Fantasy Football Scout: Should managers Free Hit in Blank 26?
Straight after this current double is a Blank Gameweek 26 that’s without four popular teams – Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town. Fantasy Football Scout asks if this struggle to reach 10 or 11 players means FPL managers should Free Hit instead.
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.
So if you’re seriously considering the Free Hit route before Saturday’s deadline, there are pros and cons to doing so.
PROS OF FREE HIT IN BLANK GAMEWEEK 26
Firstly, it means no four-point or eight-point hits need taking 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.
