FPL GW26 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down Key Dilemmas

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Dilemmas blog for Gameweek 26 of the FPL 2022/23 season. This blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas FPL managers have this week and offer FPL GW26 tips which help you address the key dilemmas and maximise your FPL points this week.

The blog is written by Insanely Football. Do subscribe to his Youtube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. You can also follow him on Instagram for daily FPL updates.

Link to all our FPL GW26 blogs including Fixtures to target, Double and blank game-week news, Predicted GW26 Lineups, Captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Let’s dive right into it. We will start with the first one.

FPL GW26 Tips – Preview and Dilemmas Answered

1) Should we play our Wildcard ahead of FPL GW26?

The FA Cup games last week threw in a few surprises. That, along with a few injured/rotation risk players and many managers having Liverpool options, has prompted FPL managers to consider using the Wildcard much earlier than expected.

Suppose you don’t have players like Nketiah or even double/triple-ups from Liverpool. In that case, you can use regular transfers to load up on the players from Brighton and Brentford and delay the Wildcard for a bit. The biggest advantage Wildcard gives you this week is letting go of your Liverpool options and preparing the ideal team for GW26-29 at the minimum without taking many hits.

The other options for using the Wildcard are in Gameweek 28, where you balance out the Blank in GW28 and the Double in GW29, or play it in GW29 and load up on Double Gameweek players directly.

Suppose you are in an excellent position to take a few hits and set up for GW27-29. In that case, you can even delay the Wildcard further and play it in GW33, accompanied by the Bench Boost for the Double in GW34.

With how the FA Cup results have gone, GW34 won’t be a very big double, and the appeal of a GW33 Wildcard looks a lot lesser than before.

Ultimately, you will have to see your team and take a call. The Wildcard in GW26-27 is slightly better as it prepares your team with Brentford and Brighton players for DGW27. You can field 10-11 players in GW28 without using the Free Hit and get your team sorted by loading up on good Double Gameweek players from GW29.

Further Read: Top FPL GW26 Differential Picks to Consider(<10% TSB)

2) Who are the best players to target on a FPL GW26 Wildcard?

If you are Wildcarding this week, get the right balance of Brentford and Brighton players in your FPL team.

From Brentford, you can get in Raya as your Goalkeeper with Ivan Toney in the attack. This should be enough to cover the Double Gameweek in GW27. You can get a third Brentford player, with Mee, Henry and Pinnock as potential options. Just be aware that Brentford have a tricky double in GW29, and loading up on defenders may be a bit challenging.

Then target Brighton players who also have a double in GW27. Estupinan is the standout option in defence. He can contribute to both ends of the pitch and the highest ceiling among all Brighton defenders. Currently, he is flagged, and if we get information that is out, get in Lewis Dunk as his potential replacement.

Getting at least one Brighton midfielder is a must. Solly March looks like the best option. March has the best xGI for Brighton midfielders post-world cup, but he is also flagged right now. In case he is out, you can consider Mac Allister, who has played an advanced no10 role for Brighton in recent games. Mitoma has been playing in a slightly wider position. Still, he can be a part of a double-up on the Brighton midfield if you want to go there.

Arsenal is an excellent team to target, even on a Wildcard. You can easily double/triple up on their FPL options. Gabriel and Zinchenko are great options in defence. Ben White is still good if you are trying to save some money. The slightly more attacking double-up in midfield is Martinelli and Saka. Still, suppose you are not convinced with Martinelli’s minutes. In that case, you can get in Odegaard, who looks like a nailed pick in the Arsenal midfield.

If you are looking at more value, consider the Newcastle defenders Trippier and one of Schar/Botman. Schar has better-underlying stats, but Botman is cheaper. Both provide an excellent way to double up with Trippier.

Holding Rashford and Haaland still makes a lot of sense. Both have decent fixtures coming despite the blank in GW28. Even Harry Kane in attack looks like a safe option and has good fixtures in the upcoming weeks.

Finally, coming to some differentials. You can target Maddison (if he is fit) as your 5th midfielder. The fixtures for Leicester are good, including the double in GW29. If Maddison is not fit, Iheanacho will also cover the Leicester attack. There are some question marks about his minutes, but he has played well whenever he has featured for Leicester. You can even consider Ollie Watkins if you want to go without Kane/Toney. The Aston Villa forward has been in great form scoring 5 goals in his last 5 games.

FPL Gameweek 26 Captaincy Poll

The metrics had a 30/38 “returns record” last season and so far has a 19/24 “returns record” this season. Do vote in this week’s captaincy poll and this week’s captaincy metrics will be done based on the top five players in the captaincy poll

Further Read: Confirmed & Likely FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks From FPL GW26

3) What are some good FPL chip strategies to consider?

There are a few chip strategies you can go for, depending on your team.

The most popular one at the moment is

Wildcard in GW26/27, Bench Boost in GW29 and Free Hit in 32/34/37

Alternate Strategy #1 – Wildcard in GW28, Bench Boost in GW29, Free Hit in 32/34/37

• This strategy works well if you already have a Raya in goal or even Toney in attack from Brentford. You can get in another Brentford player or use your transfers to maximise Double Gameweek 27 with Brighton options.

• The idea is to dead-end the team in GW27 and use the Wildcard in GW28 with no Brentford players. You can have a balance of Man United and Brighton options as they blank this week but have a good double in GW29.

