The Scout looks at the pros and cons of using the Free Hit chip in the upcoming Blank Gameweek 29 in Fantasy Premier League.
There are four clubs – Liverpool, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa – who are without a fixture in Gameweek 29. This is because of Liverpool and Newcastle playing in the EFL Cup final on the same weekend, on Sunday 16 March.
As a result, players from those four teams will score zero points in FPL, and Gameweek 29 is known as "Blank Gameweek 29" (BGW29).
FPL managers' problems have been compounded further by on-field events during last weekend’s FA Cup fifth round.
Among forwards, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) is now banned for at least three matches after being sent off, while Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) is a major doubt with a head injury for Gameweek 28 as well as not playing in BGW29.
Meanwhile, in defence, Lewis Hall (£5.0m) has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a foot injury.
This growing host of issues has persuaded some managers to consider playing the Free Hit chip in BGW29. This chip would allow them to replace their entire squad for a single Gameweek only.
What are the benefits of Free-Hitting in BGW29?
BGW29 will affect a large portion of the most-popular players in Fantasy right now. The headline news is, of course, the absence of Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) and Alexander Isak (£9.4m), whose ownerships of 72 and 56 per cent place them among the three most-owned players.
Add in Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) and it essentially means that the most-picked asset across each of the three outfield positions will be without a match in Gameweek 29.
Overall, 16 players can be found in at least 20 per cent of Fantasy squads right now – and as many as SEVEN of them won't be playing in BGW29.
Most-owned players without a BGW29 match
| Player | Position | Ownership (TSB) |
| Salah | MID | 72.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Isak | FWD | 56.3% |
| Alexander-Arnold | DEF | 33.9% |
| Van Dijk | DEF | 22.4% |
| Hall | DEF | 21.6% |
| Rogers | MID | 20.4% |
| Watkins | FWD | 20.0% |
Crucially, the Free Hit chip also allows you bring in Erling Haaland (£14.7m) for his match at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in BGW29.
Manchester City’s Norwegian striker is in his most consistent form of the campaign at present, with only a single blank in his last eight league outings.
Haaland’s lowly 25.9 per cent ownership can make him a hugely effective captaincy option in the reduced round of matches.
Playing the Free Hit chip in BGW29 could also allow you to exploit the tactics of rival FPL managers who are choosing to "dead-end" their squads - bringing in players with kind short-term schedules - ahead of playing their Wildcard chip in Gameweek 30 or 31.
In BGW29, many of those managers will be benching Salah and Isak, and potentially Alexander-Arnold, too. With so much budget tied up on their benches, they will likely be restricted to the budget bracket when filling up their starting XIs.
By contrast, using the Free Hit chip allows you to invest in big-hitters such as Haaland by using the funds from the temporary sales of Salah and Isak for one Gameweek only.
What problems lie ahead if you Free-Hit in BGW29?
There is another Blank Gameweek ahead in Gameweek 34 (BGW34).
The schedule for BGW34 will not be finalised until after the FA Cup quarter-finals, but we already know that there will be MORE clubs who are without a Premier League fixture than there are in BGW29.
A minimum of three matches and a maximum of four will need to be rescheduled due to BGW34 clashing with the FA Cup semi-finals.
At present there are only FOUR Premier League matches confirmed to be going ahead in BGW34: Chelsea v Everton, Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves v Leicester City and Newcastle v Ipswich Town.
There will, however, be at least two more matches added to BGW34 after the FA Cup quarter-finals are played on the weekend of 29 March.
All of the other scheduled fixtures in BGW34 could be postponed because the clubs in bold below could still reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
GW34 fixtures that could be postponed
| GW34 fixture | Postponed if... |
|---|---|
| Arsenal v Crystal Palace | Palace win in QF |
| Bournemouth v Man Utd | Bournemouth win in QF |
| Brighton v West Ham | Brighton win in QF |
| Man City v Aston Villa | Man City or Villa win in QF |
| Nott'm Forest v Brentford | Forest win in QF |
| Southampton v Fulham | Fulham win in QF |
FA Cup quarter-final draw
Preston v Aston Villa
AFC Bournemouth v Manchester City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Brighton v Nottingham Forest
If both Aston Villa and Man City win their FA Cup quarter-finals, there will be only three matches removed from Gameweek 34.
