This article is part of our The Armband series.
If you had a bad Gameweek 24, you're alone. It wasn't the highest scoring week, but the five-most owned forwards at the official Fantasy Premier League game all scored. Led by Romelu Lukaku (four goals), most of the top names found the score sheet in one way or another. Harry Kane was unspectacular on the field, but managed to convert a penalty.
While Gameweek 23 only had one team scoring more than two goals, six teams hit that mark over the weekend, with the crazy 6-3 result for Everton against Bournemouth making the headlines, at least in a fantasy sense. But the biggest takeaway may be the performance of Chris Brunt… I mean Gabriel Jesus. Gabriel started ahead of Sergio Aguero once again and provided a brace while Aguero played just eight minutes. At this point, it's hard to see Gabriel moving back to the bench any time soon, even if Aguero becomes a starter again. There's a reason Gabriel has been the most-added player over the last week and that will only continue at his price.
For the upcoming gameweek, Manchester United will be a popular team to focus on, while Liverpool and Spurs battle it out at Anfield and Chelsea travel to a feisty Burnley side. Arsenal would be the most sought-after squad any other week, but given how they have performed lately, not so much this weekend. The Gunners have lost two straight, including one at home to Watford, while their opponent, Hull City, have secured a clean sheet in their last two against Man Utd and Liverpool. Sure, Alexis Sanchez is always a great option, but Olivier Giroud came off the bench last match and there's not much else you can trust from this team at the moment.
Instead, everyone's favorite, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is the leader of the armband. The Red Devils were in a funk and then Leicester helped change that on Sunday. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also in the mix as a differential play, but home against Watford is the type of match when you triple-captain Ibrahimovic. Then again, I thought the same against Hull only a couple weeks ago.
But if you don't like conforming to the masses, Gylfi Sigurdsson is the man I'd turn to. Early in the week, he was still owned by fewer than eight percent of fantasy bosses, which doesn't make much sense. He's been one of the trustier options throughout the season and has scored in his last three. Home against a Leicester side that can't figure things out, a goal or assist is more likely than not for Sigurdsson.
Lukaku just scored four, but I'd stay away from him at Middlesbrough, a side that rarely gives up goals in bunches. Man City are also on the road, but I'm not sure that matters much for Bournemouth. Coming off a match in which they allowed six, Bournemouth have allowed at least two goals at home in their last four in league play. Kevin De Bruyne disappointed last gameweek, but I'm still comfortable backing him along with Gabriel and Raheem Sterling. De Bruyne still managed three shots and four accurate crosses in Sunday's 2-1 win.
Stoke may be the only other club I'd back in a weird week of matchups. The Potters are home against an up-and-down Crystal Palace. The problem is finding someone to give the armband to. Marko Arnautovic is in the conversation, but Peter Crouch, with four goals and two assists in his last six matches, takes my bid.
I'm staying away from whatever happens in an unpredictable Liverpool and Spurs matchup, with West Brom at West Ham expected to be a fight. Some will consider Jermain Defoe at home against Southampton, but I'd rather risk my double points on someone else such as an Everton or Stoke defender. The Toffees are on the road and just allowed three goals, but Boro have scored only 19 goals all season.
