With Gameweek 13 a good opportunity to play either the Free Hit chip or the Triple Captain chip in Fantasy Premier League, The Scout assesses which is the best chip to deploy, and if you only have the Triple Captain chip left to use, whether managers should play it on Erling Haaland.
Why Gameweek 13 is a great time to play your Triple Captain chip
If you still have your Triple Captain chip left to play, then backing Erling Haaland (£14.9m) in a home match seems the wisest move.
The Manchester City star is the top-scoring player in Fantasy, thanks mainly to his prolific form at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland has produced two thirds of his attacking returns this season in home contests, scoring nine goals and supplying an assist across six such appearances. He has blanked in just one of those outings, averaging 10.2 points per match (ppm).
On the road, however, he has been less impactful. The Norwegian has five goals and two blanks in six away matches, averaging 7.2ppm.
Haaland home/away breakdown, 25/26
| Home | Away | |
| G+A | 10 | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Blanks | 1 | 2 |
| Pts per match | 10.2 | 7.2 |
Man City have three home matches across the next seven Gameweeks until the second set of chips become available after the Gameweek 19 deadline.
Crucially, all three of those fixtures are very favourable - against Leeds United this weekend, and versus Sunderland and West Ham United in Gameweeks 15 and 17 respectively.
An assessment of those three clubs' away form shows that Leeds have been significantly weaker than their rivals.
They have conceded 15 goals in six away matches - just one less than the combined 16 of Sunderland and West Ham. Daniel Farke's side are also the only ones in the analysis who are yet to keep a clean sheet on their travels.
However, when it comes to allowing their opponents big chances - situations where a player is expected to score - there's almost nothing between the trio.
Indeed, it is Sunderland who top the table for this statistic, conceding 14 in six away matches, with Leeds and West Ham just one behind on 13 apiece.
Away defensive stats for Haaland's opponents, 25/26
| Club | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
| Sunderland | 6 | 2 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds | 15 | 0 | 13 |
| West Ham | 10 | 1 | 13 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
It's also worth taking into consideration here that West Ham's new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has only been at the helm for their last four away matches.
By using the same statistics as above, but over each club's last four away matches, there's little between the trio yet again in terms of conceding big chances. This time, though, it's West Ham who sit top for this statistic, with Leeds' total of eight the best on show.
But when it comes to conceding goals, though, Leeds are again the worst of the three - their total of nine is more than twice the four of Sunderland.
Defensive stats from last four away matches for Haaland's opponents
| Club | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
| West Ham | 7 | 0 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Leeds | 9 | 0 | 8 |
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Both over the season and from the point of Nuno's arrival, all three clubs have been very similar in terms of allowing their opponents gilt-edged scoring opportunities, and there would be no surprise at all if Haaland produced big hauls against all of them.
Nonetheless, if you only have the Triple Captain chip remaining, then Leeds' frailties look the best to target of the trio. They have simply been the worst when it comes to conceding goals, averaging over two per match in both the tables above.
West Ham's numbers under Nuno suggest they are the next-best option, with Sunderland proving more stubborn at the back, and perhaps the one to avoid when using the Triple Captain chip on Haaland.
Remember, you CAN cancel the Triple Captain chip if you have already activated it, but have now decided you want to use the Free Hit chip in Gameweek 13 instead.
But is the Free Hit chip a better option than the Triple Captain chip for Gameweek 13?
If you have both the Triple Captain AND Free Hit chips still at your disposal, there are a lot more factors to consider before making your decision.
Along with Man City's match against Leeds, the Gameweek 13 schedule hands us another two examples of clubs with excellent home form whose opponents have very poor away form.
Brentford also host a promoted club, facing Burnley on Saturday afternoon. The following day, Aston Villa entertain bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Gameweek 13 schedule
Brentford v Burnley
Man City v Leeds
Sunderland v Bournemouth
Everton v Newcastle
Spurs v Fulham
Crystal Palace v Man Utd
Aston Villa v Wolves
Nottingham Forest v Brighton
West Ham v Liverpool
Chelsea v Arsenal
As you can see from the table below, Man City are second only to Arsenal for points accrued in home matches this season. Their total of 16 goals, meanwhile, ranks joint-top with the Gunners.
