Why FPL managers SHOULDN'T captain Erling Haaland in Gameweek 10

Fantasy Premier League managers will no doubt be tempted to captain Erling Haaland in Gameweek 10, but here's why you should consider someone else.

The final FPL gameweek before the next international break is rapidly approaching, with the deadline for Gameweek 10 set for 18:30 on Friday ahead of Everton v Coventry City.

With that in mind, managers will be scrambling to lock in their transfers and pick their captains before the deadline passes, but there's one big reason why you shouldn't give top goalscorer Haaland the armband.

Why you shouldn't captain Erling Haaland in FPL this week

As it stands, Haaland is the second-highest-scoring player in FPL, behind only Brighton's Maxim De Cuyper, who is enjoying an incredible season thus far.

Having bagged nine goals in nine matches, putting him on top in the golden boot race, Haaland has scored a total of 68 points this season and has remained the most popular captaincy pick in every gameweek so far this season.

But in Gameweek 10 he faces Nottingham Forest away at the City Ground, a fixture that many may assume makes him a shoo-in captaincy pick once again, but the stats suggest otherwise.

Despite their poor start to the season so far, Nottingham Forest actually boast the second-best expected goals against in the Premier League at just 9.2, behind only Arsenal.

Last week they conceded just 0.45 xG in an away game against Brentford, who have been one of the better attacking sides this season.

Of course, expected stats aren't always reflective of the truth, as Nottingham Forest have actually conceded 12 goals in their nine Premier League matches, averaging 1.33 goals against per game, with only one clean sheet.

However, add the fact that Haaland hasn’t scored against Forest in the last two seasons, and it could be time to consider taking a chance on another player as captain this week.

But if not Haaland, who is worth captaining in FPL Gameweek 10?

FPL Gameweek 10 best captaincy picks revealed

To be clear, Haaland will almost certainly still be the most popular captain once the deadline passes on Friday afternoon and going against him is a risk.

But with risk comes potential reward, as the swing of a lesser-picked captain hauling while Haaland blanks could be massive.

That being said, here are three picks that stand out as the best options to captain if going against Haaland.

Riccardo Calafiori - 48.0% ownership

As one of this season's other standout stars, Calafiori is undoubtedly a player that should be considered for captaincy this week.

Across the first nine gameweeks, the Italian has scored 51 points with one goal, two assists and five clean sheets.

In Gameweek 10, he faces Hull City at the Emirates, a fixture that will almost certainly bring a big points haul, given the fact he was rested during the Champions League midweek.

Arsenal top both the clean sheet odds (60%) and predicted goals stats (2.7) going into Gameweek 10, with Calafiori ranked 5th for xGI (2.22) among defenders.

Teammate Gabriel Magalhaes is another strong option for captaincy this gameweek due to his threat from set-pieces and DEFCON (defensive contributions) potential, but Calafiori's attacking threat makes him stand out.

Alexander Isak - 22.2% ownership

Like Haaland, Isak has been in stellar goalscoring form this season, with six league goals in eight appearances, averaging 6.6 FPL points per match.

In Gameweek 10, he faces Crystal Palace in one of the most appealing fixtures possible right now given the Eagles recent form.

Palace have conceded a league-high 21 goals in nine games, and have allowed the most shots inside the box while recording the worst expected goals conceded.

Encouragingly, the Swedish striker was named on the bench for the Champions League clash with Fenerbahce midweek, later coming on to score, meaning he has been rested enough to be a sure starter on Sunday.

And with less than a quarter of FPL managers owning Isak, captaining him for a haul could see you fly up in rank.

Other alternative captains to Haaland for Gameweek 10

Of course, there are several other players that managers may be tempted to captain as a rogue pick this week in FPL.

Chelsea also have a promising fixture this week against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, so both Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers could return big scores.

Meanwhile, De Cuyper, despite having a less favourable fixture against Brentford, always threatens to haul given his stellar form.