Ahead of the 2015/16 season, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) introduced some chips to make the game more interesting and strategic.
All Out Attack isn’t around anymore but both Bench Boost and Triple Captain remain – alongside a Free Hit and two Wildcards – to play a key role in each manager’s attempt to win mini-leagues and achieve a strong global rank.
WHAT ARE CHIPS?
This toolbox provides FPL managers with a few different ways to approach the game.
Triple Captain – Multiplies the chosen captain’s points by three rather than the usual two.
Bench Boost – Includes the points of your four substitutes in the Gameweek total.
Wildcard – Using unlimited free transfers to transform your squad for current and future Gameweeks.
Only one of these can be used per Gameweek, activated before the deadline.
WHAT IS A FREE HIT?
Meanwhile, Free Hit arrived for 2017/18, allowing managers to form a squad for one Gameweek only via an unlimited number of free transfers.
Completely changing your squad for a particular round of fixtures comes at no cost, although do be aware that your squad will return to its regular 15 for the Gameweek afterwards.
According to the official FPL site, a Free Hit can’t be cancelled after being confirmed and you can’t use it to gain money from double price rises. Any saved-up free transfers will be lost, returning to one for the next Gameweek.
HOW TO USE THE FREE HIT
Via a computer, just log in to your FPL account and select the ‘Pick Team’ tab. Underneath the starting XI and substitutes bench is a ‘Play’ button that needs clicking and confirming.
Using the official FPL app, this is immediately visible above such team graphics.
BEST TIMES TO USE IT
Chips can be used in a variety of situations, that’s the beauty of them. Perhaps it’s to attack a Double Gameweek or survive a Blank Gameweek. Maybe your squad has an injury crisis or you have supreme confidence in one player’s upcoming fixture.
With Free Hit, many FPL managers usually follow the logic of using the chip during a Blank or Double Gameweek.
The advantage of a Blank Gameweek is that you can field 11 players at a time when many managers are short by a few. Combining that with some clever differential picks can fire you up the rankings.
It’s unlikely that you’ll make the team worse, whereas a Double Gameweek activation runs the risk of sacrificing highly-owned one-match players to chase a higher quantity of doublers. It can easily backfire, just like it can work brilliantly.
Another occasion would be during a regular Gameweek with either terrible fixtures or a huge number of injuries and bans.