Brentford and Villa have each amassed 13 points across their six home contests. While the latter are more reliable for clean sheets - by three to one - it is Brentford who have boasted the greater goal threat of the two.
Indeed, the Bees' total of 12 goals in home matches is fewer than only Arsenal and Man City.
Clubs with best home form, 25/26
| Club | G | Goals conc. | CS | Pts |
| Arsenal | 16 | 2 | 4 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | 16 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| Brighton | 12 | 6 | 1 | 14 |
| Bournemouth | 10 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| Fulham | 9 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Brentford | 12 | 7 | 1 | 13 |
| Aston Villa | 10 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
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A look at the clubs with the worst away form over the season shows why bringing in Villa, Brentford and Man City attackers could bring in big rewards on a Free Hit chip.
Their weekend visitors have failed to keep a single clean sheet on their travels this season, with Burnley conceding an average of three goals per away match.
Clubs with worst away form, 25/26
| Club | Goals | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Pts |
| Wolves | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulham | 4 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| Leeds | 4 | 15 | 0 | 3 |
| Burnley | 9 | 18 | 0 | 3 |
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The Clarets' frailties look good news for Brentford's Igor Thiago (£6.5m), whose 281,000+ transfers in make him the most-bought player ahead of Saturday's 13:30 GMT deadline.
Having scored nine goals over the first 12 Gameweeks, Thiago should be a must-have alongside Haaland for any forward line on a Free Hit chip.
In midfield, Villa, Brentford and Man City offer managers a host of overlooked, in-form players who can help you move up the mini-league rankings.
Villa's Morgan Rogers (£6.8m) scored twice to collect 15 points against Leeds last weekend and is owned by only six per cent of managers.
Meanwhile, Brentford pair Dango Ouattara (£6.0m) and Kevin Schade (£7.0m) are both found in under two per cent of squads
Ouattara is the form pick, with a goal and three assists over the last four Gameweeeks. Schade, however, has been more reliable in home matches, blanking only once in his previous five such contests.
What a GW13 Free Hit team could look like
Elsewhere, Man City's Jeremy Doku (£6.5m) has produced all of his attacking returns this season - one goal and four assists - over his club's last five home matches. Just eight per cent of managers currently own the Belgian.
Doku's team-mate Rayan Cherki (£6.4m) boasts an ownership of only three per cent and has similarly upped his output recently. All three of his assists for 2025/26 were supplied across the last three Gameweeks.
Which high-owned players should you swap out on Free-Hit?
In previous seasons, managers only had one Free Hit chip, which they typically kept for "Blank Gameweeks", which are reduced rounds of matches later in the season caused by FA Cup postponements, or "Double Gameweeks", when a team play TWO matches in the same Gameweek.
But with two Free Hit chips at our disposal this season, we have to consider a different approach.
There are two matches - Chelsea v Arsenal and Palace v Man Utd - which contain a high number of very popular players who are facing each other.
As you can see from the table below, those two fixtures affect managers across all positions.
They contain two of the three most-owned goalkeepers, six of the 10 most-popular defenders, four of the six most-owned midfielders and two of the three most-popular forwards.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Palace and Man Utd player ownerships
| Position | No. of top-owned players | Players |
| Goalkeepers | 2/3 | Raya, Sanchez |
|---|---|---|
| Defenders | 6/10 | Guehi, Timber, Gabriel, Cucurella, Munoz, Calafiori |
| Midfielders | 4/6 | Mbeumo, Caicedo, Rice, Saka |
| Forwards | 2/3 | Joao Pedro, Mateta |
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If you own Chelsea's Joao Pedro (£7.5m) and any of the Arsenal backline such as David Raya (£5.9m), Jurrien Timber (£6.3m) or Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m), the chances of opposing players each having a successful Gameweek is obviously reduced in their head-to-head at Stamford Bridge.
