Managers in Fantasy Premier League have the opportunity to give their points total a big boost by using their chips.
FPL bosses have been accustomed to having a Wildcard to use in each half of a season for some time.
But this season, for the first time ever in Fantasy, you will also have TWO Bench Boost, Triple Captain and Free Hit chips to play. Similarly to the Wildcard, you have one for each half of the campaign.
Only ONE chip can be played in each Gameweek.
What does each chip do and when is the best time to play them?
Wildcard
All transfers (including those already made) are free of charge.
The Wildcard is played when confirming transfers that cost points. It can’t be cancelled once played. When playing a Wildcard, you will KEEP your banked transfers.
A Wildcard is best saved for when your squad most needs an overhaul. This could be if you have multiple players injured, banned, out of form or not starting for their teams. However, it could also be used to target a particular set of fixtures for certain teams.
Many managers often use their first Wildcard quite early in the season to recruit players who have caught the eye over the first few weeks of the campaign. But it should always be played with a longer-term outlook in mind.
Gameweek 8 and Gameweek 13 are two potential Wildcard opportunities, allowing managers to swap around premium midfielders and forwards, and take advantage of favourable fixture runs for Arsenal, Chelsea (from GW8) and Liverpool (from GW13).
Indeed, more than 248,000 FPL managers currently have the chip active for GW8.
Wildcarding in GW8 would allow you to monitor and react to injury concerns over the international break. You could also jump on Bukayo Saka (£9.9m) after he scored a penalty last time out. In Gameweek 6, the majority of FPL managers who used their Wildcard opted for Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m), partly because they thought he would take the penalties.
The second Wildcard is typically used in advance of a Double Gameweek, when at least one of the Premier League clubs - and usually more - has TWO league fixtures in one Gameweek.
It allows you to load up players who will have two matches in the Double Gameweek. Then, you can use your Bench Boost chip in the Double Gameweek itself.
Bench Boost
The points scored by your benched players are included in your total.
The Bench Boost chip can be played when saving your team on the “Pick Team” page. It can be cancelled at any time before the Gameweek deadline.
The first Bench Boost chip is most effective when all 15 of your players have a favourable fixture.
Gameweek 8 could be a good opportunity, with the cheap players from Burnley and Sunderland having enticing home fixtures against Leeds and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively. FPL managers who own the likes of Martin Dubravka (£4.0m), Omar Alderete (£4.1m) and Jaidon Anthony (£5.6m) could profit.
More than 135,000 FPL managers have the chip active for Gameweek 8.
The second Bench Boost chip is best kept for a Double Gameweek. If all 15 of your players have two matches, for example, you could potentially gain points from as many as 30 matches.
It’s worth noting that the addition of defensive contribution points could now make budget defenders and midfielders more impactful when playing the chip.
Free Hit
Make unlimited free transfers for a Gameweek. At the next deadline, your squad is returned to how it was before those unlimited moves were made. Because your team has to return to its previous state following a Free Hit, you cannot play this chip in both Gameweek 19 and Gameweek 20.
The Free Hit chip is played when confirming your transfers. It can’t be cancelled after being confirmed. It’s also worth noting that when playing your Free Hit chip, you will KEEP your banked transfers.
The first Free Hit chip can be used to help you navigate a Gameweek in which a number of your key players have tough fixtures.
For example, playing the chip in Gameweek 11, when Manchester City host Liverpool, could allow you to load up on assets from Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, who play Wolves, Sunderland, Burnley and Leeds respectively.
The second Free Hit chip can help you to navigate Blank Gameweeks, when at least one of the Premier League clubs - and usually more - will be without a league fixture.
Triple Captain
Your captain points are tripled instead of doubled.
The Triple Captain chip can be played when saving your team on the “Pick Team” page. It can be cancelled at any time before the Gameweek deadline.
The best time to play the first Triple Captain chip could be on a star midfielder or forward who is at home to one of the promoted clubs.
For example, Erling Haaland (£14.5m) faces Leeds (GW13), Sunderland (GW15) and West Ham (GW17) at home before the chip is reset in January.
Similarly to the second Bench Boost chip, the Triple Captain chip has the most upside when played in a Double Gameweek, allowing you to profit from your chosen captain’s two matches.