MyFPL is a series where we will go through our thought process before every FPL Gameweek in the 2018/2019 season.
Current Overall Points: 1623
Current Overall Ranking: 21,326?
Last Gameweek Points: 60
Chips Left: 2nd Wildcard, Bench Boost, Free Hit, Triple Captain
Your success for the rest of the season ahead, is down to planning out the next 10 gameweeks correctly. We’re just getting a taste of what blank and double gameweeks entail, but rest assured, you’ve seen nothing yet. Hopefully you’ve kept at least your free hit and wildcard, but if you don’t, I’ll look into what you can do as well. Here we go:
All Chips Left (Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost):
This is my own personal plan and it’s a bit untraditional:
Gameweek 27-30 – Get mainly players who have a DGW in GW32 and not blank in GW33.
Blank Gameweek 31 – Free Hit
Double Gameweek 32 – Save transfer, Triple Captain on Hazard, Rashford or Aguero
Blank Gameweek 33 – Use 2 transfers to avoid blanks
Gameweek 34 – Wildcard
Double Gameweek 35 – Bench Boost
I might have made a mistake by not bringing in Sergio Aguero and triple captaining him in DGW25, but at least I have all my chips left and I won’t waste them. Many FPL managers are opting to use their Free Hit in GW32, even if it means using the Triple Captain chip in a single gameweek, which you can’t combine with either Free Hit or your Wildcard.
I’d rather sacrifice some blanks/doubles in order to maximize my Triple Captain chip. Looking into and planning my transfers ahead, I’m on pace to have 8 players with a double gameweek in GW32 and 1-3 blanks in GW33 depending on the result between Watford and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. Considering my starting single gameweek players in GW32 will be Alisson and Salah at home to Spurs and possibly Ricardo Pereira at home to Bournemouth, it seems like a decent plan.
The issue with this tactic is that I’m relying on Chelsea getting a double gameweek in GW32 and I’ll be hoping that Watford beat Crystal Palace for the third time this season. On the flip side, this gives me the advantage of using all my chips to maximum effect, with several great Triple Captain options.
At least Wildcard and Free Hit Left:
Gameweek 27-30 – Load up on players with matches in GW31 and GW33
Blank Gameweek 31 – Normal Team
Double Gameweek 32 – Free Hit, 11 players with a double gameweek
Blank Gameweek 33 – Normal Team
Gameweek 34 – Wildcard
Double Gameweek 35 – Bench Boost or Triple Captain depending on what you have left
Having the Wildcard and Free Hit left is the most important thing, regardless if you used your Triple Captain chip on Aguero or Leroy Sané in GW25. There hasn’t been an opportune time to use your bench boost so far, but if you used it in GW1 and reaped the 12 point reward from FPL legend Aaron Wan-Bissaka, you can consider yourself lucky.
Bench Boost is best used in GW35 for a couple of reasons. Firstly because the only other double gameweek will be in between 2 blank gameweeks, incentivizing you to use Free Hit in GW32 instead. You should aim for using your remaining wildcard in GW34, giving you plenty of wiggle room to get 12-15 players with a double gameweek in GW35. Having a single gameweek Liverpool player against Cardiff instead of a double gameweek Cardiff player facing Liverpool and Brighton is still advisable however. We’ll revisit how to draft your Wildcard team when that time comes.
If you don’t have bench boost however, you get a chance to use Triple Captain in GW35 instead. Man City, Man Utd and Tottenham all face each other this GW however, so I guess the only decent option is top 6 killer Sergio Aguero. But yet again, we’ll revisit that option closer to the GW35 deadline.
All Chips Except Free Hit Left (Wildcard, Triple Captain and Bench Boost):
Gameweek 27-30 – Get players who play in BGW31 and 33
Blank Gameweek 31 – Make sure to have a saved transfer if you want to avoid hits
Double Gameweek 32 – 2 free transfers on DGW32 players who don’t blank in GW33, use TC
Blank Gameweek 33 – Bring in a Bournemouth player, or Chelsea if you can afford it
Gameweek 34 – Wildcard
Double Gameweek 35 – Bench Boost
This is similar to my own plan, but without the option to Free Hit a viable team in for GW31. Depending on your current team, this isn’t too bad. Liverpool, Leicester and Bournemouth are teams with plenty of good options who never blank. Your 4 bench spots will be useful here, saving at least 3 or 4 players with a double gameweek in the blank gameweeks. You can use hits here for extra matches, but also try to remember to bring in players who double in GW32, but still play in GW33. We’re talking Chelsea, Southampton, and either Watford/Fulham or Newcastle/Crystal Palace, but you can wait to transfer them in until it’s confirmed.
Free Hit and either Bench Boost or Triple Captain left:
Gameweek 27-30 – Get players who play in BGW31 and 33
Blank Gameweek 31 – Get through the GW with the least amount of blanks possible
Double Gameweek 32 – Free Hit
Blank Gameweek 33 – Your bench should be something like (Patricio, Doherty, Pogba, Aguero)
Gameweek 34 – Build up your squad with more DGW35 players (Rashford, Son etc.)
Double Gameweek 35 – Hits technically only cost -2, use TC, but not necessarily bench boost
The Wildcard is the most important chip in my view, as you can navigate the blanks/doubles pretty easily without the other chips. Without the Wildcard however, you won’t have the “Get Out of Jail Free” option that your weird GW33 team will end up looking like.
The Free Hit does help quite a lot however, as you can build up a squad made up of mostly Liverpool, Leicester and Bournemouth players, who have easy schedules even beyond GW33. When DGW32 comes around, your Free Hit gives you the option to get 11 double gameweek players, free of charge.
The big disadvantage of not having a Wildcard left however, is that you won’t get the most out of your GW35 team. Your bench might not be good enough for you to even consider using the Bench Boost chip. It’s far better to use your Triple Captain unless your bench is somehow super strong. If you get lucky with your double gameweek Triple Captain choice, you’ll get far more points than a bench boost anyway.
No Chips Left
Gameweek 27-30 – Get players who play in BGW31 and 33
Blank Gameweek 31 – Save up a transfer
Double Gameweek 32 – Use 2 free transfers to get players with DGW32 and not blank in GW33
Blank Gameweek 33 – Your starting XI should be pretty much free from blanks.
Gameweek 34 – Build up your squad with more DGW35 players
Double Gameweek 35 – DGW35 players, with good fixtures to end the season. City/Utd/Wolves
Well.. it’s never too late to make plans. You might be more spontaneous than me, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to listen to my advice. With no Bench Boost or Triple Captain chips, you don’t really have to worry as much about double gameweek players except for good captain options. Just stick to players with a good run of fixtures in this time frame, once again players from Liverpool, Leicester and Bournemouth. Getting good double gameweek captain is probably your highest priority, whether that is Hazard (GW32) and Aguero (GW35) or Aubameyang (GW32) and Pogba (GW35).