There are no Premier League matches between 9 and 16 November because of the international break, so this week's picks look ahead to Gameweek 11. The deadline is Saturday 21 November at 11:00 UTC (7pm in Perth), which gives you nearly two weeks to plan. Nothing here needs doing today, and injury news can change a lot while players are away with their countries, so check again before you lock anything in.
Captain: Haaland (Man City v Fulham, home)
The Lab's model ranks Haaland first for the armband. He is at home to Fulham, a fixture difficulty rating (FDR) of 2, with a projection of 8.00 points and a ceiling of 15.25. He is owned by 79% of managers and his effective ownership is 154, which means most rival teams will have him captained. Leaving the armband off him is the riskier move.
We want to be honest about the record, though. The Lab also backed Haaland in Gameweek 10, away at Forest, and he returned 2 points. That is now three captaincy calls in a row that have not worked out, so treat the top pick as the model's best guess rather than a sure thing.
If you prefer to chase a bigger score, Groß is the alternative. Brighton travel to Hull (FDR 2), and his ceiling of 15.21 is almost level with Haaland's, even though his projection is lower at 5.70. Last gameweek the same kind of pick beat Haaland. In short: Haaland for safety, Groß if you are behind in your league and need to gamble.
Players to bring in
De Cuyper (Brighton, DEF, £5.5m)
De Cuyper is the standout name on the Lab's watchlist. His form is 7.4, his projection is 6.99 points, and he has the highest ceiling of any player on the shortlist at 16.79. Brighton's next four are Hull away, Newcastle at home, Bournemouth away and Forest away. At 47.4% ownership he is already popular, so bringing him in is more about keeping up than gaining ground.
Tavernier (Bournemouth, MID)
Tavernier takes Bournemouth's corners and direct free kicks, which gives him extra routes to assists. The model projects 6.28 points at home to Forest (FDR 3), with a start probability of 1 and a 0.436 chance of a clean sheet for his side. He ranks fourth in the Lab's captaincy list, which shows how highly the model rates him this week.
Konsa (Arsenal, DEF, £4.8m)
For a cheaper defender, Konsa has form of 9, a projection of 5.55 points and a start probability of 0.9 with low rotation risk. The catch is the run ahead: Newcastle away, Man City at home, Brentford away and Tottenham away. That is a tough stretch, so he suits managers who want a steady, nailed starter rather than a fixture-led pick.
Differential: Rudoni (Coventry, MID, £4.9m)
Rudoni is owned by just 1.2% of managers. Coventry are at home to Crystal Palace (FDR 2), and his xGI per 90 of 0.482 is strong for his price. He is also on corners, direct free kicks and penalties for Coventry, which is a rare set of duties for a sub-£5m midfielder. His form of 5.2 is decent rather than spectacular, so think of him as a bench-friendly gamble, not a must-have.
Player to avoid: João Pedro (Chelsea)
João Pedro is still owned by 32.7% of managers, but he has a thigh injury with no known return date and a 0% chance of playing listed. If he is in your team, the international break is a good moment to move him on, especially as you have time to watch prices and news before the deadline.
Other news worth knowing
Gvardiol and Guéhi at Man City are both listed at 75% with unspecified injuries. Saka is out with a thigh injury, Thiago at Brentford is suspended until 5 December, and Mateta at Palace is suspended until 2 December.
On chips, the Lab suggests holding all four. Gameweeks 11 to 15 are plain rounds with no blanks or doubles, so there is no structural reason to play one yet.
As always, these picks come from the Lab's model and briefing data, not certainties. Use them as a starting point and make the final call based on your own squad.