The Hard Tackle lists the five best options to consider for the captain’s armband heading into FPL Gameweek 14 of the 2025/26 season.
Fantasy Premier League managers heading into Gameweek 14 are spoiled for choice. Five very different assets all have the right mix of form, fixtures, and upside to wear the armband, those being Erling Haaland, Bryan Mbeumo, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Phil Foden, and Elliot Anderson. Choosing between them is less about raw talent and more about how their individual stories line up with the weaknesses of their opponents this week.
FPL Gameweek 14 captaincy landscape
December always feels like the stretch where FPL seasons are won or lost, and Gameweek 14 is the start of that chaos. Fixtures start piling up, managers rotate more, and the players who can deliver returns even on an off day become absolute gold.
Manchester City host Fulham, Manchester United welcome West Ham United, Crystal Palace travel to Burnley, and Nottingham Forest face a tricky but tempting away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, all of which opens up interesting captaincy routes.
What stands out this week is how many captain options come from teams facing shaky defences. Fulham and Burnley, in particular, are conceding well over a goal per game on average, while West Ham have slipped into the lower reaches of the table after some poor defensive showings. When that is paired with elite or in-form attackers like Haaland, Mbeumo, and Mateta, the ceiling for big hauls becomes very real.
At the same time, the rise of players like Foden and Anderson offers managers a chance to move away from the obvious without drifting into pure “punt” territory. Both combine strong underlying contributions with specific scoring systems that keep their floors healthy even when they do not score or assist. This mix of explosive premiums and consistent “all-rounders” defines the captaincy puzzle this week.
Why Haaland is still FPL king
Erling Haaland goes into Gameweek 14 as the strongest “safety” captain, and that is not just reputation talking. The Norwegian has 14 Premier League goals and one assist in 13 appearances this season, putting him as the league’s top scorer once again. He has taken over 50 shots already, and his expected goals tally comfortably sits in double figures, which shows that his numbers are backed by steady chance volume rather than streaky finishing.
Looking at his Premier League outings, the floor has stayed high even when Manchester City have wobbled. And the recent frustrating output against Leeds United is not enough to deter FPL managers. Across all club competitions, he has been a near ever-present, racking up nearly 1,500 minutes this season, which suggests that fitness and rhythm are not concerns heading into Fulham at home.
Fulham, for their part, are not a defence that screams “avoid”. They are conceding around 1.3 goals per match in the league, with underlying expected goals against numbers in the same range, and they sit in the bottom half of the division for defensive metrics.
Manchester City also have history on their side, having beaten Fulham in their last six league meetings heading into this season, often scoring multiple times. Put a high-volume, penalty-taking striker like Haaland against an average defence, at home, in a team that dominates territory and chances, and you get the most reliable captaincy pick on the slate.
Bryan Mbeumo and his impact
Bryan Mbeumo’s move to Manchester United in the summer raised eyebrows, but his numbers suggest he has settled in quickly. In the Premier League this season, he has five goals and one assist from 13 appearances, with an expected goals figure a little under four and over 30 shots taken. His chance creation is just as impressive, with around 20 chances carved out and a solid expected assists tally, underlining that he is not just a finisher but also a key playmaker.
Form-wise, Mbeumo has been consistent rather than streaky. Recent league games include a solid display in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace and strong contributions in draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest earlier in November, where he was among Manchester United’s main attacking outlets.
The appeal ramps up when West Ham United come to Old Trafford in Gameweek 14. The Hammers are 17th in the table and locked in a relegation fight, having conceded enough goals to leave them with a negative goal difference and one of the poorer defensive records in the division.
The East London outfit recently lost to Liverpool, failing to keep the champions quiet despite the Reds’ broader struggles, and repeatedly gave up big chances in that match and others. When a fragile backline visits a big club, and the main wide forward is on form, on set-pieces and trusted for minutes, the captaincy case writes itself for Mbeumo.
Phil Foden, form plus fixture
Phil Foden’s season stats do not leap off the page at first glance, but the trend line is heading the right way at exactly the right time. In the Premier League, he has three goals and one assist in 11 appearances this term, playing just over 700 minutes, which points to steady but unspectacular headline returns.
However, recent matches show him being far more involved: he has been starting regularly, taking multiple shots in games, and scoring a brace in the narrow win over Leeds United this past weekend. A big part of Foden’s appeal is his all-round impact. In the Champions League, he has already scored twice and assisted once in four appearances this season, with excellent passing accuracy and distance covered, underlining that Pep Guardiola trusts him in big matches.
