Managers in Fantasy Premier League who still have their first Wildcard need to be aware they must play the chip before the Gameweek 20 deadline of Saturday 30 December at 11:00 GMT.
If they fail to do so, those managers will lose the opportunity of having two Wildcards this season.
The second Wildcard of 2023/24 is immediately available for managers to use after Saturday 30 December 11:00 GMT ahead of the opening of the January transfer window. This chip will remain available to use until the end of the season.
By waiting until now to play their first Wildcard, managers have given themselves options to address the upcoming departures of a number of key midfielders due to international duties in either the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) or Asian Cup.
Those managers could now pick a Wildcard squad like the one below to set themselves up for the medium term.
The Scout's GW20 Wildcard squad
Goalkeepers: David Raya (£4.9m), Alphonse Areola (£4.2m)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.4m), Pedro Porro (£5.6m), Alex Moreno (£5.0m), Sven Botman (£4.5m), Malo Gusto (£4.1m)
Midfielders: Mohamed Salah (£13.3m), Bukayo Saka (£9.0m), Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m), Pascal Gross (£6.4m), Cole Palmer (£5.6m)
Forwards: Ollie Watkins (£8.8m), Dominic Solanke (£7.0m), Chris Wood (£4.9m)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min (£9.9m), the top-scoring players in Fantasy, could be absent from Gameweeks 21-24, depending on their respective nations’ progress.
Wolverhampton Wanders’ Hwang Hee-chan (£5.7m) and West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m) are also among the in-form participants who will leave after Gameweek 20.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.4m) should be among the top priority picks for managers who still have their first Wildcard, with his multiple routes to returns establishing the right-back as a must-have.
Spurs' Pedro Porro (£5.6m) is another strong attacking option in defence, with seven assists in 18 outings.
In midfield, retaining Salah for Gameweek 20 and handing him the captaincy at home to Newcastle United can pay off.
By then swapping Salah out in Gameweek 21 for a more budget-friendly option, managers can free up the funds to help facilitate a move to Manchester City's Erling Haaland (£13.9m), once he is available.
When picking their Salah and Son replacements, managers should assess the sides with the most appealing runs of opponents over the Gameweek 20-24 period.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) is already selected in over 57 per cent of squads, while players such as West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m), Man City’s Phil Foden (£7.6m), Brighton & Hove Albion’s Pascal Gross (£6.4m) and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£5.6m) have the form and fixtures to also provide strong solutions.
Up front, Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood (£4.9m) can be a very handy cut-price pick alongside Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) and AFC Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke (£7.0m).
Wood has thrived since the arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo as Forest's head coach, scoring four goals and supplying an assist in the last two Gameweeks.
Alternatively, managers could forego both Salah and Wood and pick Foden along with his Man City team-mate Julian Alvarez (£6.9m), allowing them to attack the champions’ home encounter with Sheffield United this weekend.
Also in this series
Part 1: What to do with Newcastle players in Fantasy?
Part 2: What to do with premium stars in FPL after update on Haaland
Part 3: The Scout’s FPL Gameweek 20 Ones to watch
Part 4: Scout Selection: Best FPL team for Gameweek 20
Part 5: Who is the best FPL captain for Gameweek 20?
Part 6: FPL experts: Who to captain in Gameweek 20?
