The Burning Question – When To Wildcard?

Wildcard teams are Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers’ virtual babies.

They’re excitedly conceived and lovingly nurtured, grow and change at a bewildering rate and then, finally, are set free into the big bad world.

The select few will do us proud, while the rest leave us wallowing in bitterness and regret.

Until, that is, we’re handed another one to make good on any past indiscretions.

This season’s second Wildcard is proving to be a bit of a problem child, not helped by Gameweek 31’s reduced schedule meaning many of us are currently in possession of a team full of one-week punts and Championship-botherers. And Mohamed Salah.

But do we make wholesale changes now to hit the Gameweek 32 ground running?

Or do we wait, sniff the Fantasy air and leave the Submit button until Gameweek 33, when the Fantasy landscape is clear for all to see and the risks of early deployment minimised?

Time for our esteemed panel of reigning FPL champion Ben Crabtree, last season’s runner-up Uwais Ahmed, Career Hall of Fame legends Jay Egersdorff and Peter Kouwenberg and our very own Mark to chew on the latest Burning Question – Is the Wildcard best used in Gameweek 32 or 33?

Peter Says…

Once again, there’s no escaping from the fact that one size won’t fit all.

We’re all navigating these treacherous waters in slightly different vessels, some cruising through with chips aplenty, others taking on significant water as injuries pile up and they have to face up to the morning after the great Gameweek 31 stockpiling.

Those who loaded up with players for Gameweek 31 (and retained their Free Hit chip) may well wish to offload gems such as Theo Walcott, Wilfried Zaha and Moritz Bauer immediately, with only Liverpool (away at Crystal Palace) and, to a lesser extent, Huddersfield (facing Newcastle) and Bournemouth (travelling to Vicarage Road) blessed with reasonable Gameweek 32 fixtures.

Similarly, while many could make the Harry Kane to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang move as a regular transfer, further switches would be required to spread that saving around the team effectively.

That plays into the hands of those who want to Wildcard early and, looking further ahead, provides them with the potential benefit of rolling a transfer over when others play their Wildcard in Gameweek 33.

Perhaps the key question is simply how would much better does your current Gameweek 32 side look compared to your intended Wildcard squad?

If your Wildcard version is going to be well stocked with Arsenal (vs Stoke in Gameweek 32), Manchester United (vs Swansea City) and Leicester City (vs Brighton) players, the fixtures have fallen kindly, although less so with Spurs visiting Chelsea in a vital showdown.

Many will already have pulled in players from Leicester and Arsenal (and possibly a few from the bargain-basements of Brighton and Burnley) weeks ago, utilising their Free Hit Chip in Gameweek 31 or perhaps just hoping for a low-scoring average.

For these forward-thinking souls there is clear benefit to holding onto the Wildcard until Gameweek 33, leaving them better placed to react to injuries or other key information which will precede the much-anticipated Double Gameweek 34.

Holding fire also allows managers to steer clear of the aforementioned clash at Stamford Bridge and to load up with a free conscience just in time for Spurs’ trip to Stoke and Chelsea hosting West Ham – both mouth-watering fixtures on paper.

By the time you’re reading this, I’ll probably already have activated my Wildcard and will be looking forward to a fun fortnight of juggling prior to the inevitable, and negligent, desperate deadline dash.

I’ve been carrying the likes of Julian Speroni, Angelo Ogbonna, Eric Choupo-Moting and Callum Wilson for way too long, though, so if anything my Wildcard comes way too late…

Jay Says…

I think this all depends on which chips you have left and the state of your team post-Gameweek 31.

If you’re likely to have a team filled with players from the likes of Huddersfield and West Brom, then there’s a strong argument for deploying the Wildcard to reset your team.

Likewise, if you have the Free Hit Chip remaining, then it buys you a ‘get out of jail free’ card, for one Gameweek at least, should your Gameweek 32 Wildcard backfire in any way.

The downside to playing your Wildcard at this stage could be that the scheduling of Double Gameweek fixtures may be delayed, whereas if you delay until Gameweek 33 then you may have all of this information at your disposal.

It’s likely, given the scheduling of European fixtures, that the double Gameweeks will be 34 and 37, but don’t be surprised if a fixture or two pops up inside another Gameweek as live broadcasters have been known to be creative with their scheduling in previous seasons.

Should the doubles land in 34 and 37, as expected, then further weight is added to the Gameweek 32 Wildcard argument as you’d have the benefit of carrying a transfer in Gameweek 33 to give you two Free Transfers (if needed) for the week after.

There’s a final factor that may swing the decision, and that’s the return from injury of Harry Kane.

