There’s less than three weeks to go before the start of the new fantasy football season.  FPL fever has taken over (replacing transfer window fever in June, which replaced FPL withdrawal in May).  It’s hard to be believe we’re right back into the swing of things already.

I’ve started spending more time tinkering with my team as the pre-season friendly matches progress, but there’s still a lot that can change before we lock in our teams on August 9.  There are loads of informative articles, podcasts, videos and comment sections dedicated to discussing teams and players… Who’s got the kindest opening fixtures?  Which hotly anticipated new signings will start from the first week?  Which big hitters will begin the season on a hot streak?  Can Harry Kane score a goal in August?

This community article is about something different.  Something a bit “maverick” as our Scoutcast hosts like to say.  This is all about early season chip use… specifically, using chips in Gameweek 1.   What?  Seriously?  That’s crazy. Or is it?

You’d be mad to use a precious chip in Gameweek 1, right?  Why would you use a chip in the first week rather than save it for a strong finish or one of the special blank or double gameweeks in the second half of the season (when fixtures get mixed up and lineups need major changes)?  Well, perhaps you want to get out to an early lead in your mini-league or get a cracking overall rank right away to look good amongst your peers and fellow players.  But maybe there’s more to it.  Early success can give your team a boost and position you better to leave other managers in your wake.  And it should always be about maximizing the points with a given chip, so let’s see if using any of them in the first week could make sense.

TRIPLE CAPTAIN

There is a reasonable argument for using the Triple Captain chip on a known FPL star in Gameweek 1 if they have an attractive matchup.  It could be as good as any single-game option for triple captaincy later in the year.  And some of the top teams have great fixtures in the first gameweek – especially Liverpool, Spurs, and Manchester City.  Let’s look at each:

• Liverpool – Mohamed Salah scored in the first gameweek last year and is up against an injury-depleted, newly-promoted side in Norwich City.  It might be the Reds’ best home fixture all season!  With Sadio Mane needing some rest after a full summer of playing in the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah could be clear choice to put two or three goals past the Canaries.  A Liverpool defender (Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, or Virgil Van Dijk) could also be in line for a massive haul from clean sheet and attacking points. The question there is which defender will deliver the most.
• Man City – Man City attackers could likewise run rampant over West Ham even though they play away (they scored four at the London Stadium in each of the last two seasons and four against the Hammers in their pre-season friendly in China last week).  Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero are the best potential triple captain options here and even though I’m a die-hard West Ham fan, I fear that Sterling in particular could shine as he has a better away scoring record than Aguero.
• Spurs – And what about Harry Kane against a promoted Aston Villa side?  If you don’t buy into the mythology about Kane’s inability to score in August (he finally broke the curse last year with his first ever Premier League goal in August), then surely he looks like another triple captain option.  His last Premier League game against Villa was in 2016 when he scored a brace and was man of the match whilst wearing that Phantom of the Opera protective face mask.  And perhaps Spurs have something to prove after coming up just short in the Champions League final.
• Leicester – Crazy like a fox to use your Triple Captain on Leicester?  The Foxes have boosted their attacking threat in the off-season and have a good game at home against Wolves.  It might just be too risky to use this chip on Jamie Vardy but who knows… Wolves only kept two clean sheets away from home last year and they’ll be tired from a flurry of games this summer in Asia and for Europa League qualifying.

BENCH BOOST

Again, like with the Triple Captain chip you could wait for a double gameweek.  But if you stick with proven FPL players and invest in a balanced lineup to start the season, you can be fairly certain of who’s starting and get a bench full of players that have clean sheet or possible attacking potential.  Many people also wildcard in the first five or six weeks, so you’re likely to replace these bench players in a few weeks anyway if you want to get on early bandwagons or shift to more expensive players.  You also won’t have to worry about injuries or suspensions hampering your bench if you play this chip right off the bat.

Playing the bench boost in the first week is like doing it the same week as your wildcard, which is something you can’t do during the season since you can’t use two chips in one week.  Also you never know exactly how the double gameweeks will pan out.  If I had bench boosted in Gameweek 1 last year, I would have added 25 points to my score (equal to my bench boost during the “massive” double gameweek 35 when I had a fully playing bench and three players with doubles).  I also would have started off the season in the Top 100 overall… with nowhere to go but down.

WILDCARD

You can’t wildcard right off the bat.  Save this chip for at least Gameweek 2 if you really hate your team… or more likely Gameweek 4-6 when many of us will pull the trigger early in the season after the first international break and a month of information about who’s playing well.

FREE HIT

Like with the wildcard, you can’t use this in the first week nor should you.  Save it for a major blank or double gameweek in the second half of the season.  That seems a safe play to get you the most value for this chip.

ALL-OUT ATTACK

Does anyone still remember this short-lived chip from two seasons ago?  Even if you do, you probably don’t miss it now that it’s gone.  It was the chip most likely to get you fewer points compared to not using it at all (and this season the defenders look like good value players you want to be starting).

CONCLUSION

Good luck with your final weeks of preparation for the new FPL year!  As you think about your lineup for the first gameweek and early season strategy, don’t ignore the Triple Captain or Bench Boost chips.  You could save them for later or you could get yourself out to a nice lead in August.  Personally, I’m thinking about playing my Triple Captain.  Comment below if you’re thinking about using an early chip in GW1…

Posted by FP Elephant