There are two possible strategies with the Assistant Manager chip: you can play safe by picking a top manager for fixtures against struggling clubs, or you can take a risk and target "table bonus" points by picking a manager who faces clubs ranked at least five places higher.
Fantasy Managers who use the FPL app should check they have the latest version of the app, or download the latest version, to ensure they can use the chip.
Here, FPL expert Sam Bonfield explains how and when you could adopt the braver approach.
When I first looked at the Assistant Manager chip my immediate reaction was to pick Arne Slot (£1.5m) or Mikel Arteta (£1.5m) as these are the managers I expect to win the most matches. However, the table-bonus points - an additional 10 points for each win, or five for a draw - could be the difference between first and second place in your mini-leagues this season.
One strategy with the Assistant Manager chip is therefore to target the managers who are currently ranked lower in the Premier League table.
Backing these managers could be worth an 30 additional points over three single Gameweeks, or 40 points if your run of matches includes a Double Gameweek, that the managers at the top of the league won't be able to achieve.
The likes of David Moyes (£0.5m), Ange Postecoglou (£1.1m), Graham Potter (£0.5m) and Vitor Pereira (£0.8m) all have the potential to pick up points from the table bonus.
When to pick Postecoglou?
Opting for Postecoglou in Gameweeks 33-35 would give you the potential for the table bonus TWICE, against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. They would also have a trip to West Ham United over this spell.
If Tottenham Hotspur were to win those three matches, Postecoglou would pick up 38 points for the wins as well as points for goals scored and clean sheets.
| Gameweek | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Nottingham Forest (H) | 3 |
| 34 | Liverpool (A) | 5 |
| 35 | West Ham (A) | 2 |
If Spurs fail to reach the EFL Cup final then across Gameweeks 27-29 or Gameweeks 28-30, Postecoglou would have the potential for table bonus in all three matches when your chip is active, as the league table currently stands.
| Gameweek | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Man City (H) | 4 |
| 28 | Bournemouth (H) | 3 |
| 29 | Fulham (A) | 3 |
| 30 | Chelsea (A) | 4 |
This is a risky strategy as Spurs have tough fixtures. However, there is plenty of upside if they can pull off a result.
Spurs have already beaten Manchester City, Manchester United, Brentford and Aston Villa this season, so they have the potential to beat sides higher up the table.
Here are some other runs of matches where managers are likely to have three successive shots at table-bonus points.
Managers to target for table bonus
| Manager | Fixture 1 | Fixture 2 | Fixture 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moyes (EVE) | ARS (GW31) | NFO (GW32) | MCI (GW33) |
| Potter (WHU) | TOT (GW35) | MUN (GW36) | NFO (GW37) |
| Pereira (WOL) | LIV (GW25) | BOU (GW26) | FUL (GW27) |
| Van Nistelrooy (LEI) | NEW (GW31) | BHA (GW32) | LIV (GW33) |
| Juric (SOU) | AVL (GW32) | WHU (GW33) | FUL (GW34) |
Target a mixture with fixture difficulty?
Another option is that Fantasy managers could look to target specific upsets and play it safer in the other matches of the three-Gameweek period when the chip is active.
For example, if you picked Leicester City's Ruud van Nistelrooy (£0.5m) over Gameweeks 34-36, you would have two more favourable fixtures against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and then one match against Forest that could achieve the table bonus.
Even if your selected Assistant Manager with the table bonus achieves a draw, they would still register more points (eight) than Slot would for a win (six).
Perfect Palace?
Crystal Palace could be the perfect solution with the Assistant Manager chip.
They are in fantastic form, with three wins and two draws in their last five Premier League matches. Of these results, the two draws against Chelsea and AFC Bournemouth would have picked up extra points because of the table bonus.
Palace, alongside teams like Brentford and Fulham, could be perfect for this chip. They have the form to achieve good results as well as the added benefit of being able to pick up table bonus.
Jumping between managers
If your team is nicely set up in terms of your playing squad, you could also use transfers to move between managers across the three Gameweeks, making each fixture as easy as possible while still achieving the bonus.
For example, if the table positions remained as they are now, you could pick Moyes in Gameweek 36 when Everton visit Fulham, who are six places ahead. Then you could pick Ruben Amorim (£0.8m) and Manchester United in Gameweek 37 when they travel to Chelsea - seven places ahead - and then finally Postecoglou and Spurs, who host Brighton & Hove Albion - six places ahead. This would, however, require the use of two free transfers.
| GW | Manager | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Moyes | Fulham (A) | 3 |
| 37 | Amorim | Chelsea (A) | 4 |
| 38 | Postecoglou | Brighton (H) | 3 |
Risk v reward
Playing the Assistant Manager chip to target upsets is a risky strategy. League form and position would suggest that there is less likelihood of the wins and draws than with the managers at the top of the table.
However, as we have seen with AFC Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola (£1.1m) earlier on in the season, it is possible to achieve big returns. Iraola would have picked up the table bonus in all three matches over Gameweeks 8-10 for a grand total of 47 points.
How Iraola got his points
| Gameweek 8 | Gameweek 9 | Gameweek 10 | |
| Result | 2-0 v Arsenal | 1-1 v Villa | 2-1 v Man City |
| Points | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| Table bonus points | 10 | 5 | 10 |
| Goal points | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Clean sheet points | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 9 | 18 |
If Slot achieved the same points for goals and clean sheets he would have scored 22 points in these matches, 25 fewer than Iraola achieved, highlighting just how important targeting the table bonus could be in FPL this season.
