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FPL managers will be hoping to get some green arrows in Blank Gameweek 18, which most managers have been preparing for quite ardently. With just six (possibly five) fixtures this Gameweek, a lot of FPL managers are expected to play their Free Hit chip. It allows them to take some decent punts as well as invest in differentials that could help them gain some ground on their rivals.
However, with Aston Villa vs Spurs likely to be postponed, the plans of plenty of FPL managers who would've hoped to navigate the Gameweek without a chip might end up in ruin.
Nevertheless, with some other exciting fixtures in this Gameweek, FPL managers might have a lot of viable captaincy options to consider. On that note, let's now take a look at the top 5 best FPL captaincy choices for Gameweek 18.
Honorable Mentions: Harry Kane (TOT) (FWD) (£11.0 m), Son Heung-min (TOT) (MID) (£9.8 m), and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS) (MID) (£11.4 m)
#5 Marcus Rashford (MUN) (MID) - £9.6 m (vs) BUR(A)
Marcus Rashford normally wouldn't have made it to my top five and would have been on the 'Honorable Mentions' list. However, with Son and Kane possessing a risk for a blank Gameweek, Rashford certainly becomes a viable FPL captaincy option.
Manchester United's frontman has scored seven goals and supplied four assists this season. Interestingly, six goals and four assists have come from away matches, indicating how prolific he has been.
Rashford and Manchester United are in good form, and with an opportunity to top the table on the line, expect United to go all-out against Burnley and Rashford to get a sizeable FPL haul.
#4 Raheem Sterling (MCI) (MID) - £11.4 m (vs) BHA(H)
Similar to his England teammate, Sterling wouldn't have made the cut initially but has become a decent FPL differential, with Son and Kane becoming riskier options.
Sterling has had a rather subdued FPL season with just four goals and five assists. However, he has an explosive streak to him, and a home fixture against Brighton seems like an ideal Gameweek to take a punt on him.
He has a good record against the Seagulls and scored a hat-trick the last time both these sides met. With Manchester City getting back to their free-flowing football, a fixture like this could unleash the goals, and Sterling is likely to secure a huge FPL haul.
#3 Callum Wilson (NEW) (FWD) - £6.5 m (vs) SHU(A)
Newcastle striker Callum Wilson is a solid FPL captaincy choice for Gameweek 18. Steve Bruce's Newcastle United takes on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The Blades have collected just two points from seventeen games and are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
While Newcastle haven't been great this season, Callum Wilson has a high percentage of involvement in all their goals. He has the second-highest ppm(points per million stat) and has eight goals and four assists from fourteen starts.
He has done equally well in both home and away games, and considering how poor Sheffield have been at the back, Wilson should walk away from the game with a solid FPL haul.
#2 Bruno Fernandes (MUN) (MID) - £11.3 m (vs) BUR(A)
Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United's talisman Bruno Fernandes is certainly a great FPL captaincy choice for Gameweek 18. He has been a very popular captaincy option in multiple FPL Gameweeks, and he has rewarded those managers with some solid returns.
He has been in terrific form over the last few Gameweeks and has four goals and three assists in the last three games. Burnley haven't been convincing defensively against top-six oppositions, and all this points to another potential big FPL haul for Fernandes.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne (MCI) (MID) - £11.7 m (vs) BHA(H)
Fresh off a 13-point FPL haul in Gameweek 17, Kevin De Bruyne is among the top contenders for FPL captaincy for Gameweek 18. Manchester City showed signs of their free-flowing football against Chelsea, and they will look to extend that form to this home fixture against Brighton.
The last time both these sides met at the Etihad, Manchester City romped to a 5-0 win courtesy of a Raheem Sterling hat-trick. Given how advanced he's been playing, De Bruyne should get increased returns in this game, especially with proper strikers in Aguero and Jesus back to full fitness.
This seems like the ideal time to bring De Bruyne into your FPL teams, and FPL managers shouldn't hesitate in giving him the captain's armband.