• Using your Wildcard in GW28, you can let go of players like Haaland and Kane, lighten your Arsenal options, and prepare your team for a Bench Boost in GW29 with maximum double gameweek players.

• With the Free Hit left, you can use it in GW32/34/37 and keep it fluid.

Alternate Strategy #2 – Free Hit in GW28/29, Wildcard in GW33 and Bench Boost in GW34

• This was the most popular strategy before the FA Cup results, and GW28 blanks came into the picture. It works nicely if you already have players from Brentford and Brighton and can maximise the Double Gameweek in GW27 with a transfer or two.

• You can Free Hit in Blank GW28 to deal with the blanks if you have very few players playing in GW28. The other scenario is using the Free Hit to take advantage of the Double in GW29 and get a team full of Double Gameweek players to maximise points.

• This allows you to Wildcard later in GW33 and loads up players from teams like Man City and Tottenham, who will likely double in GW34, which won’t be the case right now. Brighton and Man Utd are also expected to double in GW34, and you would want to target their players.

• Wildcard in GW33 allows you to use Bench Boost in GW34, which is slightly inferior to a GW29 BB. GW29 is the biggest Double of the season, and the gains here can be massive.

Further Read: When to Use Your FPL Chips? FPL Chip Strategy Explained

4) What to do with Liverpool players ahead of FPL GW26?

With Liverpool facing a tricky Man Utd side this week, many managers are considering selling Liverpool players. Now, if you are Wildcarding in GW26. In that case, you can very easily get rid of the Liverpool options for players from Brighton and Brentford who double in GW27.

Suppose you are Wildcarding in GW27, 28 or later. In that case, you can sell Alisson or even Trent/Robertson for players from Brentford/Brighton this week. I am not confident that Liverpool will keep a clean sheet despite playing Man United at home in GW26. You can jump on to Raya as your goalkeeper or Estupinan/Mee if you have a Liverpool defender in your team.

The Liverpool attack is where things get interesting. Owning one Liverpool attacker is fine. I am not against the idea of keeping Mohamed Salah against Man United. Salah is a nailed starter and is also on penalties. Unless you have to raise funds to make additional transfers this week, holding Salah is fine. You can switch Salah to one of the Brighton MIDs in GW27 for their Double Gameweek.

If you own Gakpo, he is a straight sell. You can easily get a Brighton midfielder as a replacement. Suppose you already have a Brighton midfielder in place. In that case, you can even look at James Maddison as a great differential option for FPL GW26 onwards.

Darwin Nunez, for me, is also a sell this week, but I won’t necessarily take multiple hits to sell him. If you have a ‘Free Transfer’ available, you can switch Nunez to Toney or even Watkins if you are preparing slightly long-term.

Further Read: FPL GW26 Predicted Lineups, Injury/Press Conference Updates

5) Which Arsenal players to keep going forward?

Arsenal and their FPL options have been in great form throughout the season. If you have Ramsdale in goal, you can easily switch him to Raya or even Sanchez from Brighton. Both keepers have a double in GW27 and are likely to outscore Ramsdale.

Despite Wildcarding in GW26, you can easily keep your Arsenal defender, irrespective of whichever option you own. White, Gabriel and Zinchencko are all perfect holds at the moment. If you want to buy one defender, Gabriel is still the safest of the lot. Zinchencko has a slightly higher ceiling than Gabriel, so he is the one to go for if you want to go aggressive. Even Ben White is okay if you want to save some funds.

Coming to the Arsenal midfield, Saka is still the standout option in attack. He has been in great form returning in 8 of his last 11 games. He is on penalties and has the best xG/90 numbers (0.31) among all Arsenal MIDs.

If you want to go attacking, Martinelli is the option. He has been getting regular minutes off late, scoring 4 goals in his last 3 matches. If you want to play a bit safe, then Odegaard is preferred to Martinelli. He is nailed in the Arsenal XI and has better xGI/90 numbers (0.54) than Saka and Martinelli.

I’d sell Nketiah or even Trossard. With Gabriel Jesus nearing a return, I am unsure whether either of them will get regular minutes and hence represents a lot of risk. All in all, even if you are Wildcarding, you can keep 2-3 Arsenal players in your team. In case of no Wildcard, it is better to keep your Arsenal players for now.

That will be all from my side for this week! All the best for Gameweek 26, and I will see you next week.

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Check out my team for GW26! I have my WILDCARD ‘ACTIVE’ this week!

You can even check out the Insanely Football Blog for FPL-related content.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW26

Confirmed & Likely FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks From FPL GW26
FPL GW26 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down Key Dilemmas 
FPL GW26 Predicted Lineups, Injury/Press Conference Updates
FPL GW26 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
FPL Gameweek 26 Scout Picks based on Stats and Matchups
Gameweek 26 Transfer Tips- Players to Buy, Hold, Sell
Top FPL GW26 Differential Picks to Consider(<10% TSB)
FPL GW26 Odds Preview- Goals, Clean Sheets and Predicted Points
FPL GW26 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
When to Use Your FPL Chips? FPL Chip Strategy Explained

FPL Gameweek 26 Stream

Check our FPL Gameweek 26 stream which covers chip strategy, WC drafts with pros & cons for GW26, players to target from GW26 onwards, Brighton mids comparison, Watkins vs Toney comparison, double/blank gameweek news, chip strategy, and more with the latest relevant information. Do consider subscribing to our channel, it would mean a lot to us:)