Midfielders have completely taken over the Fantasy Premier League captain conversation as we head into GW18.
Harry Kane is not a viable candidate as Tottenham travel to Manchester City while Alvaro Morata continues to struggle with a back injury.
So in a completely unprecedented turn we have just one forward option this week, four midfielders and ONE goalkeeper...
The Forward Candidates
Alexandre Lacazette (£10.3m)
GW18 Opponent: Newcastle United (H)
Alexandre Lacazette may not have played more than eight minutes when Arsenal drew at West Ham on Wednesday night but he could be a tidy captain choice for you in GW18.
That midweek rest does enough to suggest that the Frenchman will start when Newcastle come to North London on Saturday, a place where he has been a reliable asset this season.
45 of Lacazette's 67 points so far in 2017/18 have come when at the Emirates Stadium (67%) and in eight games there so far he has blanked only twice.
Newcastle have been poor on the road of late conceding nine in their last three away trips in the league.
By contrast, only the two Manchester clubs have scored more at home than Arsenal this season (21 goals) so a big win is expected for the Gunners - one that Lacazette should be central to.
The Midfield Candidates
Mohamed Salah (£10.0m)
GW18 Opponent: Bournemouth (A)
Despite a midweek blank, Mohamed Salah is still the highest points scorer on FPL this season by a long way and is still a captain candidate for GW18.
You shouldn't let his measly three points against West Bromwich Albion put you off when Liverpool travel to Bournemouth on Sunday.
After all the Egyptian has registered back-to-back blanks just once this season. His two other blanks in 2017/18 were both following up by double-figure hauls.
Only Manchester City (24) have scored more on their travels this season than Liverpool (20) and given that Salah has been involved in 17 of their 34 goals in the league (50%) he is likely to return some points at the Vitality Stadium.
Alexis Sánchez (£11.8m)
GW18 Opponent: Newcastle United (H)
As much as Alexandre Lacazette could be a differential captain this week, Alexis Sánchez is the better option from Arsenal's ranks.
You know that we're predicting a big win for the Gunners when Newcastle come to the Emirates Stadium this weekend, so if you have any of their assets they are worth captaining.
Sánchez started his season a little later than expected but now been involved in four goals in his last six starts. If you've got him for GW18 you should probably think about handing him the armband.
After all, if you've got a midfielder worth £11.8m in your team why wouldn't you captain him at home against a side that has conceded an average of three goals in their last three away trips.
Top points scorers on FPL so far this season
Eden Hazard (£10.9m)
GW18 Opponent: Southampton (H)
Eden Hazard has frustrated his owners of late with back-to-back blanks against favourable opposition, but there's every reason to believe that he could have an explosive GW18.
The Saints are fresh from conceding four goals at home to Leicester City while Chelsea will still be looking to make a statement following defeat at West Ham.
Historically Hazard has always been more dangerous for Chelsea when at Stamford Bridge scoring 12 of his 16 goals there last season.
He's only got two at home so far in 2017/18 so he's bound to get some more soon, right?... He's had more shots on target than any other player of the last five gameweeks with 11.
That's two more than joint-second placed Harry Kane and Alexis Sánchez on that stat.
Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m)
GW18 Opponent: Crystal Palace (H)
Riyad Mahrez has thrown back the clock to the 2015/16 season over the last month with four goal involvements in his last four starts.
That brings his tally for the season to five goals and seven assists and ahead of the visit of Crystal Palace to the King Power Stadium, he is in the captain conversation again.
Over the last three games he has averaged three shots on goal, two on target and a little over three attempted assists too.
Palace are yet to even score away from home this year while Leicester are in the goals right now.
If you want a serious differential captain this week then the 6.8% owned Mahrez could be your man.
The Daredevil Differential Defender
Nick Pope (£4.7m)
GW18 Opponent: Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
DISCLAIMER: Please do remember that these DDD picks are only for the completely insane and NOT the faint-hearted!
For the first time this season, our DDD captain pick is a goalkeeper - and what a goalkeeper it is: Burnley's own Nick Pope.
Since deputising for the injured Tom Heaton (£4.8m), he has picked up an astonishing 76 points and is second only to David de Gea (£5.8m) in the overall rankings among shot stoppers.
And what makes Pope so spectacular is not just the regular clean sheets that he gets but the ridiculous number of saves and bonus points that come with them.
He has 51 saves so far this year and has racked up 12 bonus points for his efforts between the sticks - that's more than any other goalkeeper or defender has managed so far this season and he didn't even make an appearance until GW4.
Pope's GW17 haul was his highest of the season as he pulled in 11 points in the 1-0 win over Stoke and an away trip to Brighton could see him record a similar tally.
A clean sheet is likely given Burnley's form but the Seagulls will certainly test him and help him get some added extras too.
So if you're feeling extra brave, why not put the armband on him - it's been joked about in the last few weeks but could actually prove a profitable tactic!
