In FPL, your vice captain gets double points when your captain doesn’t play. If your captain does play, they get their points as normal.
Now, let’s dive into everything about FPL vice captains. We’ll cover how the points system works, share some strategies for choosing your vice captain, and address any questions you might have about this aspect of FPL.
We all understand how crucial it is to pick the right captain in FPL – it’s a game-changer every week. A well-chosen captain can significantly boost your points, especially if they have a great game.
On the other hand, the vice captain often goes unnoticed since it doesn’t come into play regularly. However, the few times it does during the season are super important. Paying attention to it each week could be the key to climbing thousands of places in the rankings or even winning your mini-league.
So, I’ll break down what the FPL vice captain is, share some smart strategies, and answer common questions to help you make the most of this aspect of the game.
What Does Vice Captain Do In FPL?
The FPL vice-captain is like a backup for your captain. If your captain doesn’t play, your vice-captain gets double points for that week.
Usually, you pick a player you’re sure will start as your captain. But sometimes, your captain might get a last-minute injury, like during warm-up. Then, your vice-captain automatically comes into play, and they get double points for the game week.
Vice-captaincy is even more important during busy times, like Christmas or European weeks. Your captain is less likely to play because teams often rotate.
I always suggest choosing a vice-captain from a different match than your captain. This way, if a game gets postponed and your captain doesn’t play, at least your vice-captain has a chance to score points in another match.
FPL Vice Captain Best Strategy
As previously mentioned, never choose your vice captain from the same fixture as your normal captain, especially during the winter months, in case the game is postponed.
However, normally, the same strategy applies as to when you are choosing your captain. I recommend firstly focusing on form, then fixtures.
Recent Form
Recent form is the most important factor when choosing a captain. In my opinion, you should rarely choose a player as a captain who hasn’t returned in the last few weeks.
The key with recent form is trying to hit the form before or during the games when the player is playing well. With the possibility that the form could end at any time, this is tricky.
I tend to take the players’ last 3 games as a batch to analyse. Look for their goals and assists (clean sheets too for defenders). You can then dig deeper into underlying stats looking at things like shots, shots on target and key passes.
In recent years, it’s been the best strategy to captain either Haaland or Salah almost every single week. They have been extremely consistent and never really dip in form too much.
Fixtures
Fixtures are the 2nd most important factor when it comes to choosing an FPL captain.
When looking at the fixture your potential captains and vice captains have, looking at the table alone is usually unreliable. A better way to do it (especially if your potential captain is a forward or midfielder), is to look at their opponents goals conceded stat.
At the time of writing, there are two teams in particular you should be looking to target. Those are Norwich and Newcastle. Newcastle are currently the highest for xGC (expected goals conceded) as they are conceding the most shots and big chances. Norwich have struggled defensively all season.
Therefore, if you are struggling to find a vice captain candidate from your squad, or are facing a dilemma between two in-form players, considering the fixture is usually your next best bet.
Does Triple Captain Affect Vice Captain?
Yes. If you play your triple captain chip, your vice captain’s points will also be tripled, provided your captain doesn’t play.
Again, I always recommend choosing your vice captain from a different fixture than the one your captain is playing in, and this is 33% more important when using your triple captain chip.
How Many Points Do You Get For Your Vice Captain?
If your captain doesn’t play in the gameweek, your vice captain will get the double points (or triple if you used your triple captain chip).
If you captain does play, your vice captain will only get their standard amount of points for the gameweek.
Remember, vice captain only comes into play if your captain doesn’t play in the gameweek.
What Happens If Your Captain And Triple Captain Don’t Play?
If both your captain and vice captain don’t play in a game week, no players on your team will get double points. They will both be substituted off, provided players on the bench have played.
Find out more about how the FPL bench works.
What Happens If Your Vice Captain Doesn’t Play?
If your vice captain doesn’t play, but your captain does, your captain will get his double points as normal, and your vice captain will be substituted with a player from your bench, provided you have players on the bench that have played.
Does The Vice Captain Get More Points In FPL?
The vice captain will only get more points if your captain doesn’t play. When your captain doesn’t play, your vice captain becomes your captain and will get double points for that game week.
What Happens If Your Captain And Vice Captain Do Not Play?
If both your captain and vice captain do not play, you won’t get double points from any player. You only get one FPL vice captain, so make sure you use it wisely. I recommend using captain and vice captain on players that are almost certain to start every game for their team to avoid this scenario.
When Do Vice Captain Points Get Added?
In FPL, your vice captain’s points get added to your total score after all the games for a week are done. It’s similar to how points from players on your bench are added. The final score update at the end of the week is when these vice captain points are included in your overall points. So, as an FPL manager, you have to be patient and wait until all the matches are finished to see how much your vice captain’s performance has affected your total points.
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For a full overview of the official FPL rules. They can be found here.