In the latest article from our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers, Fantasy all-rounder Obay Eid/FPL Milanista – who has risen to 18th in our Live Hall of Fame – discusses his Gameweek 28 plans and chip strategy.
Chip strategy and usage are key elements of FPL and the majority of us will still be holding a Wildcard, a Free Hit, and a Bench Boos.
First of all, there are four key Gameweeks to focus our attention on. They are Double Gameweek 28, Blank Gameweek 29, Double Gameweek 34, and Double Gamweek 37.
FLEXIBLE STRATEGY: FROM WILDCARD TO FREE HIT
The big Blank Gameweek 29 is the first thing to look at as it has had the biggest impact on the first chip I’ll be using.
In my opinion, the big has the biggest impact on my first chip to be applied. My current team has only four players who play in Gameweek 29, and so using the Free Hit chip is inevitable unless I decide to play my Wildcard this week.
FPL is a very dynamic game, and so must be our playing styles. In fact, I had already prepared a Wildcard team after Bournemouth lost their cup tie against Leicester City and was all set to activate it if Brighton won their game against Wolves. That didn’t happen, and so Bournemouth v Wolves turned out to be a blank in Gameweek 29; this swayed me back to the Free Hit strategy.
This may seem odd to the reader but for my team particularly and as someone who has zero Bournemouth players heading towards their double, the upside of Wildcarding them in would’ve been immense if they were not blanking in the following week.
NO LUTON
So does this eliminate my chances of a Wildcard this week? Most likely, yes. The temptation is huge but looking deeply into the fixtures, I’m content to go into Gameweek 28 with no Luton Town players. Luton haven’t kept any clean sheet away from home so far (their two matches in Gameweek 28 are away), and have a schedule of Tottenham Hotspur (away), Arsenal (away), and Manchester City (away) across Gameweeks 30-33 – a tough run that I’d happily avoid.
However, it’s a completely different case when it comes to Bournemouth assets. The Cherries have two favourable home fixtures in the double, followed by a blank, play Everton and Crystal Palace at home next, and then face Luton away in Gameweek 32. In other words, they are a team that must be high on our priority list when discussing transfers, especially for those who are Free Hitting in Gameweek 29.