Pro Pundits - Tom Hadley
8 April 2026 120 comments
Tom Hadley Tom Hadley
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Tom Hadley – a one-time world number one in FPL – joined our ever-growing team of contributors this season.

He usually provides data-driven articles, chiefly around defensive contribution points (DefCon).

But in this piece, he discusses his finalised chip strategy, and what his Gameweek 32 Wildcard looks like.

reliable defenders Tom Hadley

It’s been the topic of debate for about three weeks, and I’ve finally settled on my chip strategy:

  • Gameweek 32: Wildcard
  • Gameweek 33: Bench Boost
  • Gameweek 34: Free Hit

Firstly, I’m not going to say that this chip strategy is strictly better than any other. The best part about the cup results last weekend is that no path is an obvious one. More than ever, the chip strategy decisions are totally team- and situation-dependent.

I have four free transfers and a team that would have been perfectly fine for Gameweek 32. But the double in Gameweek 33 just feels like the perfect opportunity to target the Bench Boost, even more so now that it’s not as ‘template’ as it would have been if Arsenal beat Southampton. I also think that the Gameweek 32 team on the Wildcard isn’t as bad as people make out.

GAMEWEEK 32 WILDCARD TEAM

So, here’s my current Wildcard team, with £2.0m in the bank, and the likely direction I’ll take with transfers:


FPL pre-season: Malen + Watkins again, Xhaka debut, secretive Man City 2
120 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. D_R_S_PORT_S
    • 8 Years
    7 hours, 43 mins ago

    What are the chances of players like Gabriel (BOU), Saliba (BOU), and Ekitike (FUL) being rested this weekend? I’m considering using my Bench Boost this week, as all of my players have decent fixtures and I can also field a full playing XI in Gameweek 34. My plan for Gameweek 33 is to use the Free Hit as I have just 3 doublers as of now.

    1. Jimmers
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      6 hours, 37 mins ago

      Ekitike more likely to be dropped rather than rested. Dreadful tonight

    2. The Bandit
      • 15 Years
      6 hours, 36 mins ago

      Maybe Ekitike, but hard to imagine Arsenal benching their CB’s whilst still pushing for the title.

    3. Cruyff's Eleven
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      2 hours, 9 mins ago

      As I said yesterday champ. No chance.

      As above, Ekitike is pants regardless.

  2. BR510
      7 hours, 25 mins ago

      Best midfielder for gw34 and 35?
      1. Rogers/Aston Villa
      2. Arsenal
      3. Cunha/Mbeumo
      4. Sunderland, West Ham, Forest, Spurs budget mids

      1. Freshy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 15 Years
        5 hours, 52 mins ago

        Rice

    • The Bandit
      • 15 Years
      7 hours, 20 mins ago

      One to bench please

      Alderete (TOT) - Home, good for DC
      O’Reilly (che) - away, but good attacking threat, depending on which Chelsea show up.
      Wilson (liv) - away, tough fixture, real attacking threat and Liverpool a bit leaky.

      Ta

      1. Freshy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 15 Years
        5 hours, 54 mins ago

        Play O'Reilly - getting too many great chances

      2. BR510
          5 hours, 23 mins ago

          Bench Wilson

        • FantasyClub
          • 5 Years
          5 hours, 13 mins ago

          Bench Alderete

      3. D_R_S_PORT_S
        • 8 Years
        6 hours, 26 mins ago

        Will you do Ekitike to Bowen (-4) ?

        1. FantasyClub
          • 5 Years
          5 hours, 14 mins ago

          Id hit out Eki for a GW33 doubler. Welbz if youre chasing

          1. FantasyClub
            • 5 Years
            5 hours, 13 mins ago

            Burnley this week then a nice double

      4. No price changes
        rainy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 10 Years
        6 hours, 15 mins ago

        No price changes once again

        1. The Night Trunker.
          • 2 Years
          5 hours, 1 min ago

          I'm only happy when it rains on the non thinking majority of peeps that don't own umbrellas.
          When it rains down missiles on you, you were probably wishing you were somewhere else.

          1. RedLightning
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • Has Moderation Rights
            • 15 Years
            just now

            The rain it raineth every day,
            Upon the just and unjust fella -
            But mainly on the just because
            The unjust hath the just's umbrella.

      5. FantasyClub
        • 5 Years
        5 hours, 50 mins ago

        Is Mbeumo a hold for 1 more week?
        Ive been regretting giving him one more game every week.
        Hes 70minute player now due to rotation with a slight risk of starting on the bench if Cunha Amad and Sesko start

        1. Ausman
          • 2 Years
          1 hour, 10 mins ago

          I'm holding for this week and will then reassess with the blank and double gameweeks to consider.

