The rescheduling of Tottenham Hotspur’s home fixture with West Ham United will force careful planning from Fantasy Premier League managers.
The derby has moved from 31 December to 4 January, meaning that both Spurs and West Ham will have no fixture in Gameweek 21, but will play twice in Gameweek 22, creating the first “Double Gameweek” of the season.
Just two days before, on Tuesday 2 January, Spurs travel to Swansea City while West Ham host West Bromwich Albion.
That means Harry Kane (£12.8m) will be a key target and a clear candidate for the Gameweek 22 captaincy, as he faces the two teams currently propping up the table.
Kane likes playing West Ham. He scored twice in a 3-2 win at London Stadium in Gameweek 6 and also got two goals at home to them in each of the previous two seasons.
But there's a catch
Those holding Kane in their squads must decide whether to keep and bench him in Gameweek 21, when he has no fixture.
The alternative is to use transfers to sell him and then bring him back for his two fixtures that follow in Gameweek 22. But that could be risky given the rotation, injuries and suspensions around this time.
Significantly, the timing of the Double Gameweek also coincides with the second Wildcard of the season, which is available ahead of Gameweek 22.
This could allow FPL managers to stock up on Spurs players ahead of their two matches without reserving transfers.
But with other Double Gameweeks likely to fall later in the season, managers may resist this particular strategy.
Time for a Free Hit?
The use of the Free Hit chip is another potential tactic.
The chip allows managers to bring in players for one Gameweek only, before their squads revert back to their original 15 players.
This would enable managers to look at both Spurs and West Ham players as one-week investments for Gameweek 22.
Triple Captain
Kane’s potential for points over two matches also makes him a target for the Triple Captain chip, trebling his score in Gameweek 22.
Managers must decide carefully between these chip options as only one can be activated in any given Gameweek.
