This article is part of our The Armband series.
Why would anyone want to captain Eden Hazard? Just kidding. Chelsea no-showed over the weekend and were left scoreless against a West Ham side that had previously allowed the most goals this season. The best thing that came from this past weekend may have been the return of Tottenham, as they scored five goals against Stoke. Because of that, Harry Kane will be a popular captain for Gameweek 17, while Son Heung-Min's ownership will go up a significant margin.
That's about all we learned; that and the millionth reason why you should give the armband to Mohamed Salah every matchweek no matter the opponent. If you're keeping track, the fantasy owner who hasn't made a transfer all season and has Salah captained is 52nd overall. This is what we all aim to be but come up short by large margins every season. Maybe most interesting from this squad is that it only has one player from Manchester City and it's David Silva. I guess that's why it's not in first.
For the upcoming gameweek, there will undoubtedly be tired legs once again. That's been the norm the past couple weeks and it's been tricky to overcome, from Hazard and Philippe Coutinho getting benched to Sergio Aguero not even appearing in the Manchester derby.
Beginning with that situation, it makes the most sense that Aguero will return to the starting XI after playing 20 minutes in City's last two matches. Swansea beat West Brom on Saturday, but I'm not backing them to have a chance against City. While the rest of the lineup is unknown, Aguero is the most logical play for captain and, if you're risky, Nicolas Otamendi could score in his third straight match. At a minimum, a clean sheet is possible for City against a side that has scored just nine goals this season.
Getting back to Spurs, they're home against Brighton, which have allowed nine goals in eight away matches. That could lead to trouble at Wembley, but Brighton gave up five goals the last time they faced a top-six club (Liverpool). Brighton have also allowed just 16 shots on goal to forwards this season, third-best in the league. Either way, Kane is the only one I can trust for the armband with 23 shots in his last four matches.
I'm more inclined to back Liverpool again due to how they're rolling over opponents, Everton excluded. Salah only played 67 minutes Sunday, so there's reason to believe he could draw another start against West Brom. If not, Coutinho and Roberto Firmino make the most sense to back after coming off the bench against the Toffees. Coutinho has seven shots on goal and seven chances created in his last three appearances while Firmino has five goals and two assists in his last four starts. And considering West Brom failed to score at Swansea, a clean sheet could be had, with Joseph Gomez the easiest to trust, though that's not saying much.
Chelsea failed to score at West Ham and now travel to an even more defensive side in Huddersfield, who have allowed eight goals at home. Hazard has started the last three matches and hasn't gotten a shot on goal in two of those, so he'll be hard to trust. I'm ignoring Alvaro Morata on the road unless he can do something to prove otherwise. He has one goal in his last five starts and doesn't have a shot on net in his last two away.
There hasn't been a question of Alexis Sanchez starting, so there's no reason to believe he won't feature. I'm still wary of West Ham after holding Chelsea, and Alexis is always around goals for the Gunners. He's averaging almost two shots on net and four chances created per match. But similar to Hazard, he's the only one I'd consider on the road for Arsenal.
Manchester United are at home, but Paul Pogba is still suspended. The Red Devils should at least be in line for a clean sheet against Bournemouth, so Antonio Valencia gets the call in that regard. Finding a captain in the attacking group isn't as easy given Romelu Lukaku's recent struggles (one goal in his last nine league matches). In fact, Marcus Rashford has looked more potent lately with five shots on goal in the last two.
If you're looking for a differential on a short week, there are some worthwhile places to look. Charlie Austin has four goals in his last three starts and gets a Leicester side that allowed two goals to Newcastle on Saturday. It usually doesn't make sense to back a Burnley player for captain, but at home against Stoke is one of the best situations this season. Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who has taken corner duties from Robbie Brady, gets the call for me. He has five shots on goal and seven chances created in the last three matches. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Wilfried Zaha are in a similar situation at home against Watford. Yet, it's hard to trust either after both came up blank in Saturday's 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.
