One of The Scout's panel of Fantasy Premier League experts, Sam Bonfield, is revealing the 15-man squad she would pick if she used her Wildcard chip this week.
Her 15-man line-up is designed to maximise the opportunities on offer in Double Gameweek 28 (DGW28) while also navigating Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29) without using the Free Hit chip.
FPL managers who assemble a Wildcard squad like Sam's can target AFC Bournemouth and Luton Town players for their DGW28, while also fielding a full XI for BGW29 and allowing for free transfers to bring back some big-name players from Gameweek 30 onwards.
This squad costs £99.2m, leaving funds to bring in the likes of Bukayo Saka (£9.2m), Phil Foden (£8.2m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.0m).
Here, Sam talks us through her squad and the reasons for her selections.
Goalkeepers
Bernd Leno (£4.8m): Fulham’s fixtures between now and the end of the season are nice and there is plenty of potential for both save points and clean sheets for the German.
Alphonse Areola (£4.2m): Having a playing second goalkeeper means that managers who still have the Bench Boost left have the potential to maximise that chip. Leno and Areola also mostly cover each other's difficult fixtures, so you will have a decent fixture in nearly every Gameweek.
Defenders
Gabriel (£5.3m): There are a wealth of options in the Arsenal defence. William Saliba (£5.8m), Ben White (£5.6m) and even budget enabler Jakub Kiwior (£4.3m) are all great options depending on budget. Gabriel has a great attacking threat and can be benched in this squad for BGW29 and for his tough fixture at Manchester City in Gameweek 30.
Destiny Udogie (£4.9m): Targeting the Spurs defence makes sense. They play in BGW29 and have favourable fixtures afterwards. If Pedro Porro (£5.7m) is passed fit by Ange Postecoglou, and you can afford the Spaniard, he is a great choice. But if not, Udogie has had a great first season in Fantasy, with only six defenders bettering his five attacking returns.
Alfie Doughty (£4.7m): It makes sense to target the Luton defence on Wildcard. They have three fixtures over the next two Gameweeks, when many of the other sides only have one match. They also have some nice fixtures after BGW29, so at a budget-friendly price point, Doughty can be held for the rest of the season.
Sergio Reguilon (£4.4m): Since arriving on loan at Brentford, Reguilon has made six starts, registering three assists and three clean sheets, as well as creating 14 chances. While he only has one match in DGW28, he does have an all-important fixture in BGW29. The Bees also sit top of the fixture ticker for the run-in from Gameweek 30, so he is a good long-term pick on Wildcard.
Charlie Taylor (£4.0m): The Burnley left-back is an excellent budget-friendly pick. Most weeks he can sit on your bench, but in BGW29 he can help managers field a full starting XI.
Midfielders
Son Heung-min (£9.8m): The injury to Richarlison (£7.0m) should mean Son continues to play in the No 9 role for the next few matches. Spurs have a fixture in BGW29, so Son playing as an out-of-position centre-forward is a great pick for the next few weeks. He can also be held for Gameweek 30, and then switched to Saka for Gameweek 31, when Arsenal start a great run of fixtures and Son is likely to move back to the left wing once Richarlison is back.
Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m): The West Ham star has an excellent fixture in Gameweek 28, at home to Burnley, and then plays in BGW29. He can be held for most of the run-in too if the upturn in the Hammers’ form continues. He is also at a great price point to move to other assets such as Foden to target Double Gameweeks as they are announced. He could even make way for Salah, depending on budget restrictions.
James Maddison (£7.9m): The Spurs midfield double-up makes sense, with Maddison as the cheaper investment. Spurs will have a likely Double Gameweek at some stage, when their trip to Chelsea is rescheduled, so being able to hold Maddison once Son becomes Saka will enable managers to target the best of both sides of north London at the right times.
Leon Bailey (£5.7m): He has found form at the perfect time ahead of BGW29. Bailey is budget-friendly and a great differential, currently owned by only 4.8 per cent of managers. He could then be sold for Cole Palmer (£5.7m) in Gameweek 30 to avoid Aston Villa's fixture against Man City in Gameweek 31, and also to target the great Chelsea fixtures and potential future Double Gameweek.
Ross Barkley (£5.0m): Like with Doughty, Barkley is really useful with three fixtures over the next two Gameweeks and could be a long-term hold, but that spot could also be used to target other teams with Double Gameweeks when the postponed fixtures are rescheduled.
Forwards
Erling Haaland (£14.5m): For managers who really want to target DGW28, this slot could be occupied by Carlton Morris (£5.1m) for the next two Gameweeks. However, if you do this, you need to leave money in the bank to swap them back. But I would want to keep Haaland and he will be one of three outfield players on the bench in BGW29.
Ollie Watkins (£9.0m): Simply a must-have. He has already registered 183 points this season, making this his best ever FPL season. With a fixture in BGW29 and a good run-in, especially with Villa pushing for a top-four finish, he feels like a great option for the rest of the season.
Dominic Solanke (£7.1m): The standout captain for DGW28, he could either be moved to the bench for BGW29 or be sold for Ivan Toney (£8.2m) with the budget left in the bank. Managers might want to reverse this transfer after BGW29 though, in Gameweeks 30-31.
View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Double Gameweek 28 in Fantasy Premier League
