The Scout explains the factors to consider when deciding whether you should use your Wildcard chip now in Gameweek 30, or whether you should wait until Gameweek 31 in Fantasy Premier League.
A large number of Fantasy managers have earmarked this upcoming period as the best time to play the Wildcard chip.
The Wildcard allows managers to make unlimited, permanent changes to their 15-man squad without any points deductions.
Importantly, this gives you a chance to load up on Crystal Palace and Newcastle United’s key players ahead of Double Gameweek 32 (DGW32), when each club will play TWO matches.
It also allows you to build a squad that can navigate Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34), when a number of clubs won't have a Premier League fixture due to the FA Cup semi-finals.
On top of that, you can prepare to capitalise on any future Double Gameweeks this season.
Wildcard in Gameweek 30?
More than 55,000 managers currently have their Wildcard active following the completion of Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29).
By playing your Wildcard now, you can boost your chances of catching player price rises over the extended domestic break. Due to the upcoming internationals and FA Cup fixtures, the next Fantasy deadline isn't until 1 April.
As always in Fantasy, though, the best time to play the Wildcard depends on your squad.
For example, Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) and Alexander Isak (£9.3m) were each transferred out by 1.6million managers because they didn't have a match in BGW29.
The chances are that those very same managers will now want both players back for Gameweek 30, when they play at home to Everton and Brentford respectively.
Meanwhile, both Palace and Newcastle have kind schedules prior to their DGW32.
If you are planning to use your Bench Boost chip in DGW32 to profit from the points of all 15 players in your squad, tripling up on both sides NOW can pay off.
Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) are the key picks for Palace, providing the latter has recovered from a head injury. In midfield, Ismaila Sarr (£5.6m) and Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) provide further solutions.
Isak is the standout contender for Newcastle, while a move for Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) could pay off now, with his fellow winger Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) suspended for another match. At the back, Dan Burn (£4.4m) and Tino Livramento (£4.5m) are the budget options who are secure starters.
Elsewhere, there is also a possibility that Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) could be back from injury for Arsenal’s Gameweek 30 match at home to Fulham. The winger is found in a mere eight per cent of squads and could be the ideal differential on your Wildcard right now.
Rescheduling of fixtures
The main issue with Wildcarding in Gameweek 30 is the logistics of fixture rescheduling.
There are seven Premier League clubs in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and any of those who reach the semi-finals will have a Blank Gameweek 34, with no Premier League fixture.
Their scheduled opponents that weekend will ALSO have a BGW34 so, as it stands, there are only four Premier League fixtures confirmed to be going ahead that weekend. You can read more about this here.
Any Premier League matches that are postponed in BGW34 will need to be rescheduled, which is likely to cause Double Gameweeks.
Crucially, there are just over 48 hours between the end of the last FA Cup quarter-final on 30 March and the Gameweek 30 deadline, at 18:15 BST on Tuesday 1 April.
So although managers will at least know the results of the FA Cup quarter-finals at that point - and will therefore know which teams will blank in BGW34 - it remains to be seen whether the matches postponed from BGW34 will be given new dates in that two-day window.
That information will be crucial to your planning as it is also likely to determine when the final Double Gameweeks of 2024/25 fall.
So if you Wildcard in Gameweek 30, there is a good chance you will be picking your squad without having the full picture.
Wildcard in Gameweek 31?
The Gameweek 31 deadline is six days after the FA Cup quarter-finals, and the matches removed from BGW34 are more likely to be rescheduled by that point.
If you then have all the information on the remaining Blanks and Double Gameweeks, you can fine-tune your Wildcard and chip strategy to greater effect.
Again, though, this comes down to the players in your squad.
For example, AFC Bournemouth, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers all have favourable home fixtures in Gameweek 30.
Those who brought in Erling Haaland (£14.8m) for BGW29 could now hold him for one more Gameweek and hand him the captaincy at home to Leicester City in Gameweek 30.
If you’ve already loaded up on players from those clubs and your team looks well set for the next round of fixtures, holding the Wildcard until Gameweek 31 would give you a better chance of having more information at your disposal to build around the final Blank and Double Gameweeks.
