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?
Free Hit
Make unlimited free transfers for a single Gameweek. At the next deadline, your squad is returned to how it was before those unlimited moves were made.
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.
Some FPL managers might be tempted to play the chip in Gameweek 3, when Liverpool host Arsenal. Indeed, more than 224,000 managers have the chip active this week.
That tactic might also appeal to managers who own a number of injured players, especially if the likes of Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£6.1m) continue to be injury doubts or are ruled out.
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 second Free Hit chip can help navigate Blank Gameweeks, when at least one of the Premier League clubs - and usually more - will be without a league fixture.
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.
Wildcard
All transfers (including those already made) are free of charge.
More than 523,000 managers have the chip active ahead of Gameweek 3.
A Wildcard is often best saved for when your squad most needs an overhaul. For example, this could be if you have multiple players injured, banned 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.
The Wildcard is played when confirming transfers that cost points and can’t be cancelled once played. When playing a Wildcard, you will KEEP your banked transfers.
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 to contest.
It allows you to load up players who have two matches in a Double Gameweek and is played in advance of deploying the Bench Boost chip, to maximise the latter’s potential.
Bench Boost
The points scored by your benched players are included in your total.
Over 128,000 FPL managers have the chip active for Gameweek 3.
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 best used when all 15 of your players have a favourable fixture.
The second one looks best kept for Double Gameweeks. 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.
Triple Captain
Your captain points are tripled instead of doubled.
More than 239,000 Fantasy managers have the chip active for Gameweek 3.
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.
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.