Fantasy Premier League managers are facing some important decisions in the coming weeks, with Gameweek 33 fast approaching. Pras, an FPL veteran, has shared his insights on how to best utilise the remaining chips and navigate the upcoming double gameweeks and blank gameweeks.
Wildcard Strategy for Gameweek 33
Pras has shared the squad he would pick if he were to play his Wildcard this week. The team is selected based on current FPL prices to fit within a £100m budget. Playing the wildcard now will enable a huge bench boost, with possibly up to 15 players having two games each.
Using the wildcard now also allows you to capitalise on Manchester City, who will have doubles coming up in gameweek 33. There is also an unconfirmed second double that includes the game against Crystal Palace later in the season. Six teams (Manchester City, Chelsea, Brighton, Burnley, Leeds and Bournemouth) will play twice in gameweek 33.
Navigating Blank Gameweek 34
If the wildcard is played to target a bench boost, then a free hit will also be needed in gameweek 34. Six teams (Manchester City, Chelsea, Brighton, Burnley, Leeds and Bournemouth) will blank and not play a fixture in gameweek 34.
Teams to Target and Avoid
To maximise the Gameweek 33 bench boost, teams such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Liverpool should be avoided. However, these teams have favourable fixtures after Gameweek 33.
It is also worth considering a team’s opponents. Brighton, for instance, have an excellent fixture against Burnley in Gameweek 32.
Chip Strategy for End-of-Season Success
For those who still have all their chips, Pras suggests a strategy of Wildcard in 33, Freehit in 34, Benchboost in 35 and Triple Captain in 36 for an end of season chip bonanza.
- The bench boost is most effective when your squad has a high number of double gameweek players, ideally 13 to 15, to maximise potential points.
- The triple captain chip can be saved for a player with two favourable fixtures in a double gameweek.
- To best navigate these next few weeks, a wildcard and a free hit will be handy chips.
Manchester City’s game against Crystal Palace – postponed because of City’s involvement in the Carabao Cup final – needs to be rescheduled. The working assumption is that it could go into the free midweek in gameweek 36, also making that a double gameweek. As it stands, Crystal Palace are set to face Everton and Manchester City, while the Carabao Cup winners will play Brentford before welcoming Oliver Glasner’s side to Etihad Stadium.
The main decision this week, however, is: Should you wildcard now and set up for the bench boost?