Fantasy Premier League is back after the final international break of the season, with Gameweek 30 kicking off on Saturday.
This week has been dominated by the launch of FPL Challenge, a new game mode, but there has also been some other significant FPL news in recent days.
Last weekend, the fixtures for Double Gameweek 34 were announced — and we now know it will be the biggest double gameweek of the season. Seven clubs will play twice — but do also note that it’s going to be a blank gameweek for Tottenham.
Here are the permutations of this double gameweek announcement, and your possible chip strategies for it.
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Double Gameweek 34
Below are the confirmed double fixtures for Gameweek 34.
| Team | Fixture one | Fixture Two |
|---|---|---|
Wolves (a) | Chelsea (h) | |
Aston Villa (a) | Wolves (a) | |
West Ham (h) | Newcastle (h) | |
N. Forest (h) | Liverpool (h) | |
Fulham (a) | Everton (a) | |
Burnley (h) | Manchester Utd (a) | |
Arsenal (h) | Bournemouth (h) |
Double Gameweek 35/36 and 37
These fixtures also mean we have an understanding of where the still-outstanding postponed fixtures will go.
We can see from fixture guru Ben Crellin’s ticker (below) that Chelsea and Spurs will almost certainly double in Gameweek 35 or 36. Also, according to Ben, Manchester City, Brighton, Manchester United, Newcastle, Spurs and Chelsea are 99 per cent likely to have two games each in Gameweek 37.
That means Tottenham and Chelsea are expected to be the only two clubs who will have two double gameweeks from now until the end of the season.
The Double Gameweek fixtures have been announced for Gameweek 34.
Here's the updated schedule.
(teams sorted by how soon their next DGW is, then by how good their next DGW is)There might be a slim possibility of Chelsea and Spurs getting a Triple GW in GW37 instead of a Double… pic.twitter.com/1xvUf57Zlm
— Ben Crellin (@BenCrellin) March 23, 2024
Chip strategies
With so many permutations, it’s going to be hard to cover every single scenario, but I think most Fantasy Premier League managers at this stage will fall into one of these three groups:
Group one
- Free Hit: unavailable
- Bench Boost: available
- Wildcard: available
Those managers who used their Free Hit chip in Gameweek 29 will be happy with how the double Gameweek 34 fixtures have fallen.
The Free Hit in Gameweek 29 was a disaster for most. However, the majority of those who used that chip then will likely have two or three players each from Arsenal and Bournemouth — so they will already have between four and six doubling players in Gameweek 34.
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If you fall into this camp, it makes sense to dead-end your team into Gameweek 34, then Wildcard in Gameweek 35 or 36 to set yourself up for Chelsea and Tottenham doubling up, and then pull off a mega Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 37.
It won’t be too difficult to get between nine and 11 double gameweek players for Gameweek 34, six doublers for 35/36 and then a full complement of 15 for Double Gameweek 37.
Your transfers from now until Double Gameweek 34 will have to be geared towards bringing in as many double gameweek players as possible for this week.
Liverpool attackers Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.5m), as well as members of Jurgen Klopp’s defence, should be the ones to target if you already have three Arsenal players. As should Crystal Palace trio Eberechi Eze (£6.0m), Daniel Munoz (£4.5m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£4.9m).
Liverpool, Arsenal and Palace have the best fixtures in Gameweek 34 and it should be easy enough to get to nine to 11 doubling players overall using free transfers. Wolves’ Matheus Cunha (£5.5m) instead of Mateta is a decent shout too, if the Brazilian is fit.
Going with this strategy might mean getting rid of assets Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) and Phil Foden (£8.1m), for example, but it will be worth it.
There aren’t many games left in the season and targeting players with double fixtures should pay off. Also, using the Wildcard in Gameweek 35 means you can buy them back, if you wish.
Group two
- Free Hit: available
- Bench Boost: available
- Wildcard: available
For those with the Wildcard, Bench Boost and Free Hit all still in the bank, the best play will likely be to Wildcard in Gameweek 30 or 31 to maximise the next eight gameweeks as well as Double Gameweek 37, where you should Bench Boost.
You can ignore Gameweek 34 as this is when you will use the Free Hit, while Bench Boost in Gameweek 34 might prove difficult due to Tottenham blanking. You will want their players for their two doubles, so it makes much more sense to Bench Boost in Gameweek 37. Chelsea also play Arsenal away, so this significantly weakens the Bench Boost in 34.
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You won’t have to worry about Spurs blanking in Gameweek 34 when you Wildcard in either Gameweek 30 or 31 as you will use your Free Hit in 34.
If you are short of Chelsea and Tottenham players, I would recommend using the Wildcard in 30 — the coming gameweek — rather than 31. They both have fantastic fixtures this week in Burnley (home) and Luton (home) respectively, and also leading up to Gameweek 34.
A Gameweek 30 Wildcard will also allow you to acquire Salah against Brighton (home), when he will be relatively little-owned. Most managers will look to buy him in Gameweek 31, coming up next midweek, when Liverpool have last-placed Sheffield United at home.
Group three
- Free Hit: available
- Bench Boost: available
- Wildcard: unavailable
If you have already used your Wildcard, I think it makes sense to Free Hit in Gameweek 34 and focus on getting as many double gameweek players for Gameweek 37 when you Bench Boost. This means you don’t have to focus on players from Palace, Wolves and Bournemouth; Gameweek 34 can effectively be ignored.
Chelsea and Tottenham assets should be your main priority, as you will be acquiring them for two double gameweeks: Gameweek 35/36 and Gameweek 37. Again, you won’t have to worry about Spurs blanking in Gameweek 34.
If you by any chance still have your Triple Captain chip available, then Gameweek 35/36, when Spurs and Chelsea double, looks the best time to play it if you also have your Bench Boost and Free Hit. Cole Palmer (£5.7m) and Son Heung-min (£10.1m) are great options for your triple captaincy.
If you only have your Triple Captain chip left, consider using it on Salah in Double Gameweek 34, when Liverpool have games against Fulham and Everton.
Team dependent
The above strategies should be viable for most FPL managers but there is no hard rule to say you should follow these paths if you fall into a certain camp. Every team is different even within these ‘groups’, and if you think you have a better strategy for yours, don’t be afraid to follow it.
In most strategies, you will have nearly a full roster of double gameweek players for the fixtures ahead, with the only difference being which individuals you include. Also, the way the fixtures have landed, I don’t think any one-chip strategy is superior; it has pretty much provided an even playing ground for most managers.
In the end, luck and variance will have the final say.
(Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