As it stands, he has been given the projected timescale of “returning in April”. When exactly this will be in will certainly play a deciding factor in the Wildcard debate.

Kane, as we know, will have the Golden Boot and a World Cup place firmly in his mind, so going without him for the run-in could be too risky a strategy, particularly as he could have two double Gameweeks to exploit.

Uwais Says…

If you were building to have some semblance of respectable coverage in Gameweek 31 without the use of a Free Hit, you will probably want to use the Wildcard as early as possible.

Employing it in Gameweek 32 allows you to remove players from teams such as Everton and Stoke, who have tough fixtures post-Gameweek 31.

Also, it allows you to use two Free Transfers in Gameweek 34 to tweak and refine your team for the proposed double.

The biggest advantage of using the Wildcard in Gameweek 33 is that you have extra time for information regarding injuries and form before committing to your plans for Double Gameweek 34.

If you used your Free Hit in Gameweek 31, it is possible that upon your teams reverting to their original players, you may have good coverage from teams such as Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

They all boast good fixtures in Gameweek 32, allowing more flexibility to hold fire on using the Wildcard until the week after.

So much depends on how your team looks post-Gameweek 31.

Using your Wildcard early shows your hand to rivals in mini-leagues who may have decided to wait until Gameweek 33. They can then use the Wildcard to exploit differentials.

So while there are a number of ways to go, I believe that if you are well set to take advantage of Gameweek 32 fixtures without the use of a Wildcard, I would suggest holding until Gameweek 33 when you can deploy it with the maximum information at your disposal.

Ben Says…

If you had eight to 11 players for Gameweek 31, then your Gameweek 32 line-up is probably looking, at best, very mid-table.

With Man United and Arsenal having good fixtures, and an array of Man City options also on offer, now will be the best time to take advantage while also being able to factor in the double Gameweeks yet to come.

As a standard, I think the best time to Wildcard is as late as possible so you have the most up-to-date info with regards to form and injuries.

How often are you still happy with all 15 players one Gameweek after Wildcarding?

This is where people who were a bit light for Gameweek 31 might be able to pull back some points as they aren’t under the pressure to Wildcard straight away.

The extra week should be beneficial regarding more current form checks going into the doubles, but it may leave you prone to a red herring or two as well.

For example, an Alexis Sanchez brace in Gameweek 32 might have everyone moulding their Wildcard teams around him, only to find out this is a one-off. Earlier Wildcarders would then end up better off.

Personally speaking, I’m in the Gameweek 33 Wildcard mob.

I didn’t go too heavy for Gameweek 31, where captain Cenk Tosun held the fort, so I look fairly strong for Gameweek 32, with just a four-point hit to be taken.

Mark Says…

My Wildcard is currently active, which I guess instantly provides my answer.

My plan was always to stock on Gameweek 31 players and then activate to clear them out early for Gameweek 32. I have no wish to carry the likes of Walcott and Shaqiri into testing fixtures – they are cheaper assets, but still too rich to have on my bench.

There were other factors at play. With my Free Hit still in hand, it was obvious that I was going to target players in teams with two Double Gameweeks. That is a fact that won’t change one week later and, similarly, the targets in these teams – Riyad Mahrez, Willian, Marcos Alonso, perhaps Romelu Lukaku – seem unlikely to be affected from one more set of fixtures. It’s not impossible that Gameweek 33 will put the skids under these targets, but it doesn’t seem likely.

Certainly, it was enough for me to miss out on price rises. While team value may not be a vital consideration, I’m aware that sometimes you can be blocked on a target by 0.1 and I want to take steps to avoid that frustration in later Gameweeks.

Kane is the one major caveat, and I concede that those holding off until Gameweek 33 may steal a march in that respect. But alternatively, the situation could be reversed.

I will be hoping that we get some clarity on Kane over the next fortnight and I’ll be setting the Wildcard team up to allow me to swap in the striker for Gameweek 34 in two moves. Son and Lukaku – if they make my Wildcard line-up – will likely be the obvious players moved out ahead of the double Gameweek should Kane become available.

Yes, that ties up my two free transfers ahead of Gameweek 34, but it’s only by playing my Wildcard now that I can even bank these two free trades.

If the Kane situation remains unclear right up to Gameweek 34 – which is entirely possible – then those who play their Wildcard ahead of Gameweek 33 will only have one free transfer available to use. Ultimately, that could make reserving a place for Kane very difficult without a points hit.

They would absolutely need Kane confirmed fit before Gameweek 34 if they are to take him into Spurs two home fixtures. That might not happen and I’d rather plan now for that eventuality with two transfers, than be forced to leave substantial money in the bank to do it with one.