If you’re one of several Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers who already massively regret the big choices made heading into 2025/26’s opening weekend, a Gameweek 2 Wildcard has a certain allure.
Whether the plan is to own Mohamed Salah (£14.5m), Erling Haaland (£14.0m) or both, you may feel that enough clues have been revealed to justify such a bold move.
Managers have until the Gameweek 19 deadline to use the first Wildcard. These unlimited free transfers are a chance to fix all mistakes and start planning for the future.
So let’s list the pros and cons of a Gameweek 2 Wildcard, then provide a few draft ideas.
Don’t forget that you can get your Wildcard team rated via our Rate My Team tool or Plan FPL!
PROS
Fix early mistakes
Those owning several of Jeremie Frimpong (£6.0m), Florian Wirtz (£8.5m), Joao Pedro (£7.5m) and Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) may think they’ve got it all wrong.
Especially if they’re invested in Niclas Fullkrug‘s (£6.0m) blank at Sunderland or Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) – sat on the bench while Richarlison (£6.5m) netted twice.
Throw in the Tosin Adarabioyo (£4.5m) knock and a one-match Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) ban, and some of the unluckiest managers have quickly found themselves with fires to put out.
Increase team value
These early weeks traditionally bring plenty of price rises and falls, so team value can be boosted by ditching the droppers and jumping onto bandwagons.
As of Monday, there have already been increases for Tijani Reijnders (£5.6m), Hugo Ekitike (£8.6m) and Antoine Semenyo (£7.1m).
Get some Arsenal
Arguably, the most appealing Gameweek 2 fixture has Arsenal hosting newly-promoted Leeds United. Yet a lot of teams are without any Gunners coverage at all.
Sunday’s win at Old Trafford was a firm reminder of their defensive qualities and set-piece threat.
CONS
Small sample size
On the other hand, it’s way too reactionary to make calls this early. Those earlier ‘mistakes’ were purchased for logical reasons, based on more than one runout.
Have faith that they’ll deliver in the next one or two Gameweeks.
Real-life transfer window is still open
Meanwhile, choosing to Wildcard while the summer transfer window is still open could soon backfire.
For example, we don’t know where Alexander Isak (£10.5m) will end up and how it’ll affect Ekitike. Perhaps Yoane Wissa (£7.5m) moves to Newcastle United, as rumoured.
Tottenham Hotspur should be active in the next fortnight and the possibility of Eberechi Eze (£7.5m) is exciting.
GAMEWEEK 2 WILDCARD IDEAS
DRAFT 1: SALAH OVER HAALAND
Ok, Haaland won the first round over Salah and has better fixtures in Gameweeks 2 and 3. But the Egyptian King has earned our trust many times over.
This 3-5-2 squad happily ditches West Ham United’s assets and covers the one-match suspension of Konsa.
Furthermore, Morgan Rogers (£7.0m) and Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) are preferred over teammates Watkins and Pedro Porro (£5.5m), because it unlocks the money required for Bukayo Saka (£10.0m). He can now be given Gameweek 2 captaincy.
DRAFT 2: HAALAND OVER SALAH
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