This article is part of our The Armband series.
Before we get to what is set to be a truly massive Gameweek 37, let's look back at yet another uninspiring week of matches (though Wednesday helped some for Alexis Sanchez owners). Once again, the clean sheets stacked up with 10 of them in all, meaning it was smarter to captain a defender than someone like Diego Costa, Romelu Lukaku or Harry Kane. If your team has struggled to close the campaign, you're not alone. Outside of Kevin De Bruyne, names like Billy Jones, Granit Xhaka and Sam Vokes led their respective positions. And with that, we're moving on.
To get the most out of Gameweek 37, now is the time to use your wildcard, if available. If not, there are still plenty of teams with a double so most fantasy bosses will have plenty of guys with two matches. Arsenal (at Stoke, v. Sunderland), Chelsea (at West Brom, v. Watford), Leicester (at Man City, v. Spurs), Man City (v. Leicester, v. West Brom), Man United (at Spurs, at Southampton), Southampton (at Middlesbrough, v. Man United), Spurs (v. Man United, at Leicester), Sunderland (v. Swansea, at Arsenal), Watford (at Everton, at Chelsea) and West Brom (v. Chelsea, at Man City) are the only sides to focus on. That's 10 teams with two matches for the gameweek.
For the sake of captaincy, I'm removing Leicester, Man United, Sunderland, Watford and West Brom from the conversation due to more difficult fixtures. If you want to be bold, that would mean captaining Jamie Vardy or Marcus Rashford. Going even bolder would be giving the armband to a player with one match like Gylfi Sigurdsson (at Sunderland) or Joshua King (v. Burnley). These aren't terrible ideas, they just won't be in my final captain rankings.
Chelsea and Man City have the most desirable fixtures and the hope is that Antonio Conte doesn't go crazy with his lineup if the Blues secure the title on Friday. One has to think Costa and Eden Hazard will find the score sheet at least once, especially with that home match against Watford. But it wouldn't be completely crazy to back Marcos Alonso as West Brom have two goals in their last six matches and Watford have not scored on the road in five straight. Because of that, Alonso or even Cesar Azpilicueta may be as easy to trust as Hazard or Costa.
City are in a similar spot with two matches at the Etihad against the Baggies and Foxes. Gabriel Jesus managed a late assist last match, which means he has a goal or assist in every start this season. De Bruyne will be a favorite of many again, though his consistency has lacked all season and he hasn't found the score sheet in four of the last six matches. Of course, he's the easiest to trust in the midfield, with Vincent Kompany a reasonable defender to back.
The Gunners have some nice matchups and they have turned things around with back-to-back 2-0 wins. With even more favorable matches this gameweek than last, Alexis will again be a favorite captain along with Mesut Ozil or even a differential in Laurent Koscielny.
With those three sides having the best players and matchups, it'll be hard find a captain from a different team. Southampton aren't a terrible squad to back, but then again, is anyone willing to captain Manolo Gabbiadini at this point? Spurs are also in the discussion, but matches against Man United and at Leicester don't present optimal situations. And if you like Spurs, then you still have to decide between Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen (my choice).
