More than 124,000 managers in Fantasy Premier League have their Free Hit chip active due to a blank Gameweek 27 for Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Afterwards, back-to-back Double Gameweeks 28 and 29 present an opportunity to play a Wildcard.
Notably, Newcastle United are the only club who play twice in both of those Gameweeks, with Martin Dubravka (£4.4m) and Joe Willock (£5.7m) worth considering.
When planning ahead, though, managers must consider the reduced fixture list in Gameweek 30, as the FA Cup quarter-finals are scheduled for the same weekend.
At present, only three Gameweek 30 matches are set to take place:
Aston Villa v Arsenal
Leicester v Brentford
Wolves v Leeds
Handily, the FA Cup fifth-round ties are played in midweek next week. Therefore the schedule for Gameweek 30 should be known before Gameweek 28, allowing managers to firm up their plans in advance.
At present, key players from Arsenal, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers look vital for those playing a Wildcard in DGW28.
Not only do all of those sides have a fixture in Gameweek 30, they also have either a DGW28 or DGW29 beforehand.
Arsenal and Wolves boast the strongest defences of those four sides, while Bukayo Saka (£6.5m), Alexandre Lacazette (£8.3m), Jacob Ramsey (£4.8m), Philippe Coutinho (£7.3m), Raphinha (£6.5m) and Raul Jimenez (£7.5m) provide strong attacking options.
Southampton should not be overlooked, despite a potential blank Gameweek 30. Their upcoming matches and budget-friendly price tags make James Ward-Prowse (£6.5m) and Armando Broja (£5.4m) very appealing picks.
Typically, managers tend to play Free Hit chips in reduced rounds of fixtures such as Gameweek 30.
But by selecting the key players from the Gameweek 30 sides, either with a Wildcard or simply through transfers in advance, the Free Hit chip could be retained for later in 2021/22.
Leicester City’s extra schedule is another issue to consider.
The Foxes have three matches yet to be scheduled, more than any other side.
Teams with matches to rearrange
| No. of matches to reschedule | Team |
| 3 | LEI |
|---|---|
| 2 | ARS, BUR, CHE, EVE |
| 1 | AVL, NOR, TOT |
As Leicester are also among the six sides currently with a scheduled Gameweek 30 match, buying James Maddison (£6.8m) and Jamie Vardy (£10.3m), if fit, could reward investors.
There is also an argument for holding on to your chips in the meantime.
The FA Cup semi-finals, which are scheduled for Gameweek 33, are also likely to cause further blanks.
In addition to the current number of outstanding matches, this means there are likely to be more Double Gameweeks later in the season, offering other opportunities to play the Wildcard, Triple Captain, Bench Boost or Free Hit chips.
Also in this series
Part 1: FPL experts: Target Man City and Burnley with Free Hit