Fantasy Premier League: Captain Picks for Matchweek 4

If you are going to win your leagues on the Premier League's official fantasy website, it's imperative to pick the right captain. That's why we'll be detailing the top captain choices for your teams each and every matchweek.

You'll construct a roster of 15 players with a £100 million salary -- two keepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards -- and choose a starting XI each week.

A key part of the process is selecting your captain and vice captain. Your captain will have his points doubled for the week, and your vice captain's points will double in case your captain doesn't play.

Last week, our top two choices, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sergio Agüero, were both held off the stat sheet, despite wins from both their teams. Our Eden Hazard pick did pay off, with him scoring a goal and getting the three bonus points from his game. We were treated to some international soccer this past week and a half, but we are finally back to our normal Premier League schedule.

The weekend starts off with the most anticipated match, the Manchester Derby. Unfortunately, one of our favorite players to captain, Sergio Agüero, is suspended for the next two Premier League matches. Read on to figure out which players to captain for Matchweek 4.

Eden Hazard

Our top choice has appeared in the last two iterations as the third option, but Eden gets the bump to first this week. He has scored or had an assist every week so far this season, and consistency is key when captaining a player.

This is a dream matchup for Chelsea this week. Swansea has not been very good defensively this season, and they haven’t even played a top team (sorry Leicester fans). Chelsea, on the other hand, has spend the most time in the opposition’s third this season at 34%. This game definitely is Chelsea’s for the taking, and the odds reflect that. According to bet365, Chelsea has the second-best odds to win (-150), and the best odds of any away team.

Hazard’s form this season has been unreal. He has been the top-rated player on his team in all three Premier League matches, as well as his recent game with Belgium. Last week against Burnley, he was the player of the match, garnering an 8.8 rating. He managed a ridiculous seven shots, with four of them on target.

Teammate Diego Costa is more likely to score (+110 to +175), but we should feel much more comfortable captaining Hazard. Eden has penalty duty, he’s involved in the build up play, and he is clearly not afraid to shoot the ball right now.

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis makes his debut appearance in the series, and if you saw the Arsenal game last week, it should be no surprise. He was involved in all three of the goals scored last week: drawing a penalty which Cazorla converted, scoring an awkward goal off a low cross from Theo Walcott, and lofting in a beautiful pass that Özil headed home. This led to a scorching 9.76 rating according to WhoScored.com.

The return of Özil made a huge difference in the play of Arsenal, and Alexis reaped the rewards. This week, they welcome Southampton to The Emirates, and it should be an exciting match. Southampton hasn’t kept a clean sheet yet this season, and it is unlikely that we will see their first on Saturday. Arsenal is tied with Manchester City for the least time spent in their own third, at 23%, so we should see plenty of opportunities for the Gunners this weekend.

That being said, there are a few things to keep in mind if you considering captaining Alexis. Giroud is now fully fit, and Arsenal acquired Lucas before the transfer deadline to help bolster their forward group. It remains to be seen who the nailed-on starters will be for Arsenal this season. It’s entirely possible that we see Alexis playing wide left with Giroud or Lucas playing centrally.

However, Alexis proved in his first season that he is able to do a lot of damage from the wing, so I wouldn’t worry too much. The only other concern is that he played the full 90 minutes in both of Chile’s matches during the break. Alexis is a tireless player, and it's highly unlikely he doesn’t start, but we could see Alexis pulled early if Arsenal gets a big lead.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Don’t worry. I didn’t forget about Thor. Sure, he may appear mortal after failing to score last week against Hull, but I wouldn’t give up on Zlatan just yet. No one is going to score every single week, and a Manchester Derby is the perfect setting to see Zlatan get back on track.

It’s always exciting to watch matches between top teams, as they generally will play exciting, positive football. That was not the case against Hull in Matchweek 3, who stayed very compact with 10 men behind the ball on defense. City has allowed a goal per game this season and haven't played a team with United’s firepower yet. It seems highly unlikely they’ll rival Hull’s nine blocked shots this week.

Ibra is retired from international football, so he’s had two weeks to rest up for Saturday’s derby. He put up seven shots against Hull last week, confirming that he’s not afraid to shoot, even when things aren’t working. Without Agüero as an option this week, Zlatan is the forward to captain.