After a chaotic few weeks of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) doubles, it’s time for the reduced fixture schedule of Blank Gameweek 34 – and the latest instalment of our weekly Assistant Manager guides.
Notably, nearly all matches feature a gaffer with ‘table bonus’ opportunities this weekend.
In this article, we’ll assess the best options for this week as well as the rounds ahead.
- READ MORE: What is the Assistant Manager chip + when can FPL managers play it?
- READ MORE: New Assistant Manager points projections in our Rate My Team page
WHICH MANAGERS COULD GET A TABLE BONUS IN GAMEWEEK 34?
One key source of Assistant Manager hauls is table bonus points, whereby Premier League bosses earn extra points if they beat (+10) or draw with (+5) a team five or more places ahead of them in the table at the start of the Gameweek.
In Blank Gameweek 34, there are seven such managers eligible for table bonus points out of eight total fixtures:
- David Moyes – Chelsea (6th) v Everton (13th)
- Graham Potter – Brighton (10th) v West Ham (17th)
- Kieran McKenna – Newcastle (5th) v Ipswich (18th)
- Simon Rusk – Southampton (20th) v Fulham (9th)
- Ruben Amorim – Bournemouth (8th) v Manchester United (14th)
- Ange Postecoglou – Liverpool (1st) v Spurs (15th)
- Thomas Frank – Nottingham Forest (4th) v Brentford (11th)
David Moyes (£0.5m) has a decent pedigree in these situations, having scored 19 points as recently as Gameweek 32 to mark his fourth time (two wins, two draws) earning table bonus since the Assistant Manager chip first became available.
Graham Potter (£0.5m) has proven himself capable of snatching some table bonus points in his time so far at West Ham, doing so on three occasions against Aston Villa, Arsenal and Bournemouth. He could benefit from the growing list of absentees the hosts will have to deal with this weekend.
Kieran McKenna’s (£0.5m) Ipswich Town are Championship-bound, and put up little fight in their 4-0 home battering by Arsenal last weekend. This weekend’s opponents, Newcastle, also let in four in their last outing, but – as they fight to hold onto a Champions League qualification spot – are much more likely to rebound from that heavy loss than the Tractor Boys are.
Southampton managed to rescue a draw against West Ham in interim boss Simon Rusk’s (£0.5m) second match at the helm, and now have the opportunity to snag some table bonus points when they host Fulham. Interestingly, in their 10 matches against sides 5+ places below them, the Cottagers have allowed their opponents a win or draw bonus in seven of them (including the reverse fixture against Southampton, a goalless stalemate).
Ruben Amorim’s (£0.8m) clear focus is on the Europa League, as is Ange Postecoglou‘s (£1.1m). Both are on their travels this week, too, but Amorim has at least promised to go strong with his line-up.
Last but not least is Thomas Frank (£0.8m), whose in-form Brentford group have lost just twice in their last nine league matches. The Dane is also on a respectable run of Assistant Manager scores, having blanked only once in his last five outings to rack up 38 points, helped by two instances of table bonus points for draws against Arsenal and Chelsea.
The Bees’ opponents, Nottingham Forest, are no pushovers and will be desperate to avoid slipping out of the top five, but have shown some signs of weakness lately and may also be fatigued from their FA Cup semi-final against City four days earlier.
WHAT THE BOOKMAKERS SAY
Before we dive into point predictions and our recommendations, let’s take a glance at what the bookies think.
