Choosing your FPL team every week is already difficult. On top of that, you have to choose a Captain and Vice Captain to guide your team to victory. These are crucial decisions that could spell the difference between sitting pretty at the top of your mini leagues and crashing down the ranks.
In this guide, I'll explain the crucial difference that your vice-captain can make, what happens if they don't play, and how to choose the best FPL captain and vice-captain. Here's how to conquer your league.
What does the FPL vice-captain do?
In Fantasy Premier League, your vice-captain is basically a backup for your captain.
Most players already know about captain points. In any given gameweek, your captain gives you a chance to earn double points, so choosing who to give the armband to is crucial. This is even more important when you play the triple captain chip, which means the captain's score is tripled. However, the vice-captain does not earn double points in a typical game week.
In the event that your fantasy football captain is benched or injured, the vice-captain takes over their role. It's important to set a vice-captain and choose them wisely if you want to score points.
Does the FPL vice captain get extra points?
Generally, no. FPL vice captains are like any other player on the teamsheet, scoring points as normal. While the captain receives double points, the vice-captain does not.
Source: fantasy.premierleague.com
For example, let's say you captain Haaland, and he gets a points haul of 20. As the captain, he earns double points, equating to 40 total points scored. Meanwhile, Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson is the vice-captain. As the vice-captain, he does not earn double points, so his single point is capped.
However, if Haaland had become injured or benched for some reason, Nicolas Jackson would have become the captain and would have had his points doubled.
What happens if your vice-captain does not play?
Fantasy Premier League is unpredictable, and there's a chance that your vice-captain will become injured or otherwise benched. If your vice-captain is not playing, they will be automatically substituted for a player on the bench.
Remember, your bench players are played in order, so it's extremely important to ensure that the sub you want is listed highest if you have multiple bench players in the same position.
What happens if both your captain and vice-captain do not play?
If both your captain and vice-captain do not play, that's a terrible run of luck. Unfortunately, no other player in your team will be eligible for double points. In other words, you forego your double points for that week and risk scoring a low points haul.
You want to ensure both players have a high chance of playing the match. Crucially, you want your captain and vice-captain to play the entire game, too. If your captain is rested on the bench after 30 minutes or only comes on for the last 15, then the chances of them scoring or assisting plummet. For defenders, they won't be eligible for clean sheets.
Essentially, do your research ahead of each gameweek to ensure that your captain is likely to play. And at the very least, make sure your vice-captain plays in case of emergency.
What happens if your triple captain does not play?
When you play the triple captain chip, you'll probably be very excited for that potentially enormous points haul. In 2016/17, Harry Kane scored 4 goals and registered 1 assist in gameweek 37 against Leicester City. With 3 FPL bonus points added to his name, Kane drew in a whopping 31 points for players with him in their fantasy team. And those who used their triple captain chip registered a record 93 points from Kane's sparkling display alone.
The point is the triple captain can get you a huge number of points. But what happens if you use your chip and then they don't play? Luckily, if your FPL captain is benched or injured and you've used your triple captain chip, your vice-captain gets triple points. If you've picked well, there's no need to panic.
How to choose your FPL vice-captain
There are many factors you can consider when selecting your fantasy football captain and vice captain. The main thing is to focus on how many points you think each player will get – aim for the highest possible.
Here are some key tips.
Choose forwards
Generally, strikers or midfielders will get the highest points haul. In FPL, you get points for:
Crucially, defenders and goalkeepers register even more points for goals scored, but the likelihood of them scoring is greatly reduced.
Essentially, with midfielders and forwards, you are more likely to get points for time played, goals, and assists, plus clean sheets in the case of midfielders.
Keep in mind the loss of points for yellow cards, missing penalties, and so on – choose someone reliable.
Fixture difficulty
As always, consider fixture difficulty when picking your vice-captain. There's no sense picking a captain who has a difficult match coming up. Remember that you can change your vice-captain every week, so you don't have to look ahead at the teams coming up. Instead, pick based on this game week.
Choose a different fixture
It's wise to choose a vice captain playing in a different fixture to your captain. That way, if your captain does not play because the game is postponed, you can at least get some points from your vice.
This is even more important when using your triple captain chip.
Recent form
When picking any squad, recent form is important. Form could end at any time, but the most recent matches can give you a good idea about how a player will perform. Take a look at their recent matches; if they're on a goal streak, they could be a good choice.
How to select your vice-captain
Source: fantasy.premierleague.com
When are vice-captain points added?
All your FPL points are added after the last match of the gameweek is over. One hour after the end of the last fixture, bonus points will be added. Then, after another 2-3 hours, auto subs take place, and any vice captain points are added.
Want to take your FPL to the next level?
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