36 with every club in action. Of course, Manchester City have the second leg of their Champions League tie in Madrid on Wednesday and the same for Liverpool, who are at home for Thursday's tilt with Villarreal.
At the least, Daniel Sturridge played all 90 minutes last Saturday and Sergio Aguero appeared for 65. With both scoring, it was as much as one could expect before last weekend.
But with two road matches this weekend, and both playing Sunday, that may change this gameweek. Liverpool are at Swansea, while City travel to Southampton. With other enticing matchups to look at, Sturridge and Aguero may be better off as non-captains.
Once again, Arsenal have the most deceiving matchup of the week as they host Norwich, who are fighting for their Premier League lives. Last week, I was tentative with the Gunners as they travelled to Sunderland and that resulted in a 0-0 draw.
The Gunners are in a better spot this time around at the Emirates and Alexis will once again be a popular play, but it can't be ignored how defensive the Canaries have played away from home over the last couple months. In fact, their last four road matches have all been 1-0 results, with Norwich winning one of them. Expecting Arsenal to go off for three or four goals would be a mistake.
So where should we look for the top captain?
Manchester United host Leicester City, with the Foxes having a chance to lock up the Premier League title. Elsewhere, Chelsea host Tottenham, which doesn't expect to be very fantasy friendly.
Although, Chelsea have just one clean sheet in their last 10 matches, so Kane will likely be a favorite of many, even on the road. Kane has actually found the back of the net in three straight road matches, scoring five in those games. And there's the fact that Chelsea haven't won at Stamford Bridge since Feb. 13. Last home match, the Blues fell 3-0 to Manchester City, and they showed nothing in prior draws against West Ham and Stoke City. The ever-consistent Eriksen could be worth a look as well.
A sneaky captain could be someone from Watford, who are host to an Aston Villa team ready for the season to be over. Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney are the first to come to mind, especially after Deeney scored in their FA Cup match last weekend. One may be slightly crazy to do so, but also captaining a defender from Watford is up for debate with either Craig Cathcart or goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes being the top choices.
And yet another interesting club to look at is Newcastle, who are fighting for their lives as well, in need of a full three points against Crystal Palace. The Magpies have five points from their last three matches and are finally playing like a real team. Granted, nothing is certain in terms of fantasy football with Newcastle. Andros Townsend may be the best option, despite not making the score sheet in the last two. But the last time they won, a 3-0 result over Swansea, Townsend did have a goal and assist.
Vurnon Anita may be even more of a stretch, but he has scored or assisted in three of the last four matches. With Newcastle in a great spot to win, it wouldn't be a bad move to consider one of these guys, especially if you need to make a move in the standings.
Gameweek 36 Captaincy Rankings
1. Harry Kane, Tottenham
2. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
3. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
4. Andros Townsend, Newcastle
5. Troy Deeney, Watford
