The upcoming period in Fantasy Premier League could prove a season-defining one for many managers.
Four clubs will play TWICE in the upcoming round of fixtures, giving them a Double Gameweek 25: Liverpool, Manchester City, Brentford and Luton Town.
Managers are making moves to capitalise. Seven of the eight most-bought players ahead of Gameweek 25 represent those four clubs, including Liverpool's Luis Diaz (£7.5m), who is owned in only 10 per cent of squads and scored in Saturday's 3-1 win over Burnley.
But before investing in the Double Gameweek 25 contingent, managers must look at the bigger picture and also consider Blank Gameweek 26, Double Gameweek 28 and Blank Gameweek 29 when making their plans.
Liverpool and Luton immediately have a Blank Gameweek 26, along with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Essentially, then, the more Liverpool and Luton players you have for Double Gameweek 25, the fewer available players you will have for Blank Gameweek 26.
This is compounded by the absence in Blank Gameweek 26 of popular picks such as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£5.9m) and Spurs’ Pedro Porro (£5.8m), who are owned by 39 and 32 per cent respectively, while Richarlison's (£7.2m) ownership has risen to 18 per cent.
Is tripling up on Liverpool essential?
The appeal of tripling up on Liverpool assets is certainly lessened at a time when a double-up on Erling Haaland (£14.4m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m) could be the better move.
In addition to having a Double Gameweek 25, Man City then have a visit to AFC Bournemouth in Blank Gameweek 26, when Liverpool are without a fixture.
Another possible issue for the Reds is the threat of rotation in the second match of their Double Gameweek 25 against Luton, which takes place four days before their EFL Cup final encounter with Chelsea.
That makes it tougher to decide whether it is worth investing in Mohamed Salah (£13.0m), who is back in contention for the Reds.
Play the Free Hit chip in Blank Gameweek 26?
The absence of such a high number of key Fantasy assets in Blank Gameweek 26 now makes it a very appealing time to play the Free Hit chip.
This would allow managers to invest in Liverpool and Luton for Double Gameweek 25 while also keeping Palmer, Porro and Richarlison in their squads.
Typically, Blank Gameweek 29, which coincides with the FA Cup quarter-finals, is the preferred time to play the Free Hit chip due to the reduced number of matches.
However, managers can already start building towards Blank Gameweek 29 due to the early cup exits of a number of clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Brentford.
Spurs’ visit to Fulham is one of only three matches currently set to go ahead in Blank Gameweek 29, and Porro, Richarlison, James Maddison (£8.0m) and Son Heung-min (£9.6m) are all strong options who can be bought ahead of Blank Gameweek 29.
Villa will face West Ham United that weekend, meaning Ollie Watkins (£8.7m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m) will also both have a fixture in the reduced round of matches.
Meanwhile, Brentford’s visit to Burnley in Blank Gameweek 29 will make Ivan Toney (£8.2m) a key pick, and there is an argument for investing in him now. The Bees have a Double Gameweek 25 and a fixture in Blank Gameweek 26, against West Ham.
Keep Luton players for Double Gameweek 28?
The appeal of investing in Luton players for Double Gameweek 25 is increased by the fact that they will also have a Double Gameweek 28.
The Hatters will visit Crystal Palace before travelling to AFC Bournemouth.
View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Double Gameweek 25 in Fantasy Premier League
