Thanks to the FA Cup semi-finals, six teams will not play in Blank Gameweek 34 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL): Manchester City, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion, Leeds United and Burnley.
As a result, many FPL managers will use their Free Hit chip.
In this article, we take an early look at a Free Hit draft and some alternative options.
This also serves as our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ this week, given that it’s essentially the same concept: a cherry-picked XI on a £100.0m budget.
GAMEWEEK 34 FREE HIT DRAFT
THE DEFENCE
At the back, Arsenal and Liverpool will likely feature near the top of any clean sheet odds table you might see this week.
Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.1m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.2m) are the obvious routes into those defences.
Both players are a menace at set plays, with clean sheet and defensive contribution (DefCon) point potential also falling in their favour.
For our third defensive selection, we’ve opted for a differential: Pedro Porro (£5.1m).
Over the last two matches, no club has allowed more chances to be conceded from their left flank than Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) and Brenden Aaronson (£5.4m) both providing assists from that side of the pitch.
Could Porro, who frequently ‘inverted’ in Tottenham Hotspur’s last away match, be the ‘unlocker’ this weekend?
Above: Where Wolves have conceded key passes (and assists) from in the last two Gameweeks
Porro might fancy his chances from set-pieces, too.
Wolves have conceded three goals from such situations in their last two matches, the most of any team.
Mads Hermansen (£4.2m) is partly selected in goal due to budget, but West Ham United have tightened up considerably under Nuno Espirito Santo, with two clean sheets in five on home turf.
THE ATTACK
Further forward, Bruno Fernandes (£10.3m) is nailed-on for 90 minutes, on penalties and the division’s best creator by some distance.
He’s joined by Mohamed Salah (£14.0m), who has found the net in back-to-back Gameweeks.
Liverpool host Crystal Palace, who could have one eye on their Conference League semi-final first leg against Shakhtar Donetsk five days later.
Trips to the Stadium of Light and Craven Cottage aren’t straightforward prospects for Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, but both opponents are in the bottom eight for expected goals conceded (xGC) in their last six home matches:
Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.5m) is one of the division’s form players and has racked up 91 points since the turn of the year, more than any other asset except Fernandes.
As for Morgan Rogers (£7.4m), he’s been back among the points in recent weeks, with a goal and two assists in three matches. In that time, he’s combined eight shots with six chances created, including four ‘big chance’ involvements.
Then there is Harry Wilson (£6.0m), who just loves playing at Craven Cottage, with 10 attacking returns in 15 home appearances.
Bowen is the default option up top, but the second forward spot is much harder to decide on.
We’ve gone with Dominic Solanke (£7.2m) in this draft, partly because Wolves seem to have a problem with opposition forwards recently. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.7m) continued the run in Gameweek 33 (with four shots in the box), with Taty Castellanos (£5.5m, four shots in the box) and Igor Thiago (£7.3m, three shots in the box) getting some joy before that.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
As well as the above, there are many other viable options/ideas to consider.
Sunderland defence
If you don’t think Forest can deliver on Wearside in Friday’s Blank Gameweek 34 opener, why not back Sunderland’s defence instead?
The Mackems achieved their sixth home clean sheet of the season in Gameweek 32, the joint-third most of any team.
Robin Roefs (£4.8m) is one of only four goalkeepers to surpass 120 points this season, while Nordi Mukiele (£4.5m) has banked six attacking returns on home turf.
In-form Watkins
There aren’t many forward options putting their hands up this week, with Alexander Isak (£10.3m) still building fitness and uncertainty over who starts at Arsenal. Even Beto (£5.0m), who has four goals and one assist in five matches, is currently flagged for Everton.
It increases the appeal of Ollie Watkins (£8.6m), the most transferred-in player of Blank Gameweek 34 so far.
He’s registered eight attacking returns in his last six matches across all competitions.
He’s also scored three times in his last two trips to Craven Cottage, amassing 21 points.
Arsenal defensive stack
Given that Arsenal will be near the top of the clean sheet odds table this week, one tactic is to triple-up on their backline via David Raya (£6.0m), William Saliba (£6.1m) and Gabriel.
It’s a high-risk strategy, but in the absence of a standout attacker, it could pay off if they can deliver a clean sheet against Newcastle United, who sit 14th after three successive Premier League defeats.
Across the season, Mikel Arteta’s men have the fewest goals conceded (26), fewest shots faced (265) and most clean sheets (15).
Other midfielders
The midfield pool is looking pretty healthy for Free Hitters in Blank Gameweek 34, with some other options to consider listed below (there are many others too!).
- Matheus Cunha (£8.0m): Although Fernandes is the obvious pick from the Manchester United midfield, Cunha – who has four attacking returns in six starts – could be selected alongside him.
- Cody Gakpo (£7.3m)/ Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.1m): Gakpo has delivered back-to-back assists, while Szoboszlai has recently proven to be a reliable source of points, with one goal, two assists, eight DefCon points and three bonus in his last six matches.
- Declan Rice (£7.2m)/ Eberechi Eze (£7.2m): In his box-to-box role, Rice carries assist/DefCon potential, whereas Eze is a potentially explosive differential if he starts. He started on the left against Man City on Sunday and was unfortunate not to score, hitting the woodwork in the second half.
- Xavi Simons (£6.5m): The Dutchman was heavily involved for Spurs in Gameweek 33, assisting Porro’s goal before scoring himself with a superb strike.
- Crysencio Summerville (£5.5m): With eight attacking returns already this season, the winger is a differential alternative to teammate Bowen.
