SOCCER

Fantasy Premier League: Captain Picks for Matchweek 14

Harry Kane and the Tottenham Hotspur have a dream matchup against struggling Swansea.

If you are going to win your leagues on the Premier League's official fantasy website, it's imperative to pick the right captain. That's why we'll be detailing the top captain choices for your teams each and every matchweek.

You'll construct a roster of 15 players with a £100 million salary -- two keepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards -- and choose a starting XI each week.

A key part of the process is selecting your captain and vice captain. Your captain will have his points doubled for the week, and your vice captain's points will double in case your captain doesn't play.

As usual, an acceptable game for our captain is either scoring or assisting one goal, preferably scoring. Our gameweek 12 results were lackluster -- only Diego Costa managed to score. Gameweek 14 is the perfect time to get back on track.

The most exciting match of the weekend is also the first game of the slate, Manchester City versus Chelsea. Two of the top tactical coaches in the Premier League finally face off against each other. Elsewhere, Manchester United travel to Everton, where both teams are hoping to gain ground on their respective cross-town rivals.

But who should you be looking to captain this week?

Harry Kane

This is one of the easiest choices for captain we've had all season. Kane is, without a doubt, the top choice of the week. While he failed to produce any goals against Chelsea last week (one shot on target, two key passes), that can be forgiven as Chelsea are one of the top defensive sides in the league.

This matchup is definitely unfair on paper. Tottenham have been given the best odds to win for the weekend (-275), and it's not particularly close. The Hotspur have the third-best possession in the league (56.1%) and take the third-most shots per game (17). Swansea allow the fourth-most shots per game (15.1) and have the fourth-worst average team rating on WhoScored.com (6.71). They've been slumping for most of the year, only managing two wins (at Burnley, versus Crystal Palace). Their record against top-six teams is 0-4-1.

Swansea have allowed 13 goals over those five games. In fact, Swansea have allowed two or more goals in nine of their 13 matches this season. With five goals in his past five games, Kane is a reliable player to target as captain. The oddsmakers agree, as Kane has great odds to score this weekend (-125).

He's relatively low owned in fantasy, featuring on only 8.9% of fantasy teams. That may not last for long, as he is the most transferred in forward as of Friday morning, with 84,000 managers adding him to their teams. I'd imagine that the majority of owners who have Kane will be captaining him this week, but his low ownership will make him a less popular choice than the other two players featured in this article.

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis returns to the Captain Picks courtesy of a stunning performance last week against Bournemouth. He had four shots, two goals, and five key passes. He also had 73 touches that game, making him the second-most involved player on Arsenal, behind Granit Xhaka (77). Alexis has been trending up in that department lately, most likely as a result of getting more comfortable in his striker role for Arsenal. He was also named Man of the Match by WhoScored.com, with an 8.84 rating.

Having escaped their difficult November with only one loss (in the EFL Cup), Arsenal are treated to a few easier fixtures to start December. West Ham are winless in their past five games across all competitions. While both West Ham and Arsenal had midweek EFL cup games, Arsenal sent out a heavily rotated squad. West Ham fielded a much stronger team, and to make things worse, they lost both of their first choice wingbacks during their midweek EFL Cup game.

Arsenal have been given the best odds to win of any road team this week (-133). With the fourth-best possession (55.6%) and the second-highest percentage of shots taken within the 18-yard box (63%), Arsenal could be in line to put some gaudy numbers up this week.

Alexis is one of the top transferred in midfielders this week, seeing 95,000 managers add him to their squads. He's now up to 24.1% owned, making him the fourth-highest owned midfielder on the FPL website. He's scored four goals in his past four games and has good odds (+100) to make it five in five this weekend. West Ham will have to field some players with tired legs, and Alexis' non-stop energy should wear them down by the end of the match.

Sergio Agüero

It should come as no surprise that Agüero makes an appearance this week. Any time he is healthy and projected to start, Agüero has to be a consideration for captain. Sergio had a great time against Burnley last week, scoring two goals on seven shots, four of which were on target. Man City had no midweek game, so he'll be rested and ready to play on Saturday.

The reason Agüero is only third this week is due to his opponent, Chelsea. They are in amazing form, on a seven-game winning streak, where they have outscored their opponents 19-1. They allow the third-fewest shots per game (8.9) and have the best average team rating in the Premier League this season (7.12).

Luckily for Man City, this game is at Etihad Stadium. Man City boast the best possession in the league (60.9%), along with the second-most shots per game (17.5). While City have had some close games recently, they've still only lost once this season. The most likely outcome for this game is a Man City victory (+115), which feels about right given the circumstances.

Agüero has been in great form lately, having scored five and assisted one goal in the past four games. He's been transferred in 40,000 times, bringing his ownership up to 44.1%. As the highest-owned player on the FPL website, along with being the most expensive, you have to assume he will be a popular captain choice every week.

Combine that with his recent form, along with good odds to score (+100), and it becomes clear that Agüero is going to be one of the highest selected captains this week.