Fantasy Premier League

Time your chips right to lift your FPL team

By The Scout 25 Mar 2017
Arsenal v Burnley, Alexis Sanchez scores

The Scout looks at who FPL managers should use and when for Triple Captain and Bench Boost

Related Articles
Loyalty to McAuley can bring FPL rewards
Sanchez calms FPL injury fears
FPL Show: 'Sign him, he's on fire!'

Still got your Fantasy Premier League chips? Well, there are just nine Gameweeks of the season remaining, so when to put them in play will be important to maximise their potential for your team in your mini-leagues.

The Triple Captain and Bench Boost chips are effective weapons when used in tandem with a double Gameweek, a Gameweek where teams play more than one fixture.

Who to Triple Captain?

A player who plays both matches of a double Gameweek, backed by the Triple Captain chip, can feasibly return six times the points of a regular player with just one fixture.

But, as we saw recently with Manchester City's two Gameweek 27 fixtures, your expectations may not be met.

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero in action with Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross
More than 159,000 managers triple-captained Sergio Aguero, right, in GW27, with disappointing returns

More than 159,000 managers used their Triple Captain chip on Sergio Aguero (£12.7m), hoping matches against Sunderland and Stoke City would bring generous rewards.

But the striker produced a modest nine points, scoring just once and gaining only one bonus point, at the Stadium of Light.

So, who could deliver better returns for managers still to use their Triple Captain chips? 

Harry Kane (£11.2m) will be a major attraction for the chip, since Tottenham Hotspur have 10 fixtures to play in nine Gameweeks, meaning a double Gameweek for them before the end of the season.

The question mark is over when the striker will return from his ankle injury.

View: Spurs fixtures

Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic shoots at goal
Man Utd having two fixtures in GW34 makes Zlatan Ibrahimovic a good Triple Captain candidate

Similarly, with Manchester United handed two away fixtures in Gameweek 34 against Burnley and rivals Manchester City, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£11.4m) will be earmarked as another candidate.

View: Man Utd fixtures

But Alexis Sanchez (£11.6m) is the most likely target.

With Arsenal having to play 11 fixtures over the final nine Gameweeks, there will be two opportunities to back the Chilean.

Given his consistency - he has returned a goal or an assist in eight of his last nine Gameweeks - Sanchez could offer big returns as a Triple Captain.

View: Arsenal fixtures

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez celebrates scoring their first goal
Alexis Sanchez, right, has returned a goal or an assist in eight of his last nine Gameweeks

When to use Bench Boost?

Similarly, the Bench Boost offers greater potential when played on an extended Gameweek.

But, with 15 players able to score points through the Bench Boost, how managers use transfers to improve the number of double Gameweek assets before playing the chip could be key.

This strategy also increases the importance of the second Wildcard at this stage of the season.

The optimum time to play a remaining Wildcard is difficult to pinpoint.

There can be a distinct advantage in using it as early as possible, particularly for those FPL managers with injured or inactive players.

But the Wildcard's value changes for those managers yet to use their Bench Boost chip.

Remember, two chips cannot be played in one Gameweek, but managers can use a Wildcard in a Gameweek before the double one in which they plan to use the Bench Boost.

Using this strategy, an FPL manager can load up with players who are set to feature twice in the next Gameweek, and so the Bench Boost over those fixtures can maximise its potential. 

Latest Videos

More Videos

Video is currently not available.

15 Nov 2024

Watch the BEST GOALS of 2024/25

So. Many. Great. Goals. Which of these is your favourite from this season's Premier League?

Your details have been submitted successfully.

You have already entered this competition. Please check your email for further information.

Your details have been submitted successfully.

Create a Premier League account

Continue

You are logged in as

Enter your details