Straight after Double Gameweek 25 is a blank round of fixtures for four popular teams – Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town.
We ask if this struggle to reach 10 or 11 players means Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers should use their Free Hit chip instead.
Our on-site poll currently has 6.06% of users contemplating this move, as the beauty of FPL is that there is no perfect chip strategy. Such decisions are team-dependent – some squads are fairly well set for Blank Gameweek 26 and some suddenly aren’t.
- READ MORE: How to navigate the FPL Blank + Double Gameweeks
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweeks 25-29: Which teams have the best fixtures?
So if you’re seriously considering the Free Hit route before Saturday’s deadline, there are pros and cons to doing so.
FREE HIT IN BLANK GAMEWEEK 26: THE PROS
Firstly, it means no four-point or eight-point hits will be taken in a week where many others will have to. Not only are the likes of Mohamed Salah (£13.0m), Cole Palmer (£5.8m), Richarlison (£7.1m) and Alfie Doughty (£4.6m) absent due to Sunday’s EFL Cup final, highly backed names like Diogo Jota (£8.3m), Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) and Pedro Porro (£5.7m) look injured beyond that.
A Free Hit also allows managers to briefly step away from those with a tough fixture. Anthony Gordon (£6.1m), Kieran Trippier (£6.9m) and Martin Dubravka (£4.2m) visit rampant Arsenal, who’ve recorded a 6-0 and two 5-0s over the last five matches. Meanwhile, Newcastle United are conceding goals at an incredible rate.
Instead of possessing nine or 10 players where a few of these have low prospects, activating this chip lets managers field a strong XI that targets the Gunners, Manchester United at home to Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ hosting of Sheffield United.
FPL managers have used this logic for years. Whereas using the Free Hit in a Double Gameweek would’ve been risky, in a blank there’s little chance of being bitten by a well-owned other player because many aren’t participating.
As long as mass-selected Saka, Ollie Watkins (£8.7m), Erling Haaland (£14.4m), an Arsenal defender and a Manchester City midfielder are there, a green arrow feels unavoidable. The other spots can then go on exciting differential punts that could skyrocket your team up rankings and mini-leagues.
Furthermore, to help with these quirky picks, Gameweek 26 has no Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Therefore the 13:30 GMT deadline might allow up to eight line-up leaks, with four matches taking place at 15:00.
FREE HIT IN BLANK GAMEWEEK 26: THE CONS
Then again, if, as mentioned, you traditionally use a Free Hit during quieter rounds, it makes the bigger Blank Gameweek 29 an even better time to activate. Such is the FA Cup fifth-round draw, there could feasibly be only four matches taking place on that mid-March weekend.
Managers may also prefer deploying it later on in Double Gameweek 34 or 37.
Especially if their regular FPL squad has many fires to extinguish. At a time when injuries have escalated and others like Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) have seemingly fallen out of favour, each transfer is precious because it fixes the problems quicker.
Those who Free Hit now will only have one free transfer for Gameweek 27. Not enough to mend squads that are close to the template.
BLANK GAMEWEEK 26 FREE HIT: TEAM DRAFTS
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10 months, 4 days agoManchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Akanji, Rodri, Bobb, Foden, Alvarez, Bernardo Silva, Haaland
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Ake, Kovacic, Doku, De Bruyne, Gomez, Nunes, Lewis
Brentford XI: Flekken, Onyeka, Ajer, Mee, Roerslev, Jorgensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon, Toney, Wissa
Subs: Strakosha, Maupay, Jensen, Ghoddos, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Yarmoliuk