Heading into Gameweek 35, over six million Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers still have a Wildcard chip in hand, while around 10 million have a Bench Boost in their back pocket. Many of them are ‘dead teams’, of course!
Double Gameweek 36 has officially been announced for Manchester City and Crystal Palace, so those active managers with chips to use will be playing a Gameweek 35 Wildcard before backing it up with a Gameweek 36 Bench Boost.
But, given that managers are effectively ‘boosting’ single Gameweek players, is a Gameweek 36 Wildcard and Gameweek 37 Bench Boost an overlooked option?
Let’s check out the pros and cons of two intriguing strategies.
GAMEWEEK 35 WILDCARD + GAMEWEEK 36 BENCH BOOST
PROS
Immediately get onto Man City assets
With no time to waste in this fascinating title race, every goal and clean sheet is important for Manchester City.
Many who opted against a Gameweek 32 Wildcard may not have the likes of Erling Haaland (£14.5m), Rayan Cherki (£6.5m), Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) and Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) in their ‘normal’ squads, especially if they were able to temporarily own these on a Double Gameweek 33 Free Hit.
Good fixtures for Villa
As for Aston Villa, they’re about to face Tottenham Hotspur (h) and Burnley (a) – two sides in the relegation zone.
Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) has four attacking returns from two home matches, and Morgan Rogers (£7.5m) is on an upward curve. A 13-game run involved just one big chance from 37 shots, but he’s had three of them in his latest four outings, scoring past Sunderland after assists versus West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.
Cheap assets have a promising Gameweek 36
Pivotal to a Bench Boost is identifying a few good, low-priced individuals who have an appealing fixture at that moment, but can otherwise be left out of the XI.
In Double Gameweek 36, cheap Leeds United and Brighton and Hove Albion players get a go at Spurs and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
CONS
Villa’s XI might be hard to predict
Other bargains for that Gameweek include Villa pair John McGinn (£5.3m) and Ezri Konsa (£4.4m). They get to visit Burnley.
However, Champions League qualification could be guaranteed by then, and the Turf Moor clash comes merely three days after their Europa League semi-final second leg. Unai Emery might choose to rotate his lineup for once.
A bad entry point for Crystal Palace
Managers trusting Palace players first have to get through a tricky trip to Bournemouth, a team unbeaten in 14. The league’s joint-third lowest goal scorers (36), meeting a defence that has conceded the fewest big chances at home (18).
It’s not just Bournemouth’s form but also the fact that Palace are likely to rotate. Oliver Glasner has already signposted this in previous interviews.
If you can Wildcard in and bench Palace assets this week, great. If not, Gameweek 35 doesn’t promise much.
How’s your ‘bus team’ looking?
Hang on a second. Those squads that were dead-ended into Gameweek 34 suddenly don’t look all that bad for Gameweek 35.
Here’s one of the FFScout team’s Gameweek 35 bus team – and yes, they have a Wildcard/Bench Boost in their back pocket. If the Wildcard isn’t used this week, the planned transfer here is Virgil van Dijk (£6.2m) out for Nico O’Reilly:
No Haaland/Cherki could hurt, of course, but is it really that bad, especially with Everton away not a straightforward test for the Cityzens?
GAMEWEEK 36 WILDCARD + GAMEWEEK 37 BENCH BOOST
PROS
Everton + Fulham cheapies
Maybe you prefer budget-friendly options like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.1m), Michael Keane (£4.5m), Beto (£5.0m), Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) and Harry Wilson (£6.0m).
A Gameweek 37 Bench Boost would have such Everton and Fulham players against Sunderland (h) and Wolves (a). Furthermore, these European qualification contenders have appealing fixtures on both sides of it.
By using a Gameweek 36 Wildcard, managers can avoid their Gameweek 35 matches versus Man City and Arsenal, then stock up afterwards.
Might already have a strong-looking Gameweek 35
As mentioned above, if your current starting XI looks good and brings benching dilemmas, why not push the Wildcard back to the following week?
Particularly if there is faith in the Chelsea duo Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Joao Pedro (£7.6m) at home to Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees are in European action on either side of Monday’s game. Bournemouth, if you have their players, host a Crystal Palace side likely to be rotated. Even a reeling Sunderland outfit get a chance to bounce back against sorry Wolves.
It all hinges on your current XI.
CONS
Too late to make a big impact?
Using a Wildcard, arguably the most precious chip, when there are only three weeks left, feels wasteful.
Not that a Gameweek 35 activation is much better…!
Palace travel to Brentford in Gameweek 37
Assuming that multiple Eagles would be bought for Double Gameweek 36, would you really want to play them all – as part of a Bench Boost – for Gameweek 37’s challenging short journey to Brentford?
We’ve recently seen Oliver Glasner rotate attackers like Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m), Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) and Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.9m), as Palace prioritise winning the Conference League.
Going all-in feels risky. Although carrying over a bunch of free transfers will partly help solve this.
Going without City in Gameweek 35?
If you’ve Free Hit in Gameweek 33, the chances are that you’ve not got any/many City assets.
While Gameweek 35 Wildcarders can bring Haaland, Cherki and O’Reilly into their squads at the drop of a hat, Gameweek 36 Wildcarders may be some way short of a triple-up on the in-form title challengers.
Again, perhaps you’ve got free transfers stocked to remedy that.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A Gameweek 35 Wildcard/Gameweek 36 Bench Boost is still probably the ‘optimal’ play for many. An extra week for your Wildcard to make an impact, plus the ability to recapture City assets this week, is persuasive.
Most clubs will still likely be ‘playing for something’ in Gameweek 36, too, which may not be the case in Gameweek 37.
But if you’re chasing mini-leagues, looking for a big rank swing etc, the Gameweek 36 Wildcard/Gameweek 37 Bench Boost is worth a thought.
Gameweek 36 Bench Boosters may be boosting the same players that Gameweek 34 Bench Boosters did (and still own), ie Leeds and Brighton assets. Would it give you that much of an advantage?
By going heavy on differentials from Everton and Fulham in Gameweek 37, it offers what could be a final chance at a shot in the arm for your overall rank.
