2024/25 FPL Chip Strategy Guide – Best Windows and Analysis

This is the time of the season when most managers play their FPL Chips targeting the Double and Blank Gameweeks to gain ranks. Firstly, we give you an understanding of the upcoming Double and Blank Gameweeks. In this FPL Chip Strategy blog, let’s look at the best windows to play each of the FPL Chips and then summarize the best chip combinations for the remainder of the season covering all possible scenarios.

Link to all our FPL GW26 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, best forwards, and more. Completely free to access as well!

2024/25 FPL Chip Strategy Explained

Note: There will be lots of IFs and BUTs right now because there is several rounds of the FA Cup yet to happen. So the strategies mentioned in the article are bound to change as and when we have more information. We will keep the article updated as and when the Cup results and announcements come. Don’t Forget to Bookmark/Save the article so that you can check it later again.

Shoutout and Thanks to Planet FPL Podcast and their Chip Strategy video which goes into detail about the Projected/Predicted Double and Blank Gameweeks for this season. Recommend you to check it out, if you haven’t watched it already. The projected/predicted DGWs and BGWs in this article are taken from there. Also, check out FPL.Team where you can plan your team(for free) going forward based on these projected Doubles and Blanks.

Understanding the Upcoming Double Gameweeks:

FPL GW29 Blank Gameweek: (Confirmed)

Teams that are confirmed to Blank in GW29:

• Liverpool
• Aston Villa
• Newcastle
• Crystal Palace

FPL GW32 Double Gameweek:

• Newcastle United vs Manchester United(H), Crystal Palace(H)
• Crystal Palace vs Manchester City(A), Newcastle(A)

FPL GW34 Blank Gameweek:

When will know the exact blanks for GW34?

Before the GW30 deadline

Teams that reach the FA Cup semis will blank in GW34. At the moment it is difficult to predict the exact blanks as we are only in the 5th round of the FA Cup. But before the GW30 deadline, we should know the exact list of teams blanking in GW34. For that matter before the GW28 deadline(when we have the FA Cup QF draw), we can almost predict the results and also the potential blanks in GW34.

FA Cup Round	Schedule based on FPL Calendar
5th Round	Between GW27-GW28
Quarter Finals	Between GW29-GW30
Semi-Finals	Clashes with GW34

If there are more Premier League Teams playing against each other in the upcoming rounds and eventually getting knocked out, more teams will be confirmed to have a fixture in GW34.

FA Cup 5th Round Draw:

• Manchester United vs Fulham
• Newcastle United vs Brighton
• Aston Villa vs Cardiff City
• Bournemouth vs Wolves
• Man City vs Plymouth Argyle
• Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich
• Preston vs Burnley
• Crystal Palace vs Millwall

5th round(Round of 16) will be played between GW27 and GW28, Quarterfinals will be played before GW30.

GW34 Fixtures:

If a team and their GW34 opponents reach the FA Cup semi-finals, they will blank in Gameweek 34. Likewise, if a team and their GW34 opponents don’t reach the FA Cup semi-finals, they will not blank in Gameweek 34.

Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, and Everton are out of the FA Cup which means that:

• Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Everton will not BLANK in GW34
• Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Everton will not DOUBLE in GW33

Confirmed fixtures for GW34(As it stands):

• Chelsea vs Everton
• Liverpool vs Spurs

Teams out of the FA Cup so far: Everton, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, West Ham, Arsenal, Southampton, Brentford and Leicester City

Projected/Predicted Teams to Blank in GW34:

• Aston Villa
• Bournemouth
• Manchester City
• Manchester United
• Newcastle United
• Ipswich Town

This is just a prediction right now and it could easily change based on the FA Cup draw and results in the upcoming rounds.

FPL GW33 and GW36 Double Gameweek:

When will we know the exact Doubles for GW33?

Before the GW30 deadline or even before that

When will know the exact Doubles for GW36?

Anytime between GW30 to GW34. Likely to be announced before the GW34 deadline.

• The teams that are blanking in GW34 will DOUBLE in GW33 or GW36. Right now, we are not sure where these Double Gameweek fixtures will land- In GW33 and GW36
• If Manchester United reach the FA Cup semis and are still involved in the Europa League, they are likely to double in GW33 rather than GW36.
• Right now we don’t know which will be a Bigger Double Gameweek- GW33 and GW36. Our guess is that GW33 will be a Bigger Double and GW36 might be a small Double.