In order for there to be four matches removed, both Bournemouth and Villa would need to progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, with Bournemouth beating Man City. That would mean the Cherries and Manchester United would also suffer a BGW34.
Such a scenario would leave EIGHT clubs without a fixture in BGW34 compared with only four in BGW29.
Crucially, the results of those FA Cup quarter-finals will come AFTER BGW29.
This is why so many managers have tended to be patient when using their Free Hit chip in previous campaigns.
By waiting until after the cup ties have been played, you are allowing yourself more time to soak up information that could be crucial when it comes to finalising your chip strategy for the run-in.
How could problems in BGW34 be navigated without a Free Hit?
Whereas the absence of Liverpool and Newcastle players from BGW29 has posed the biggest headache for managers for the next two Gameweeks, the pair’s early exits from the FA Cup means they WILL both play in BGW34, so you can now plan ahead for that.
Both have favourable home matches in BGW34 – Liverpool face Spurs, while Newcastle entertain Ipswich.
Salah and Alexander-Arnold are very likely to be viewed as must-haves by millions of managers for the remainder of the season.
As Newcastle also play TWICE in Double Gameweek 32 (DGW32) - with two home matches against Man Utd and Palace - it’s worth tripling up on their key picks prior to BGW34.
Isak is the go-to option, while in midfield, Jacob Murphy (£5.1m) is a budget-friendly option alongside or as an alternative to Anthony Gordon (£7.4m), who returns from suspension in Gameweek 31.
Arguably, that’s already five of your starting XI for BGW34 right there, and you have seven free transfers to use between Gameweeks 28-34.
Even if you don’t have a Free Hit chip or Wildcard remaining, there’s already enough information to start building around.
Is BGW34 actually looking THAT BAD…?
Handily, all four of the matches which will definitely take place in BGW34 offer strong options in attack AND a home fixture.
Along with Liverpool and Newcastle's assets, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£11.1m) is at home against Everton, while Wolves’ Cunha will be back from suspension in time for their home meeting with Leicester.
If you only have the Wildcard available then it’s best to hold it until Gameweek 30 or 31, when the FA Cup semi-finals and their impact on BGW34 will become clearer.
For example, if Palace are defeated by Fulham in the cup, their match away to Arsenal would remain in BGW34.
Along with Newcastle, the Eagles are one of only two clubs to have a Double Gameweek 32 (two fixtures in the Gameweek), which would further lift the appeal of both Mateta and Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) as mid-term investments when you pick your Wildcard squad.
On the other hand, if Palace win against the Cottagers in the cup, then Fulham’s match with Southampton would remain in BGW34 and profit the likes of Antonee Robinson (£5.0m) and Raul Jimenez (£5.5m).
Save the Free Hit for a Double Gameweek?
By waiting until the FA Cup quarter-finals have passed and the BGW34 matches have been rescheduled before using the Free Hit chip, we will then know when the rest of the Double Gameweeks for the campaign will take place.
Playing your Free Hit chip in a bumper Double Gameweek gives you the opportunity to select 11 players and profit from 22 matches.
For example, if Villa or Man City get through to the last four of the FA Cup, you could captain Haaland for two matches and pair him with Ollie Watkins (£8.9m), who claimed 15 points in Villa’s recent Double Gameweek 25.
This could also offer a possible strategy for those managers who are planning to use their Wildcard in Gameweek 30 or 31.
They can shape their new squads around players who have two matches in Double Gameweek 32 and also have a fixture in Blank Gameweek 34, playing their Bench Boost chip in the earlier of those Gameweeks to profit from Newcastle and Palace's two matches.
This would allow them to simply deal with Blank Gameweek 34 when it comes around by using the Free Hit chip on players they would only want on a temporary basis.