You can reverse that situation and apply it to Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) or Declan Rice (£6.9m) up against Robert Sanchez (£4.8m) or Marc Cucurella (£6.1m).
Similarly, if you own Man Utd's Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) and any of the Palace backline, such as Marc Guehi (£5.1m) or Daniel Munoz (£5.9m), you're hedging your prospects by playing them against one another.
Why Brentford attackers can offer temporary solution on Free-Hit
The most appealing part of bringing in Brentford attackers on a Free Hit chip for Gameweek 13 is that they then face what is arguably the toughest match of the season immediately afterwards, with a visit to Arsenal in Gameweek 14 next midweek.
And what is equally crucial is that clubs such as Chelsea and Man Utd have far kinder Gameweek 14 schedules, so you would only want to temporarily replace them anyway, against Leeds and West Ham respectively.
If you want to avoid fielding players who are facing Arsenal in Gameweek 13, you could swap out Moises Caicedo (£6.1m) for fellow budget midfielder Ouattara using a Free Hit chip. This would give you back-to-back matches against promoted clubs.
Again, if you're backing the consistent Palace defence against Man Utd, free-hitting in Schade for Mbeumo would give you home matches against Burnley and West Ham and a trip to Wolves over the next three Gameweeks.
The table below also shows why owners of Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) should hold for now and simply replace him with Thiago on a Free Hit chip in Gameweek 13, when the Magpies head to Everton.
This would give you TWO home matches against Burnley across the next three Gameweeks, as well as a home match versus Tottenham Hotspur.
Impact of Brentford GW13 Free-Hit replacements on popular FPL picks
| GW | Caicedo/Ouattara | Mbeumo/Schade | Woltemade/Thiago |
| 13 | Burnley (H) | Burnley (H) | Burnley (H) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Leeds (A) | West Ham (H) | Spurs (H) |
| 15 | Bournemouth (A) | Wolves (A) | Burnley (H) |
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Which other Gameweeks are worth playing the Free Hit chip?
Further analysis helps to highlight the opportunities available to managers prior to the second set of chips being available after the Gameweek 19 deadline.
As the table below indicates, Gameweeks 15, 16 and 17 offer the best chance of loading up on clubs with very favourable opponents.
In Gameweek 15, along with Man City's home match against Sunderland, there's Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham, Newcastle v Burnley and Wolves v Man Utd also to consider.
What makes playing the Free Hit in Gameweek 15 arguably the most effective strategy of the three examples is that, due to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), managers' total number of free transfers will be topped up to five immediately after the deadline.
Those extra trades will allow your rivals more freedom to prepare for Gameweeks 16 and 17 far more effectively, therefore diluting the impact of you using the Free Hit chip in either Gameweek 16 and 17, because your rivals may be able to put together a similarly strong team.
Other Gameweeks to use the Free Hit chip in
| GW | Matches to target |
| 15 | Brighton v West Ham Man City v Sunderland Newcastle v Burnley Wolves v Man Utd |
|---|---|
| 16 | Arsenal v Wolves Brentford v Leeds Chelsea v Everton West Ham v Aston Villa |
| 17 | Bournemouth v Burnley Brighton v Sunderland Man City v West Ham |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
So, which chip should you use in Gameweek 13?
If you only have the Triple Captain chip left, Leeds' inability to keep out their opponents indicates now is the time to strike and use it on Haaland.
But if you also have the Free Hit chip, Gameweek 13 gives you the chance to load up on low-owned, in-form players from teams with great fixtures, as well as temporarily replacing high-owned picks with far tougher match-ups.
This would allow you to instead play the Triple Captain chip on Haaland at home to West Ham in Gameweek 15, with their numbers both for the season and under Nuno offering plenty of encouragement.