We’re in that strange Euro 2024 Fantasy purgatory where Matchday 1 still hasn’t finished but thoughts are slowly turning to Matchday 2.
One decision that Fantasy managers face ahead of Wednesday’s deadline is over chip usage.
Many of you will already have a chip strategy in place, having selected your Matchday 1 squad with a plan in mind.
For others, though, they will have left the door open to a few options. Zophar was indeed discussing this flexible approach in his article last week. Kylian Mbappe‘s injury may also have forced a few hands.
Here we go, then, with a look at the pros and cons of each strategy: Wildcard, Limitless or no chip at all.
CHIP V NO CHIP
Firstly, before we get into the Limitless and Wildcard specifics, the decision of chip v no chip.
PLAYING A CHIP: THE REASONS FOR
- Kylian Mbappe‘s injury is significant. Owned by more than 75% of managers before his broken nose, he’ll almost certainly have to be replaced as reports suggest he’ll miss Matchday 2 at the very least. Fantasy managers only get two free transfers per Matchday during the group stage; not many of us would have expected to use one on the French forward ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.
- Also on the chopping block ahead of Matchday 2 are a few early tournament gambles that didn’t pay off. Joakim Maehle, Jeremie Frimpong and Maxim De Cuyper had high upsides because of their attacking threat but none of them made their respective countries’ starting XIs. Budget goalkeepers Horatiu Moldovan and Etrit Berisha were also benched. A chip allows you to replace these rotation risks and non-starters, as well as Mbappe, with unlimited transfers.
- Attacking the Matchday, rather than just ‘getting through it’, is the main draw of a chip for Matchday 2. This is such a brief tournament, with only seven Matchdays. While in FPL there’s logic behind saving a Wildcard for a rainy day or a Bench Boost/Free Hit for a Double Gameweek, there might not be a better time to play your chips. Traditionally, more goals are scored in the group stage. Matches are typically cagier in the knockout rounds, so the upside might be higher activating a chip now.
- Not only are the quarter-final/semi-final fixtures often tighter affairs, the pool of viable Fantasy options will be significantly reduced by then. Fantasy teams are likelier to become more template by that point, with fewer ways to differentiate your own XV even if you have a chip in hand. If you’re looking for more explosive differentials, Matchday 2 is arguably the standout round.
- There are trickier fixtures for some of the more fancied nations, like Spain, France, the Netherlands and Italy, in Matchday 2. If you think these matches are too close to call, you can always jettison these players for one week before revisiting them in Matchday 3.
NOT PLAYING A CHIP: THE REASONS FOR
- The main advantage of not playing a chip is to keep one back for the knockout rounds. Saving a Wildcard for the quarter-finals is something Pras discussed recently. With only three free transfers to navigate the transition from 16 teams to eight, a few upsets could really leave non-chip holders short.
- We wouldn’t say one Gameweek’s worth of data in FPL was a reliable sample, so it’d be dangerous to think you can draw too many conclusions from five days of Euro Fantasy. Except for those players who were benched or injured, can the underwhelming Matchday 1 performers really just be written off? And can we be sure the likes of Romania and Slovakia are the real deal based on one victory?
- On the subject of those nations, chip users in Matchday 2 are probably going to be targeting some of the less fancied countries with better fixtures. So while Italy face Spain, France clash with the Netherlands and England square off against Denmark, nations such as Switzerland, Czechia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria and Slovakia come into the reckoning. Backing more unknown quantities on the international stage comes with its own risks, as does ignoring the likes of Spain and France given their undoubted pedigree.
LIMITLESS v WILDCARD
If you are intent on playing a chip, which one?
Using a Wildcard in Matchday 2 and following it up with a Limitless in Matchday 3 is one popular strategy. Doing the reverse is also an option, of course.
Then there’s the less discussed alternative of using a Wildcard now to plan for Matchdays 2 and 3, saving the Limitless for later in the tournament.
Here are the main perks of each:
PLAYING LIMITLESS: THE REASONS FOR
- With unlimited funds, managers can get in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancelo, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Jamal Musiala and Luka Modric without any concerns about the budget. All of these players have favourable-ish fixtures in Matchday 2, although we may have to rethink Belgium v Romania…
- Using the Limitless means you will then get all your Matchday 1 picks back, from the likes of Italy, the Netherlands, England, Denmark and France, in Matchday 3. Rather than ditching the lot on a Matchday 2 Wildcard, they will all still be in place ready for their easier-on-paper games in Matchday 3. You also have the option of using a Wildcard in Matchday 3 as a Free Hit, of course.
PLAYING A WILDCARD AS A ‘FREE HIT’ IN MATCHDAY 2: THE REASONS FOR
- The upside for the Limitless may be better in Matchday 3. Not only have the aforementioned players from Portugal, Germany and Belgium also got decent matches then but you’ve also got the likes of France, Spain and England with favourable fixtures. It’s likely that you can put together a perfectly good Matchday 2 team on a Wildcard without having to rely on unlimited funds. That might not be the case in Matchday 3.
- The main advantage of using the Wildcard (or indeed a Limitless) as a Matchday 2 Free Hit over using it to plan for two Matchdays (see below) is that it also gives you the chance to play another chip in Matchday 3. We simply don’t know what we’ll encounter in Matchday 3 yet. Some countries, like England, France, Germany and Italy, may already be qualified by then and may consider rotating in their final group game.
PLAYING A WILDCARD FOR MATCHDAYS 2 + 3: THE REASONS FOR
- This may be a harder sell as it’s not a strategy we’ve seen mooted elsewhere. The downside of it we’ve mentioned above: the landscape could look very different come Sunday’s Matchday 3 deadline, with several of your already qualified picks being rested in the final group game. However, if this isn’t a deterrent to you, the upside is getting a Limitless to use in the quarter-finals or beyond. Relatively few managers will be doing this but budget enablers may be few and far between by the last eight/last four/final, so you’ll have the chance to pack a squad full of the most expensive assets. The Limitless itself is only a temporary band-aid, mind. If you use the Limitless in the quarters, for instance, you’ll get your original squad from the round of 16 back in the semis!
