When are the best Gameweeks to Bench Boost in FPL?

Only 2.2 million of total Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers – 19.47 per cent – have used their Bench Boost.

For the uninitiated, the Bench Boost is a chip that allows all 15 squad players to contribute points for one week only.

As many use this long break to investigate potential chip strategies, it’s worth assessing when the best times to activate this one could be.

We’ve written this before the FA Cup quarter-final action but more will be known by the next deadline. We’ll update this piece as and when we get more information.

• READ MORE: Gameweek 30 v Gameweek 31 Wildcard: The arguments for each
• READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 30 Wildcard: Three possible drafts

GAMEWEEK 32

The logic is usually to Bench Boost during a Double Gameweek because it maximises the number of fixtures that can be benefitted from. A regular Gameweek line-up has 11 outings whereas this could have up to 30.

A popular time to Wildcard will be Gameweek 31 because we should know the complete picture by then – more on that shortly. So Bench Boosting immediately after allows more accurate guesses for picking 15 players that are fit and in favour. A shorter gap for things to go wrong.

Gameweek 32 is a definite double for both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace assets, nobody else.

The crucial part of Bench Boosts is picking a bunch of budget-friendly players whose price doesn’t dilute the usual XI’s quality but also has favourable fixture(s) for that one time.

In this case, our Season Ticker helps to identify a few names. Newcastle pair Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) and Dan Burn (£4.4m) feature twice, as does Palace’s Ismaila Sarr (£5.6m) – though the Eagles’ tough opponents make a cheap defender less appealing. Daniel Munoz (£5.1m) is worth keeping, mind.

Perhaps Aston Villa facing last-placed Southampton is just as attractive as playing twice. That should boost the prospects of Morgan Rogers (£5.5m) and Axel Disasi (£4.2m) but it comes between the two-legged Champions League quarter-final.

Also facing sides in the bottom three are Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion. Cheap goalkeepers Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) and Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) appeal, like defenders Levi Colwill (£4.4m) and, if fit, Lewis Dunk (£4.2m.) Further up, they offer attackers such as Joao Pedro (£5.6m), Georginio Rutter (£5.1m), Yankuba Minteh (£5.0m) and Enzo Fernandez (£4.7m).

GAMEWEEK 33

Meanwhile, it’s currently more hypothetical for Double Gameweek 33. We’ll know all about Blank Gameweek 34 by the next deadline and possibly the exact rearrangements.

But we know that eight sides will definitely feature in the blank and play just once in the big double. This includes Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle – meaning that going all-in on the Magpies for Gameweek 32 is followed by an unattractive single fixture at Aston Villa.

Below, we’ve used the ticker to rank the other 12 teams’ potential double, though no more than eight will get one.

Arsenal would be on top but they lack the cheap enablers that help trigger a Bench Boost decision. At least West Ham United can offer goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (£4.2m).

Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.6m) would have potential, just like popular low-cost attackers Justin Kluivert (£6.2m), Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) and Evanilson (£5.7m).

Further down the list, Nottingham Forest assets will be determined to reach the Champions League and so will the Brighton individuals mentioned before.

In West London, a cheap Fulham defender like Joachim Andersen (£4.2m) could be handy if they reach the FA Cup semi-finals, while Brentford have Mark Flekken (£4.4m) and the fit-again Sepp van den Berg (£4.1m). The latter first needs to re-establish himself in Thomas Frank’s starting XI after returning from a month out.

Villa’s Rogers would have a tricky pair and Palace are believed to have the most difficult couple, though they’d be the only team with consecutive Double Gameweeks.

GAMEWEEK 36

Despite the assumption that fixtures will slot into Gameweek 33, there’s a tiny chance they move to Gameweek 36 instead.

There’s also the prospect of Double Gameweek 36 forming in another way.

Gameweek 37 clashes with the FA Cup final, so the postponed Premier League matches will either:

• a) move to the midweek after Gameweek 37 (staying within that Gameweek) or;
• b) shift forward a few days to the midweek after Gameweek 36 (making it a ‘double’)

If Aston Villa reach the FA Cup final and Gameweek 37 opponents Tottenham Hotspur make it to the UEFA Europa League final, their fixture would have to go into Double Gameweek 36.

It’d add to Villa’s match at Bournemouth, plus Spurs’ hosting of Crystal Palace. Not particularly attractive fixtures, where the north London side lacks cheap FPL Bench Boost options.

GAMEWEEK 38

If none of those ideas end up happening, you could always use it on the unpredictable final day.

• READ MORE: Is FPL Gameweek 38 usually a goal-fest?

The previous 14 campaigns have ended with more Gameweek 38 goals than that season’s average. For example, there were 3.28 goals per 2023/24 match and 3.70 per closing encounter.

That’s why it’d be useful to have eight playing attackers. On the other hand, the lack of clean sheets brings trouble to extra defenders.

All in all, Gameweeks 32 and 33 appear to remain the better times to Bench Boost. It’ll be much easier to fully gauge the appeal of the latter once the FA Cup quarter-finals are over and the league fixtures are rescheduled.

• READ MORE: What to look out for before the FPL Gameweek 30 deadline

Those with the Assistant Manager chip still intact will need to use the latter in the final stretch, of course.

Playing that in Gameweek 31 or 32 could get you five matches out of your chosen boss(es) thanks to back-to-back Double Gameweeks. In that case, the Bench Boost may be better saved for May.