The Scout explains what each chip in Fantasy Premier League does and how they can be used effectively in Blank or Double Gameweeks.
Wildcard
If you don’t like the look of your squad and you want to change a host of players, the Wildcard allows you to make sweeping changes at any time without any points deductions.
However, it is best not to use it on a whim or in a moment of frustration, because of its strategic value and how it can be used to maximise the impact of other chips. Experienced Fantasy managers tend to use their second Wildcard prior to a Double Gameweek later in the season.
This season, Gameweek 30 could be the most opportune time to play the chip as you are likely to have all the information at your disposal around Blank and Double Gameweeks later in the season by that point.
Managers now know the four clubs who will suffer a Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29): the two EFL Cup finalists, Liverpool and Newcastle United, plus their respective opponents, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
By Gameweek 30 you will also know the clubs who are likely to suffer a Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34) due to the FA Cup semi-finals. These same clubs are expected to be handed a Double Gameweek at some point.
If you're planning to Wildcard in Gameweek 30, the idea is to gradually reduce the number of BGW29 players you have in your team in the weeks before the Blank.
By using transfers, you can “dead-end” your team, bringing in short-term picks with favourable fixtures who you can then transfer out immediately on a Wildcard.
Playing the Wildcard then would also allow managers to reinvest in Palace and Newcastle ahead of their two fixtures in DGW32.
Triple Captain
The Triple Captain chip allows you to earn THREE TIMES the total points of your captain in any given Gameweek.
It is generally most effective when used in a Double Gameweek, when a player has TWO matches in which to score points.
The benefits of such a tactic were underlined in Double Gameweek 24 (DGW24), when Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) scored 29 points across his two matches thanks to three goals, an assist and six bonus points, giving him a MASSIVE 87 points with the Triple Captain chip.
If you still have your Triple Captain chip available, Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak (£9.5m) will have a Double Gameweek 32, with home matches against Manchester United and Crystal Palace.
Assistant Manager
The new Assistant Manager chip was available to play for the first time EVER in Fantasy in DGW24.
It immediately proved a big hit with managers. Indeed, in a record-breaking Gameweek for total chips played, the Assistant Manager was the most popular of all, used by over 1.17million managers for DGW24.
The Assistant Manager gives you the chance to earn points from your chosen Premier League manager over a three-Gameweek spell.
Managers could choose to play the chip on either Eddie Howe (£1.5m) or Oliver Glasner (£0.8m) in DGW32, when Newcastle and Palace both have two fixtures.
If managers use the chip on Glasner over Gameweeks 31-33, he has matches at home to Brighton and Bournemouth, along with trips to Man City and Newcastle. These fixtures offer plenty of opportunity for table-bonus points as the league currently stands.
Just remember that you can't two use chips in the same Gameweek, so if your Assistant Manager chip is active in DGW32, you wouldn't be able to Triple-Captain Isak for his Double Gameweek, as suggested above.
Another strategy for the Assistant Manager chip could be using it from Gameweek 36-38, allowing you to profit from your chosen Assistant Manager at a point of the season when player rotation is at its worst.
Bench Boost
The Bench Boost chip allows you to earn points from all 15 players in your squad in a given Gameweek, including those on your bench.
If you have a week where most or all of your substitutes have good fixtures and you wish you could play them all, then you can!
But the most powerful way to harness the Bench Boost chip's potential is to use it in conjunction with a Wildcard around a Double Gameweek.
A clever strategy is to use the Wildcard just BEFORE a Double Gameweek, before then using the Bench Boost chip in the Double Gameweek itself. Using this tactic, you could use your Wildcard to fill your squad with players who will have TWO fixtures in the Double Gameweek.
If all 15 members of your squad play twice in the Double Gameweek, using the Bench Boost means you will get points from 30 matches – THREE TIMES as many as you get in a normal Gameweek, when there are 10 fixtures.
As mentioned, there is likely to be at least one more Double Gameweek much later in 2024/25 Fantasy to plan your Bench Boost chip around.
Free Hit
The Free Hit chip provides managers with the opportunity to select a brand new squad for ONE Gameweek only.
Although the Free Hit chip offers a further option in a Double Gameweek, managers tend to use this in a Blank Gameweek when a number of clubs and key Fantasy picks are without a fixture.
Right now, the possible repercussions of the FA Cup semi-finals on BGW34 makes it the best time for the Free Hit chip as there could be up to EIGHT teams without out a fixture, whereas only four clubs will be without a match in BGW29.
Eight of the 10 fixtures in BGW34 are still under the risk of postponement ahead of the FA Cup fifth round. Only Chelsea v Everton and Liverpool v Spurs are confirmed to be going ahead.