      6. FantasyClub
        • 5 Years
        5 hours, 41 mins ago

        How and why is Marmoush a mid?

      7. The Night Trunker.
        • 2 Years
        5 hours, 16 mins ago

        Where are you?
        Bloody lightweights on thus site as usual.
        Bloody leeches the lot of 'em.

        1. The Knights Template
          • 12 Years
          2 hours, 10 mins ago

          Present!

      8. Boomerang V
        • 9 Years
        4 hours, 31 mins ago

        The problem I have with GW32 WC and GW33 BB is that all teams doubling in GW33 (MCI, CHE, BOU, FUL) have terrible fixtures in GW32:
        CHE vs MCI
        ARS vs BOU
        MUN vs FUL
        The only exception is BHA against BUR.
        So, if I want to get all DGW players for BB, I would probably have a crappy GW32.

        1. Make United Great Again
          • 13 Years
          1 hour, 12 mins ago

          Fulham don’t have a double do they?

      9. GE
        • 9 Years
        3 hours, 3 mins ago

        Have no clue what to do, can you help me please? 🙂

        1) WC32, BB33, FH34
        2) FH33, WC35, BB36
        3) WC33, FH34, BB35/36

        (1FT, 2.1 itb)
        Verbruggen (Dubravka)
        Gabriel/Virgil/O’Reilly (Rodon*, Alderete)
        Bruno/Mbeumo/Rogers/Wilson/Anderson
        Haaland/Pedro/Thiago

      10. PartyTime
        • 4 Years
        3 hours, 3 mins ago

        Yamal fan boys are asleep

        1. Holmes
          • 12 Years
          2 hours, 5 mins ago

          buhuhuuhu

      11. SpaceCadet
        • 12 Years
        2 hours, 17 mins ago

        Better option on wc?

        a. van hecke dcl
        b. hill welbeck

        1. The Knights Template
          • 12 Years
          1 hour, 24 mins ago

          Hill and Van Hecke!

          1. SpaceCadet
            • 12 Years
            2 mins ago

            5-4-2?

        2. Ausman
          • 2 Years
          27 mins ago

          B

          1. SpaceCadet
            • 12 Years
            just now

            Cheers

      12. Brosstan
        • 11 Years
        2 hours, 16 mins ago

        Been on vacation for 2 weeks.

        Any articles that sum up the main points regarding blanks and doubles after cup results?

        1. The Knights Template
          • 12 Years
          1 hour, 11 mins ago

          Where did you go?

        2. BR510
            just now

            Double - Chelsea, City, Leeds, Bournemouth and Brighton (and Burnley) - City to target
            They all blank in 34
            Only Brighton have a good fixture this week so FH33 has become a popular strategy allowing you to keep your GW32 team as long as you can field an 11 in 34 with FT

        3. Make United Great Again
          • 13 Years
          1 hour, 50 mins ago

          Thoughts…

          A. Szobo vs Fulham
          B. Haaland vs Chelsea -4

          1. Here is Cash, give McGinn
            • 6 Years
            1 hour, 6 mins ago

            A

        4. Here is Cash, give McGinn
          • 6 Years
          1 hour, 41 mins ago

          Which one to drop for this GW and 34 as plan is to FH 33 WC 35?

          A) Halaand (che)
          B) Ekitike (FUL, CRY)
          C) Thiago (EVE, mun)
          D) Bowen (WOL, EVE)

        5. Treadstone
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 7 Years
          1 hour, 38 mins ago

          I8

        6. timawflowers
          • 8 Years
          1 hour, 32 mins ago

          Play Wilson or Rogers?

          1. keefy59
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 7 Years
            1 hour, 3 mins ago

            I just watched the Liverpool highlights from last night
            Liverpool look likely to concede this weekend
            Plus may rest or rotate for the return leg .
            Play Wilson

        7. Joggers Nipple
          • 16 Years
          1 hour, 17 mins ago

          Are pay wall sites/ articles done for now with AI summaries available?

          1. Holmes
            • 12 Years
            1 hour, 11 mins ago

            Most of them were already done due to archive

        8. _Gunner
          • 11 Years
          1 hour, 11 mins ago

          Morning All,
          On WC, G2G?

          Raya
          Gabriel O'Reilly Richards
          Rice Semenyo Sarr Bruno
          Thiago Haaland Bowen

          subs: Verbruggen King VanHecke Gudmundsson

        9. BR510
            1 min ago

            Best midfielder for GW32, 34 and 35?
            1. Rogers
            2. Rice
            3. Cunha/Mbeumo
            4. Sunderland (NFO, WOL)
            5. Other

            1. BR510
                1 min ago

                4. Sunderland (TOT, NFO, WOL) (Have Alderete)