Before each deadline, you mark one player in your starting XI as captain and another as vice-captain. Whatever your captain scores that gameweek gets doubled - a 10-point haul becomes 20.

If your captain doesn't play at all (injury, suspension, unexpectedly benched), the armband automatically passes to your vice-captain instead - their score doubles rather than losing the multiplier entirely. If neither plays, you lose the double for that gameweek.

The obvious answer is "pick your best player" - but a good captaincy choice weighs several things together:

• Fixture difficulty - a strong player against a weak defence is a better swing than the same player against a tough one
• Minutes security - a player who might get subbed off or rested is a real risk on a pick that's supposed to double your points
• Recent form - not just reputation, but what they've actually been doing in their last few matches
• Underlying chances - shots, expected goals, and expected assists tend to predict future returns better than past points alone
• Home vs away - most attacking players perform a little better at home, though it's a smaller factor than fixture difficulty

Captaining a player just because they're expensive or widely owned, without checking their actual fixture. Picking a defender or defensive midfielder for captain when a clean sheet alone won't produce a big enough score if they don't also contribute goals or assists. And leaving your vice-captain as someone who's also a doubtful starter - if your captain and vice-captain both don't play, you lose the double entirely.