Fantasy Premier League managers need to stay on top of the schedule changes that have occurred since Gameweek 23.
In the last nine days, we’ve had important matches in the League Cup and FA Cup, which have shifted the landscape of future Gameweeks.
In this article, we will assess the impact on when Blank and Double Gameweeks will occur, as well as an update on strategy for chip deployment.
Blank Gameweek 27
Chelsea and Manchester City progressed to the Carabao Cup final, which has resulted in two postponements in Gameweek 27:
- Chelsea vs Brighton
- Everton vs Manchester City
None of these teams will have a fixture in Gameweek 27.
Double Gameweek 25
On Sunday, Everton announced that their postponed fixture against Manchester City had been rescheduled to Wednesday, February 6th.
This means that both Manchester City and Everton will have a Double Gameweek in Gameweek 25. Pep Guardiola’s men will host Arsenal on Sunday, February 3rd before travelling to Everton three days later. Everton will host Wolves on Saturday, February 2nd before welcoming Manchester City to Goodison Park.
Chelsea vs Brighton is yet to be rescheduled. Both clubs’ progress in the FA Cup and the Blues’ progress in the Europa League will determine when that fixture can be played.
If Chelsea reach the semi-finals of both competitions then they’ll get three Blank fixtures with only two free midweeks (in Gameweeks 32 and 35) to reschedule them to.
Blank Gameweek 31
The FA Cup had a very large effect on FPL over the weekend as more fixtures in Gameweek 31 were either confirmed or further jeopardised.
The fourth round of the competition saw Premier League teams not faring particularly well.
In the five ties that featured top-flight sides going up against lower league opposition, Chelsea were the only ‘giant’ who managed to win.
Wolves and Brighton were taken to replays whilst West Ham and Everton suffered shock defeats away at Wimbledon and Millwall respectively.
Gameweek 31 fixtures will be postponed (and moved to a different Gameweek) if either side reaches the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The FA Cup fifth round draw helps us calculate the chances of that happening for each club.
- Bristol City v Shrewsbury/Wolves
- AFC Wimbledon v Millwall
- Doncaster v Crystal Palace
- Middlesbrough/Newport v Manchester City
- Chelsea v Manchester United
- Swansea v Barnet/Brentford
- Portsmouth/QPR v Watford
- Brighton/West Brom v Derby
With those fixtures in mind, here are the Blank percentages and permutations in Gameweek 31, calculated using SkyBet’s odds for teams to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
We could get as many as six Blank fixtures in Gameweek 31 if Manchester United lose to Chelsea and the other six Premier League sides remaining in the FA Cup all progress to the quarter-finals.
And there’ll be at least one Blank fixture because either Manchester United or Chelsea will reach the quarter-finals.
There won’t be any fifth round replays in the FA Cup this season, so the Gameweek 31 Blanks will all be decided a week before the Gameweek 27 deadline.
Blank Gameweek 33
Gameweek 33 fixtures will be postponed (and almost certainly moved to a different Gameweek) if either side reaches the FA Cup semi-finals.
Here are the Blank percentages for the fixtures in Gameweek 33, calculated using SkyBet’s odds for teams to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
We could get a maximum of four Blanks in Gameweek 33 if four Premier League teams reach the FA Cup semi-finals (as long as two of the semi-finalists aren’t Manchester United and Wolves).
And there obviously won’t any Blanks at all in Gameweek 33 if no Premier League sides reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
We will find out which teams will have a Blank in Gameweek 33 shortly after the Gameweek 31 deadline.
The quarter-final draw will provide more clarity on the Blanks in Gameweek 33. This will take place four or five days before the Gameweek 27 deadline.
Double Gameweeks
As I’ve mentioned in my previous articles, most of the Blank fixtures will be rescheduled to the midweeks in Gameweeks 32 and 35.
Gameweek 32 is more likely to receive the Gameweek 31 Blanks and Gameweek 35 is more likely to receive the Gameweek 33 Blanks.
This spreadsheet shows all of the fixtures in the Blank and Double Gameweeks.
Chelsea or Brighton could get a total of three Blank fixtures if either side reaches the FA Cup semi-finals.
