After the first four Gameweeks of the 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League season, questions have started to rise about whether to play the Wildcard chip. The Scout's panel of experts help you decide whether now is the best time to overhaul your team.
Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
Knowing that both Manchester City and Brentford will blank in Gameweek 18, I am hoping to use my first Wildcard as late as possible. However, I am also open to Wildcarding after the second or third international break of the season, if my team needs it.
Pranil Sheth (@lateriser12)
I am considering playing the Wildcard in the weeks leading up to Gameweek 9. This is because the fixtures turn difficult for Chelsea, who I am tripled up on, while the fixtures turn better for Liverpool and Aston Villa, both of whom I'm not currently invested in.
Ben Crabtree (@FC_CrabDogg)
Despite missing price rises I'm strongly considering to Wildcard this week. Four Gameweeks is a reasonable amount of knowledge to see which teams look high-scoring and which fixtures are actually the best.
Utkarsh Dalmia (@ZopharFPL)
I am planning to use my Wildcard ahead of the Gameweek 9 fixtures. I am currently tripled up on Chelsea, who have a very difficult run of matches, with no team rated lower than three according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR). By then I will also have more clarity on the teams and players I want to target as after only four matches we don't have enough information.
Chelsea's fixtures, GW9-15
| GW | Opp. | FDR | GW | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | ARS (H) | 4 | 13 | NEW (A) | 4 |
| 10 | BRE (H) | 3 | 14 | BHA (H) | 3 |
| 11 | TOT (A) | 3 | 15 | MUN (A) | 4 |
| 12 | MCI (H) | 5 | |||
Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
After a disappointing Gameweek 4 I did consider Wildcarding. However, looking at my team it feels like there isn't major surgery to make. The second international break feels like a good moment to Wildcard. It allows me to target Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United for great fixture runs and gives us another four weeks of data around team and player form as well as the best structure for our FPL teams.
Nick Harris (@WGTA_Nick)
I've held on to the Wildcard so far as it still feels a little bit early in the season to uproot your initial team. I may consider it for the next international break as having two weeks to chop and change your team gives you extra time and flexibility.
Gianni Buttice (@GianniButtice)
Wildcards are so team dependent that I don't think there is necessarily a best time to pull the trigger. Obviously key fixture swings play a part and if my team looks like it needs it during the October international break I will go for it. At this point I could lighten the load on my Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal players and invest more in Liverpool, Spurs and Newcastle.
Pras (@Pras_FPL)
There is a nice fixture swing between Gameweek 8 and 10 where Liverpool and Villa's fixtures improve. At the same time Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea's drop off. I am looking at that window especially if I want to bring in Mohamed Salah (£12.5m). Otherwise a late Wildcard after City's blank in Gameweek 18, due to their involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup, is also a possibility.
Also in this series
Part 1: Why managers are Wildcarding in Gameweek 5
Part 3: FPL experts: Lessons learned from the season so far