Should I free hit in Gameweek 28?

We answer one of the most important questions on the minds of FPL managers as we approach the new round, should I free hit in Gameweek 28? Using the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can utilise its fixture ticker and underlying stats to help us.

We are heading into one of the most significant parts of the season. As managers try to plan to navigate the blank and double Gameweeks to gain an edge over their rivals, many will be deliberating the use of a chip. So, should I free hit in Gameweek 28?

Fixtures

As we can see below Aston Villa, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Leeds, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Wolves, Brentford, Southampton, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Crystal Palace all have fixtures in Gameweek 28.

The teams that blank and therefore do not have fixtures in Gameweek 28 are Brighton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham.

Key players in Gameweek 28

Rather than looking at the quantity of players we own for a blank Gameweek some of the most experienced managers in the world look at the quality of the players they have. For that reason lets take a look at a list of key players for Gameweek 28:

Arsenal- Defenders Gabriel (£5.2m) or Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.2m). Midfielders Bukayo Saka (£8.5m), Gabriel Martinelli (£6.6m) and Martin Odegaard (£6.9m). Owning two or three of these players could be key.
Aston Villa – Striker Ollie Watkins (£7.3m).
Brentford – Striker Ivan Toney (£7.8m).
Chelsea – Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.7m) or/and defender Ben Chilwell (£5.9m).
Leicester – Midfielder James Maddison (£8.1m).
Newcastle – Defenders Kieran Trippier (£6m) with another defender like Sven Botman (£4.5m) or Fabian Schar (£5m).
Tottenham – Striker Harry Kane (£11.7m).

How many players are enough for Gameweek 28?

Taking into account the number of key players playing, a large portion of the most experienced managers will likely have 8-10 playing players.

Other opportunities to use the free hit

There are other opportunities to use the free hit. Some are scheduled and some are unscheduled (at the time of writing).

Gameweek 29

Gameweek 29 could be a great time to use the free hit. Over the last several Gameweeks there have been significant changes to team and player form. From Chelsea’s improving form, Newcastle’s defensive dip and uptake in performances from Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m) and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli and more. All of these changes could increase the potential of a free hit here.

12 teams double in Gameweek 29 and teams who hold little ownership like Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, West Ham and Chelsea all have good double Gameweek fixtures. Heavily invested in teams like Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham play just one fixture.

Gameweek 32

Gameweek 32 could also be another opportunity to use the free hit. The fixtures are not set which means there will be some major changes to the official schedule. Teams likely to blank this week include Brighton, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Navigating this round could be difficult without a free hit.

Gameweek 34

Another fixture schedule that may be changed is Gameweek 34. Teams likely to have a double Gameweek in this round include Brighton, Manchester City and Manchester United. Other teams that could double involve Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool and West Ham.

The free hit could help attack the double Gameweek.

Gameweek 37

Gameweek 37 is where we could also utilise the free hit. Teams likely to double include Brighton, Manchester City and Manchester United. Other teams with a chance of doubling involve Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool and West Ham.

Should I free hit in Gameweek 28?

Of course every team is different and everything is team dependent. However, it is highly likely that most of our teams have the majority of the key players playing in Gameweek 28. If just one or two changes are needed to cover those key players, even with the use of a small hit, then there is no need to use the free hit.

We also have to take into account that there are other Gameweeks approaching that could be better suited for the use of the free hit.