This article is part of our The Armband series.
Last gameweek wasn't all bad. I got called out for having Sergio Aguero too low in my rankings and then he injured himself in training. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Arsenal also somehow lived up to my unreasonable expectations. Of course, all of the other top players did nothing. Harry Kane made it just 34 minutes and his team went on to score four times. Eden Hazard and Mohamed Salah also blanked to round out the bunch.
Almost every relevant player will blank in Gameweek 31 because there are four matches. If you're big into differential captains, this may be your week. Then again, Liverpool are at home against Watford so there's a decent chance they score three or four times and Salah is part of at least two. The last time Salah failed to score or assist in back-to-back starts was October. Think about that for a second.
Watford were just torched by Arsenal so there's a good chance Liverpool do the same. Even worse for the Hornets is they have one point from their last eight on the road. Anyone from Liverpool should be considered for captain, with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino the other two on the list. Firmino only has two shots on goal in his last three starts, and while I'm still inclined to go with him over Mane, the discrepancy isn't as large as earlier in the season. This may also be a good week to go with a defender like Andrew Robertson or Virgil van Dijk only because they are likeliest to play a full 90 minutes.
Elsewhere, it's truly a toss up for the best players to captain. Bournemouth, Huddersfield and Stoke are the other three sides at home. Steve Mounie has at least three shots in three of his last four matches, so that's at least something. There aren't any guarantees that Huddersfield will score, but Crystal Palace have lost their last four (which came against top competition).
West Brom are headed toward relegation and are a great team to go against having lost their last seven in all competitions, including a 4-1 home loss to Leicester last weekend. Most worthy of the armband include Joshua King and Callum Wilson. The problem is that King isn't guaranteed to start, while Wilson has just six shots in his last five starts. For Wilson, that's coming on the heels of four goals and two assists in six prior starts. Junior Stanislas may end up being the safest option, as he at least has a shot on goal in his last seven starts.
Xherdan Shaqiri is the only Stoke player to consider, and it helps that Everton have lost their last six away matches in all competitions. At home against non-elite competition, Shaqiri is usually a good bet to get multiple shots and chances created. In a week with eight teams in action, that may be enough to captain someone.
Due to Everton's road woes, I'd be wary of anyone on their squad, though the injury to Gylfi Sigurdsson could help in the end. Cenk Tosun is the clear top option having started and scored in the last two matches. Outside of him, everyone is either hurt (Theo Walcott left with cramps last match) or a mystery (Wayne Rooney has moved into a defensive midfield position).
