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Fantasy football: Why you should captain a Liverpool star ahead of both Kane and Fernandes for GW23

It was a great week for those who gambled on Bruno Fernandes in midfield, while Harry Kane continued to improve with an 11-point haul against Leicester.

Last week, a plethora of double gameweeks looked set to bring in plenty of points all around.

But yet again, Covid-19 found a way to stamp on our ambition, with a number of postponements wreaking havoc in our fantasy teams.

Manchester United were one of a handful of teams to actually complete their double gameweek, and Bruno Fernandes' 23 points put a smile back on the face of his owners.

Philippe Coutinho also returned to the Premier League in style with a goal against the Red Devils, while Harry Kane continued to put his torrid end to 2021 behind him as he scored and assisted in Spurs' dramatic win at Leicester.

All this and more discussed below as we answer five burning questions surrounding fantasy football ahead of Friday's GW23 deadline.

Who should get the armband?

Diogo Jota appears frustrated as Liverpool draw with Arsenal in the Carabao Cup
Does anyone else miss Mohamed Salah? Liverpool's deadly Egyptian made picking a captain a breeze, but with the 29-year-old still on international duty at AFCON, we'll need another placeholder this week.

Those who gambled on Bruno Fernandes will still likely be bathing in their 46 points from last week, but a visit from West Ham this weekend may put people off handing the Portuguese maestro the armband again.

In four games against the Hammers, Fernandes has only managed one assist against them. While he is in fantastic form at the minute, a blank looks to be on the cards this weekend.
Likewise, Harry Kane rewarded his owners this week with 11 points against Leicester. He's only managed 64 points all season, but with 31 of those coming in his last five games, is the England captain starting to turn a corner?
In short, yes. Kane looks far more like his usual self at Spurs, and their last-gasp win against Leicester illustrates just how much the side are fighting for Antonio Conte at the moment.
Spurs do face a difficult trip to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon though, and while Thomas Tuchel's side have been fairly poor in recent weeks, they continue to look resolute and organised against the bigger sides, with their recent League Cup triumph over Spurs showing just that.
Therefore, as difficult as it may be, my suggestion is to momentarily turn away from last week's stars and look to find new ones for this week.

Diogo Jota scored twice on Thursday against Arsenal in the League Cup, and he has a great chance to add to his season tally against Crystal Palace.

Jurgen Klopp's side boast an incredible record against the Eagles, with 10 consecutive wins against them and an aggregate score of 16-0 in their last four meetings.

Is Philippe Coutinho worth the gamble?

Philippe Coutinho applauds the crowd following his Aston Villa debut

Aston Villa's Brazilian wizard has already made himself at home at Villa Park, with his second-half cameo against Manchester United showing fans exactly what he is capable of.

He set up Jacob Ramsey for Villa's first and was unlucky not to be handed the assist, but it didn't matter as minutes later he arrived at the back post to score the equaliser.

It resulted in a nifty six-point haul on his Premier League return, and with just a £7million price tag, he has fantasy managers scratching their heads.
Of course, it's difficult to judge him off just one game, but with Everton, Leeds and Newcastle up next for Steven Gerrard's side, bringing him in this week is a risk worth taking.
They're all very winnable games for Villa, and Coutinho is bound to become a central figure in his new team.

Frankly, if you're looking for a new midfielder then Coutinho is a very viable option. Not to mention that Villa's games in hand will likely result in them being given a double gameweek in the near future.

Can Jack Harrison keep up his momentum?

Jack Harrison celebrates scoring for Leeds United
The unlikely hat-trick hero from GW22. Leeds United's Jack Harrison had scored just 38 points all season before their trip to West Ham, but the 25-year-old netted a superb treble to up his total to 58.
It marks Harrison's fourth goal in two games, given that he also scored in Leeds' clash with Burnley the week before.
He remains in only 1.7% of fantasy teams, so the question is - can Harrison keep it going?
Well, with Newcastle, Villa and Everton up next I don't see why not. With Leeds struggling with injuries he's likely to play each and every week, and he's already shown his sublime finishing ability.
He costs just £5.5million and with such a low ownership, any points he does bring in will send you rocketing up the leaderboards.
If Raphinha has already found his way into your side then doubling up on an inconsistent Leeds team may be a step too far, but he's certainly given his Brazilian teammate a run for his money when it comes to being the most cost-efficient Leeds asset.

Will Steven Bergwijn build on his last-gasp brace?

Tottenham trailed 2-1 with 12 seconds of injury time remaining, but a miraculous Steven Bergwijn brace stole the headlines as Spurs went on to clinch all three points.

It was one of the stories of the season, with Bergwijn coming off the bench to become Spurs' saving grace, but while it's certainly worthy of praise, from a fantasy point of view it's worth ignoring.

Bergwijn's two goals on Wednesday were the only two of his season, and the 24-year-old has fallen down Conte's pecking order.

While he delivered from the bench last week, the chances of him replicating such a bizarre feat are minimal.

Even with last week's brace, he's only amassed 33 points this season, and that's unfortunately not good enough to warrant his transfer, even if he'll only set you back £5.9million.

Can Everton bounce back now Benitez has gone?

Everton's 2-1 loss to Norwich last week proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Rafa Benitez at Goodison Park.
The Toffees now find themselves down in 16th, just six points clear of the drop, and without a manager.

Duncan Ferguson is set to take charge while the club searches for a permanent replacement, but will Everton enjoy a bounce back following Benitez's sacking?

It's a common trend when a club releases a disliked manager, but Everton's problems expand past just Benitez, and Villa are no walkovers.
Furthermore, Everton lack an out-and-out scorer, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.9million) yet to get going this season. He missed a penalty against Brighton and then was a passenger during the loss to Norwich. Even with Ferguson back in charge, almost £8million for an out-of-form striker isn't worth the gamble.
Demarai Gray (£5.5million) is the other attacking outlet for Everton, with the new signing topping their scoring charts this season with five goals. Yet, with Anwar El Ghazi (£5.6million) coming in this month, it's hard to guarantee he'll play the full 90 minutes.
My recommendation is to avoid Everton for the coming weeks, regardless of how enticing their fixtures seem.

READ MORE: How tall is Jurgen Klopp and how does he measure up in a league table of Premier League managers?

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