Here are the odds for each of the table bonus-eligible managers in Gameweek 34:
| Chance of a home win | Chance of a draw | Chance of an away win | |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Moyes – Chelsea (6th) v Everton (13th) | 60.0% | 23.6% | 16.4% |
| Graham Potter – Brighton (10th) v West Ham (17th) | 57.5% | 22.5% | 20.0% |
| Kieran McKenna – Newcastle (5th) v Ipswich (18th) | 77.5% | 14.6% | 7.9% |
| Simon Rusk – Southampton (20th) v Fulham (9th) | 18.8% | 24.2% | 57.0% |
| Ruben Amorim – Bournemouth (8th) v Manchester United (14th) | 56.0% | 23.3% | 20.7% |
| Ange Postecoglou – Liverpool (1st) v Spurs (15th) | 74.2% | 16.4% | 9.4% |
| Thomas Frank – Nottingham Forest (4th) v Brentford (11th) | 43.9% | 27.0% | 29.1% |
CURRENT ASSISTANT MANAGER POINTS PROJECTIONS
The betting market heavily influences these points projections, so the odds of each Assistant Manager capable of earning table bonus points are factored in.
Make sure to check this page for any revised projections.
FINAL GAMEWEEK 34 THOUGHTS
Judging by the bookies’ odds and our Assistant Manager points predictor tool, and with no Double Gameweek to skew things, Eddie Howe (£1.5m) is the stand-out ‘play it safe’ pick. If he does so, and Newcastle rack up a few goals, it could lead to a fourth double-digit haul in five matches for the Toon boss.
Arne Slot (£1.5m) is not far behind, as Liverpool look to do the league double over a distracted Spurs and wrap up the 2024/25 title while they’re at it.
Thomas Frank (£0.8m) appears next on our RMT points projection rankings, and accordingly would be our go-to Assistant Manager this week for those focused on chasing potential table bonus points.
Brentford are on a decent roll now, in the best form of all bonus-eligible teams this week and with an outside chance of European next season if results go their way, and there’s also a chance Forest could have an FA Cup hangover.
It’s not a particularly appealing week for table-bonus picks (six of the seven are away) but you would not be surprised if Graham Potter (£0.5m), David Moyes (£0.5m) and even Simon Rusk (£0.5m) snaffled a draw from their respective games, either.
LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD
If your Assistant Manager chip will be active for another Gameweek or two after Blank Gameweek 34 has concluded, here are some more things to consider.
GAMEWEEK 35
First and foremost, an early glimpse at the current points predictions for Gameweek 35:
If you had selected Mikel Arteta (£1.5m), Pep Guardiola (£1.5m), Unai Emery (£0.8m) or Oliver Glasner (£0.8m) as your Assistant Manager for their respective double headers in Double Gameweek 33 and still have the same chip active this weekend, you’ll obviously be needing to make a change given Arsenal, City, Villa and Crystal Palace all blank in Blank Gameweek 34 due to their FA Cup semi-final involvement. For those in that situation, hopefully one of the options outlined in the previous section takes your fancy.
All four of those managers rank near the top of the points projections for Gameweek 35, though, which could see a few FPL bosses doing the hokey cokey to fit Glasner back in for a potential table bonus opportunity against Forest, Guardiola as City host Wolves, Arteta as the Gunners welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates or Emery as Villa take on Fulham at their formidable home fortress in the Midlands.
Also tipped to score well in Gameweek 35 is Fabian Hürzeler (£1.1m), who has already beaten that week’s opponents Newcastle this season and should have table bonus points on offer when he welcomes them to the Amex.
Liverpool travel to Chelsea that week, which dents the appeal of Arne Slot (£1.5m) as a set-and-forget option for the next two Gameweeks, while both Brentford’s Thomas Frank (£0.8m) and West Ham’s Graham Potter (£0.5m) won’t be eligible for bonus points next week, as they face sides ranked too close to them in the table (United and Spurs, respectively).
GAMEWEEK 36
When it comes to Gameweek 36, we should have a clearer picture of what the schedule looks like by the end of this weekend’s FA Cup ties, with confirmation of a possible Double Gameweek 36 expected ahead of the Gameweek 35 deadline.
Here’s what the Assistant Manager projections, and the schedule, look like for now:
Pep Guardiola (£1.5m) or Nuno Espírito Santo (£1.1m) could have a ‘banker’ fixture and a Double Gameweek, which would obviously elevate their appeal.