If this happens, two of their Blanks will be moved to Gameweeks 32 and 35 and a third would be moved to a Champions League midweek (most likely in either Gameweek 36 or 37), although that wouldn’t be possible if Chelsea reach the Europa League semi-finals.
How does this affect my FPL team?
It makes sense to use your Free Transfers before Gameweek 27 (and maybe even one or two hits) to prepare for the upcoming Double and Blank Gameweeks caused by League Cup final.
Manchester City and Everton will play twice in Gameweek 25 and Man City, Everton, Chelsea and Brighton won’t have a fixture in Gameweek 27.
In my previous article, I suggested that a sensible strategy for FPL managers who have all their chips (including Wildcard) remaining would involve playing their Triple Captain chip in a Double Gameweek outside of Gameweeks 32 and 35.
Triple Captaining a Man City player in a Double Gameweek is a risky move as it’s hard to predict which of their attackers will start both fixtures.
Some analysis was recently conducted into the most likely starters, so make sure you read that content before the Gameweek 24 deadline.
It would make sense to Triple Captain one of these players if you believe that they’re likely to score more against Arsenal (home) and Everton (away), with the threat of rotation, than a player with a favourable Single Gameweek fixture, like Mohamed Salah (£13.6m) at home to Huddersfield in Gameweek 36.
Chelsea will almost certainly get two fixtures in a Gameweek outside of Gameweeks 32 and 35 if they reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
Triple Captaining Eden Hazard (£11.0m) in a Double Gameweek would probably be a safer option than Triple Captaining a Manchester City attacker, but according to the odds, there’s only a 40% chance that Chelsea will reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
If you’ve already played either your Wildcard, Bench Boost or Free Hit chip, you’ll find it easier to come up with a chip strategy that involves playing your Triple Captain chip in either Double Gameweek 32 or 35.
If possible, you should aim to save a free transfer in Gameweek 26 because the Gameweek 31 Blanks will be confirmed in the gap between Gameweeks 26 and 27.
Once the Gameweek 31 Blanks have been confirmed, you should commit to a strategy and come up with a transfer plan.
Either save your chips for the Blank and Double Gameweeks after Gameweek 31 and focus on preparing for the Blanks in Gameweek 31, as well as possibly Gameweek 33, using free transfers.
Or, if you have a lot of players who will Blank in Gameweek 31, you could choose to play your Free Hit chip in Gameweek 31 and focus on bringing in players from teams who will Blank in Gameweek 31 and potentially play twice in Gameweek 32. This strategy would make more sense if you’ve already played your Wildcard.
It’s important to see the bigger picture though. It may not be wise to use all your transfers between now and Gameweek 31 to prepare for an upcoming Blank or Double Gameweek.
For example, Son Heung-min has returned from Asian Cup duty and offers great value for money at £8.6 with Spurs’ enticing run of fixtures.
If you decide to prepare for Gameweek 31 using your free transfers, it makes sense to come up with a transfer plan that involves selling players who’ll Blank in Gameweek 31 when their fixtures get tough and also involves bringing in players who’ll play in Gameweek 31 when their fixtures become easier.
A popular transfer in Gameweek 27 will be to swap Lucas Digne (£5.3m) for Ricardo Pereira (£5.3m); Everton’s fixtures from Gameweek 27 to 31 are Blank, Cardiff (away), Liverpool (home), Newcastle (away), Chelsea (home), while Leicester play Crystal Palace (home), Brighton (home), Watford (away), Fulham (home), Burnley (away). The Foxes will also play Huddersfield away in Blank Gameweek 33.
If Arsenal
Some of the other top-six teams who might have a Blank in Gameweek 31 have favourable fixtures in the Gameweeks leading up to the FA Cup quarter-finals, but you won’t have to disrupt your team too much if you aim to save a free transfer in Gameweek 30.
That would allow you to make two transfers without a hit in Gameweek 31 and you can obviously bench four players who won’t have a fixture in the Blank Gameweeks.
If you’re planning on following the strategy below, you could aim to leave players on your in bench in Gameweek 31 who are likely to play in Gameweek 33 (based on the FA Cup quarter-final draw).
- Free Hit in Double Gameweek 32
Wildcard in Gameweek 34- Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 3
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For regular updates on Blank and Double Gameweek information follow Ben Crellin on Twitter, or visit his constantly updated FPL Calendar spreadsheet HERE.
