One gameweek in and the template is already forming. GW2 spreads across four days, Friday 28 to Monday 31 August, so this week the kickoff slot matters almost as much as the fixture — you want your armband settled before the late team news lands, not scrambling for it on Monday night.
Isak, and it isn't especially close
His first Anfield game since the summer move, at home to a Nottingham Forest side that leaked goals all through GW1. The Saturday 12:30 kickoff is the earliest of the round, which matters more than it sounds — you lock the armband in before any of Sunday or Monday's late fitness scares can second-guess you. This is as close to a straightforward pick as GW2 offers.
The alternatives, if you'd rather spread the risk
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea, £11.5m): home to Brighton, Sunday 14:00. Penalty duties and a Brighton side that conceded space wide in GW1 make this the safest mid-price armband behind Isak.
- Erling Haaland (Man City, £15.5m): away at Crystal Palace, Friday 20:00. The away trip is the only real knock — his underlying numbers against a mid-table block stay elite, and the Friday slot means you're committing before anyone else's weekend has even started.
- Bruno Fernandes (Man United): home to Ipswich, penalty taker against a promoted side. The quiet alternative if you'd rather avoid the three names everyone else is picking between.
The differential: Igor Thiago at Leeds
Brentford beat Tottenham 3-0 in GW1, and Thiago is their penalty taker, away at newly-promoted Leeds on Sunday. His ownership as captain is a fraction of Isak's or Palmer's — which is exactly why a Thiago haul does more for your rank than a big week from any of the names above.
Where I'd hold off this week
- Anyone who didn't play 60+ minutes in GW1 without an obvious reason — a fitness question mark doesn't get a second chance at the armband so soon.
- Attackers from the Aston Villa vs Arsenal Monday-night closer. Fine for your starting XI, but it's the latest kickoff of the round and carries the most late team-news risk of anyone on this list.
- Triple Captain. One gameweek is nowhere near enough evidence to spend it — hold out for a fixture, or a double, you're actually sure about.
Play it free
FootballDream Gameweek Fantasy gives 2× points on your captain with no entry fee — set up two squads, captain Isak on one and Palmer or Haaland on the other, and compare at full time. Every pick above links straight through to the matchday preview and predicted lineup.