That usually translates into Premier League starts when Manchester City are not rotating heavily, and his role drifting inside from the right or left gives him both shooting and creative angles around the box. Then comes the Fulham factor.
As mentioned earlier, Fulham are giving up around 1.3 goals per game with an expected goals against figure in the same region, which is the profile FPL managers love to target with creative midfielders. If the Cottagers try to sit deep, Foden’s ability to receive between the lines and shoot from the edge of the area becomes priceless; if they open up, his combination play with Haaland can rip through them in transition. For managers wanting a slightly riskier but high-upside route into the same plum fixture, captaining Foden is a logical swing.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Crystal Palace’s battering ram
Crystal Palace’s attack has increasingly become the Jean-Philippe Mateta show. Over his Crystal Palace career he has 45 Premier League goals and eight assists, and in the 2025/26 season alone, he has already scored nine times and laid on two assists in 22 appearances, averaging roughly a goal every game.
Those numbers are elite for a striker outside the traditional “Big Six” and underline just how central he is to Oliver Glasner’s game plan. In 2025/26 specifically, he has passed the 1,500-minute mark already, with his goals backed by strong shot volume and a steady stream of touches in the box rather than the odd long-range strike.
Burnley, meanwhile, are a completely different beast to the side that set defensive records in the Championship. Back in the Premier League, they are 19th, with three wins and nine defeats from 13 matches, and they have conceded 27 goals to have the second-worst defensive record in the league behind only Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Underlying numbers confirm the eye test: they are allowing lots of shots, their expected goals against figures are poor, and their backline is struggling to adapt to stronger attacks. Put a confident, penalty-box poacher like Mateta against one of the leakiest defences in the division and you get a classic “fixture plus form” captaincy candidate.
Elliot Anderson, the FPL DEFCON cheat code
Elliot Anderson will not win any popularity contests in terms of ownership, but that is exactly why he is such an intriguing captaincy shout for bold managers. Last season, he collected 107 FPL points from 2,747 minutes, scoring twice and providing six assists, which is a solid haul for a mid-priced midfielder.
Importantly, that total came before the new DEFCON (defensive contribution) scoring was added in FPL, and projections suggest he would have earned around 36 extra points from his defensive work alone. Anderson’s game is built on a rare mix of graft and guile, and that has helped him pique the attention of several high-profile clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester United.
The Englishman ranks among the top midfielders in the league for defensive contribution metrics while also chipping in with attacking returns through late runs, simple but effective passing and work at set pieces. Pre-season and early campaign analysis highlighted that he is on more dead balls for Nottingham Forest after key departures, boosting both assist potential and his chance of picking up bonus.
In 2025/26, that profile has made him a steady points machine even in tight or low-scoring games. When a player can score, assist, hoover up defensive points and potentially nick bonuses on top, his captaincy floor becomes surprisingly strong, especially in a home fixture where Forest are expected to be competitive. For managers chasing rank, Anderson is the kind of left-field armband choice that can open up huge gains if the game breaks his way.
Key FPL captaincy options at a glance
Player Club GW14 Opponent Main appeal Risk level
Erling Haaland Manchester City Fulham (H) Elite goal volume, penalties, good but not elite defence to target. Low
Bryan Mbeumo Manchester United West Ham (H) On form, focal point in attack, facing struggling defence near bottom of table. Medium
Phil Foden Manchester City Fulham (H) Form ticking up, creative hub, shares in City goals vs same soft opponent. Medium–High
Jean-Philippe Mateta Crystal Palace Burnley (A) Huge goal tally this season, Palace talisman, Burnley conceding heavily. Medium
Elliot Anderson Nottingham Forest Wolves (A) All-round DEFCON monster, occasional goals/assists, low ownership upside. High
Honourable mentions
There are also plenty of strong alternatives for those who prefer spreading risk. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye offer solid mid-price attacking routes from Everton, while Morgan Gibbs-White and Enzo Fernandez bring creativity and set-piece involvement that can spike on the right day.
Cole Palmer and Bruno Fernandes remain high-upside options too, both on penalties and central to their teams’ attacks whenever they step onto the pitch. In the end, Haaland remains the steady path, but Mbeumo, Foden, Mateta, and Anderson each bring a different kind of edge, whether it is fixture, form, role or hidden scoring angles, for managers brave enough to twist instead of sticking.