FPL Gameweek 28 Best Free Hit Team

As we approach Gameweek 28 of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, let’s try to build the best Free Hit team. To do this, we’re using the fantastic organisational tool of PlanFPL.

One of several chips provided by the game, the Free Hit is an opportunity to select a squad for one Gameweek only. Afterwards, it’s back to your original, regular team.

For FPL managers, it’s an extremely useful weapon.

Fixtures

Below is Fantasy Football Scout’s ranking of Gameweek 28 fixture difficulty.

Who has the best fixtures?

Saturday brings a classic top v bottom clash at Anfield, where Liverpool host a Southampton side hoping to avoid having the worst-ever Premier League campaign. The Saints lost 4-0 at Chelsea last time and the Blues follow this up with another promoted side that’s struggling to survive: Leicester.

Across London, Crystal Palace will expect to continue their recent momentum at home to Ipswich. There’s also a meeting between 16th-placed Everton and 17th-placed Wolves, which the ticker likes for both.

Who has the worst fixtures?

On the other hand, it’s a bad-looking weekend for Southampton, though they barely have an FPL footprint. Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) is on consecutive double-digit hauls but has to face Arsenal, with Nottingham Forest v Manchester City tough to call.

Best Gameweek 28 Free Hit

Using the PlanFPL website, here is the best Free Hit team:

Goalkeepers

This squad has plenty of money leftover, therefore affording the luxury of two promising goalkeepers. Jordan Pickford (£5.1m) gets the nod because Wolves are without Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) and, from Gameweek 7 onwards, the Toffees have conceded the second-fewest goals and grabbed the joint-most clean sheets.

Meanwhile, Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) has collected two of his own shut-outs during Brighton’s previous three outings.

Defenders

All 10 outfielders are playing at home. Perhaps Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) could instead be Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m), as Liverpool’s match sits between both Champions League legs versus Paris Saint-Germain.

Arne Slot has started removing the attacking full-back just after the hour mark, though this turned out to be a good thing in Gameweek 25. He bagged a clean sheet against Wolves even though his team-mates soon conceded a consolation.

Arguably the league’s best defence, they face a side that allowed Chelsea to keep their first shut-out in forever. Furthermore, Marc Cucurella (£5.1m) netted to reach 15 points.

Owners of Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) must be loving this experience. The Colombian has delivered at least one return in six of his last seven league games – one goal, three assists and four clean sheets. There have also been a couple of FA Cup goals within this period.

Gabriel (£6.3m) is always an offensive threat but has to accept a bench role here, while Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.4m) gives further Everton coverage if needed.

Midfielders

No introduction is needed for Mohamed Salah (£13.8m). He is 12 points short of FPL’s all-time best season and we’ve only just entered March. The November brace versus Southampton was one of 16 double-digit scores and he’s an easy captaincy decision.

It certainly won’t be Cole Palmer (£11.1m) this time. He tried everything to score in Gameweek 27 – seven shots, 1.30 expected goals – but still has just one attacking return in six outings.

Team-mate Pedro Neto (£6.2m) is faring better, securing a goal and assist against the Saints. This superb differential is filling in up front during Nicolas Jackson’s (£7.7m) injury and, at West Ham, Jarrod Bowen (£7.4m) brings a similar out-of-position advantage.

The latter’s strike past Leicester was downgraded to an assist but it would’ve been his third goal in four. Bowen will relish facing this slow and laughable Newcastle backline.

Forwards

There was already so little to pick from up front and now we’ve got to cope with a banned Cunha, injury doubt Alexander Isak (£9.4m) and the fallout from a decapitation attempt on Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m).

Free Hits are made for a Darwin Nunez (£7.0m) punt. He’s frustrating to place any meaningful faith in but can explode in any individual match. Of course, he might not start, so have a back-up in mind like Ollie Watkins (£8.9m), Yoane Wissa (£6.4m) or Beto (£5.0m).

Eddie Nketiah (£5.9m) should get at least the Ipswich match while Mateta recovers. He came on to score in the FA Cup.

Finally, Danny Welbeck (£5.5m) makes Brighton much better. The 34-year-old has a tricky opponent in Fulham but convincing alternatives are few and far between.