The Scout assesses the best chip strategies for managers in Fantasy Premier League ahead of the upcoming Double Gameweeks.
Wildcard
The Wildcard chip can be used twice in a season and allows managers to completely overhaul their 15-player squad.
The second Wildcard has been available since Gameweek 20 and can be played in any Gameweek until the end of the campaign.
While the optimal timing for playing the Wildcard chip is very much a team-dependent decision, the current Double Gameweek 35 (DGW35) now looks the best time to use it and shape your squad around the final four Gameweeks.
Crucially, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur both have a DGW35 AND a Double Gameweek 37 (DGW37).
It means their key players at both ends of the pitch could be crucial picks as they have six matches across the final four Gameweeks.
Cole Palmer (£6.2m) and Son Heung-min (£9.8m) will be must-haves for many managers, while Malo Gusto (£4.3m) and Pedro Porro (£5.8m) offer attacking potential from defence.
Newcastle United's schedule suggests they can also reward immediate investment.
The Magpies face Sheffield United and Burnley in the two Gameweeks prior to their own DGW37, lifting the appeal of Fabian Schar (£5.6m), Anthony Gordon (£6.1m) and Alexander Isak (£8.0m).
If you are planning to wait beyond DGW35 to play your Wildcard, you should be looking to "dead-end" your team ahead of using the chip, taking short-term punts on players with kind-looking fixtures who you have no intention of keeping long term, before deploying the Wildcard.
Bench Boost
The Bench Boost is best suited to a Double Gameweek to profit from the output of players who have two matches.
It should essentially be planned in conjunction with the Wildcard.
By filling your Wildcard squad with 15 players who are set to play twice in a bumper Double Gameweek, managers can get points from 30 matches in a single Gameweek by using the chip.
Those who are Wildcarding in DGW35 should look to play their Bench Boost chip in DGW37, when Chelsea, Newcastle and Spurs are among the six sides who play twice, along with Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Free Hit
The Free Hit chip allows managers to temporarily swap out their entire 15-man squad for a single Gameweek, before it returns to its previous state for the following round of matches.
It can be most effective in Blank Gameweeks when a number of clubs are without a fixture.
A Free Hit chip would allow managers to have 11 players who each have two matches in the Gameweek.
DGW37 now looks the best option for those who still have their Free Hit chip.
Isak and Erling Haaland (£14.2m) will be vital picks for managers’ frontlines, while Phil Foden (£8.2m) and Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) will compete with Palmer, Son and Gordon for midfield spots.
Triple Captain
The Triple Captain chip allows managers to collect three times the total points scored by their captain, rather than the usual double points.
In order to maximise the potential of the Triple Captain chip, it stands to reason that managers should target Double Gameweeks to take advantage of the output from players with two matches.
Palmer and Son are expected to be the top two picks in DGW35, as Chelsea and Spurs are the only two teams who play twice.
DGW37 offers a more varied cast of armband candidates, with Palmer, Son, Haaland and Isak all capable of devastating points hauls.