Teams that are likely to Double in GW33 or GW36:

Teams that are likely to Double in GW33 or GW36:	Notes
Newcastle	Likely Double in GW33/GW36 if Newcastle or Ipswich reach the FA Cup semifinals.
Aston Villa	Likely to Double in GW33 or GW36 if Villa or Manchester City reach the FA Cup semifinals
Bournemouth	Likely Double in GW33 or GW36 if Man United or Bournemouth reach the FA Cup semifinals
Chelsea	Slim chance of a double in GW36 only if Man United reach the FA Cup final and/or the UEL Final. Chelsea surely won’t double in GW33
Crystal Palace	Likely Double in GW33/GW36 if Palace reach the FA Cup semifinals.
Liverpool	Will likely not Double in GW33. Very slim chances of a Double in GW36.
Manchester City	Likely to Double in GW33 or GW36 if Villa or Manchester City reach the FA Cup semifinals
Manchester United	Likely Double in GW33 or GW36 if Man United or Bournemouth reach the FA Cup semifinals
Tottenham	Will likely not Double in GW33. Very slim chances of a Double in GW36.
Ipswich Town	Likely Double in GW33/GW36 if Newcastle or Ipswich reach the FA Cup semifinals.

FPL Chip Strategy – When to use your FPL Chips?

Wildcard

GW30/GW31 Wildcard:

At this moment, this looks to be the most ideal window to Wildcard mainly because:

• Before the GW30 deadline, FA Cup Quarter Finals would have concluded and the draw for FA Cup Semis would have been made. So we will know the full and exact picture of Teams Blanking in GW34 and Teams Doubling in GW33 and GW36.
• This will help you navigate DGW32, DGW33 with a possible bench boost(15 Double Gameweek players) as we are likely to know the GW33 Doubles before the GW30 deadline.
• It allows flexibility in planning either Free Hit in GW29 or GW34 based on team structure.

Wildcard 35:

Wildcarding in GW35 helps you to plan and use the Bench Boost in GW36 with 15 Double Gameweek players. This can be a good strategy if GW36 becomes a bigger Double Gameweek than GW33.

Pros of GW35 Wildcard:

• You can bring in players from teams who have everything to play for – Teams involved in the title race, European places, and Relegation fight. Can avoid “Beach Team players”- Who have nothing to play for in the final 4 GWs.
• You can bring in Differential players with high upside like Haaland, and Foden who are likely to be less owned and have the potential to go big if City have something to play for.

Manchester City Fixtures from GW35-GW38:

• GW35- Wolves(H)
• GW36- Southampton(A), Aston Villa(H)* [Projected Likely Double but this double may move to GW33 as well so the risk is there]
• GW37- Bournemouth(H)
• GW38- Fulham(A)

Cons of GW35 Wildcard:

• The Wildcarded team is available only for 3 weeks thereby not maximizing one of the most powerful chips in the game.
• If GW36 is not a big double this may backfire.

Bench Boost

GW33 Bench Boost:

If there is a scenario in which there are 6-10 Teams doubling in GW33, this makes it a great window to Bench Boost. This looks to be a slightly better window at the moment with Teams like Newcastle projected to Double. At this moment, this also looks to be a bigger Double than GW36. These teams have great budget options available which makes a good chance to get 15 DGW players.

GW36 Bench Boost:

This becomes a good strategy if it is an equal or Bigger Double than GW33. At this moment we don’t know which amongst DGW33/DGW36 will be the bigger DGW.

However, the con of the GW36 Bench Boost plan is that GW36 might not be a Double Gameweek at all if all the Doubles land in GW33 itself. However, that scenario is not very likely.

Single Gameweek Bench Boost:

If your team structure allows you to Bench Boost in a Single Gameweek, it is definitely not a bad option to bench boost in a single gameweek this season with 15 good players. Once you are done with the chip, you can focus on 12-13 players and not worry about the bench at all.

Free Hit

GW29 Free Hit:

Teams that are confirmed to Blank in GW29:

• Liverpool
• Aston Villa
• Newcastle
• Crystal Palace

Pros of GW29 Free Hit:

• It is to be noted that both Palace and Newcastle have good fixtures on either side of the GW29 blank as seen below. Many teams have 5-6 players from these 2 teams- Isak, Gordon, Murphy, Hall, Munoz, Sarr, Eze, Mateta, etc. You can hold these players for the good fixtures on either side of the blank and potentially hold them till their likely GW33 double.

Good fixtures for Palace(Right) and Newcastle(Left) on either side of GW29 Blank

• Bring in Foden, Marmoush and Haaland for only one week, and Captain Haaland in GW29. There are good chances that 2 out of Isak, Watkins, Gordon, Hall, Rogers, Salah, TAA are all blanking in GW29. You might need points to chase the upside and also need a captaincy option. You can have the City assets for only a week and then move back to your original teams that will have Salah, Isak, etc.

Cons of GW29 Free Hit:

We can use up free transfers from GW25-GW29 and the ones rolled up before that to set up for the GW29 blank with a decent team. You can use the Free Hit in a potentially bigger blank Gameweek- GW34.

GW34 Free Hit:

• From the above fixtures, if any one of the team reach the FA Cup Semis, that fixture is a blank in GW34. If there are 4 Premier League teams in the FA Cup Semifinals, there are very high chances that there are 8 teams blanking in GW34 and only 12 teams playing.
• In that case, it is a bigger blank than GW29 and Free Hit might be useful in GW34. There are also chances that teams like Newcastle and Palace double in both GW33 and GW36 and blank in GW34. So in that case you should not waste transfers removing those players. FH34 will be the savior.

Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, and Everton are out of the FA Cup which means that they will not BLANK in GW34

Confirmed fixtures for GW34(As it stands):

• Chelsea vs Everton
• Liverpool vs Spurs

It is totally team-dependent. As it stands, we know the above 4 teams are confirmed to have a fixture in GW34, and potentially more teams are likely to join in. So if your team is well set up for GW34, you can avoid using Free Hit in GW34.

• It is slightly difficult to prepare for GW34 blank with Free Transfers as you would need Free Transfers to set up for the GW33 and GW36 Doubles/Bench Boost. Alternatively, a GW30/GW31 Wildcard coupled with GW34 Free Hit can work out well to navigate this.

GW33 Free Hit:

As it stands 4 Teams are Blanking in GW29- Newcastle, Palace, Liverpool, and Villa. 4 Teams are confirmed to have a fixture in GW34- Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, and Spurs with more teams likely to join in after the upcoming FA Cup rounds. So if you are able to navigate GW29 and GW34 blanks just with Free Transfers, Free Hit in GW33 is a good option to attack the Double Gameweek.

Triple Captain

Gameweek	Player & Opposition	Notes
GW32	Isak vs Man United(H), Palace(H)	Confirmed Double Gameweek
GW33 or GW36	Haaland/Foden vs Everton(A), Villa(H) in GW33 (or) Haaland/Foden vs Southampton(A), Villa(H) in GW36	Not confirmed, Based on Predictions and Projections that City or Villa will reach the FA Cup semis.
GW36	Arsenal player vs Liverpool(A), Palace(H)	Unlikely to happen. For this to happen, Palace should reach the FA Cup semis.
GW33 or GW36	Bruno Fernandes vs Wolves(H), Bournemouth(A) in GW33 (or) Bruno Fernandes vs West Ham(H), Bournemouth(A) in GW36	Projected double based on the assumption that United/Bournemouth reach the FA Cup semis. More likely to be GW33 Double as Man United are involved in Europe.
GW33 or GW36	Isak vs Villa(A), Ipswich(H) (or) Isak vs Chelsea(H), Ipswich(H)	Likely to Happen if Newcastle or Ipswich reach the FA Cup Semis

Assistant Manager

The Assistant Manager is the new chip that is introduced by FPL this season. It allows you to pick a manager for your team(Prices in the range of 0.5-1.5). You get points based on the results of the teams during that 3-gameweek period. There are points for a win, a draw, goals scored, and a clean sheet. There are also Table Bonus points which allows you to get bonus points if you pick a manager up against a team that is placed 5 places or above in the table. Everything you need to know about the Assistant Manager Chip with the Rules, Scoring, and FAQs is covered in detail in the below blog.

Ultimate FPL Assistant Manager Chip Guide: Rules, Tips & More

Note: It is difficult to predict when to use the Assistant Manager right now as the Premier League table keeps fluctuating based on results every week. We have listed the best possible windows and the options as well.

Tip: We think that Assistant Manager is one of the most powerful chips in the game right now and it will be a good idea to use Free Transfers within the 3 Gameweek period to get the perfect pick for that Gameweek.

Best Windows to play Assistant Manager Chip:

GW24-GW26

In our opinion, This is hands down the Best time to play this chip because it gives you 5 fixtures(2 DGWs in GW24 and GW25 and one Single GW) to maximize the use of this powerful chip. There is not likely to be another scenario where you get 2 Double Gameweeks within a 3 week period.

• GW24: Arne Slot vs BOU(A), EVE(A) or Moyes vs LEI(H), LIV(H) (Based on Team structure & risk chasing)
• GW25: Arne Slot vs WOL(H), AVL(A) or Emery vs IPS(H), LIV(H)
• GW26: Stick with Slot or Frank vs LEI(A) or Iraola vs WOL(H) or Hurzeler vs SOU(A)

Going with Slot/Moyes is a 50/50 in GW24 call based on your Overall Rank, Chasing mini-leagues, and Team structure. Arne Slot is objectively the best bet and the safer option to consider as there are good chances that there will be 2 back to back Double Gameweeks for the Top Team in the league. You need not use a transfer on your manager and can use your Free Transfer for a player Doubling in GW25.

But if you are already happy with your Triple Liverpool players and Need to take multiple hits to get to Arne Slot- David Moyes is certainly not a bad bet with LEI(H) and LIV(H) fixture in GW24. Even though the Liverpool fixture is Difficult, you are chasing Table Bonus points. The last seven Merseyside derbies at Goodison Park have seen five draws(4 of them 0-0) & one win each for Liverpool & Everton.

If you are going for Moyes, you can switch to Emery vs IPS(H), and LIV(H) based on the cup results. It will be again 2 home games and One of the games for Emery(vs LIV) is eligible for a Table Bonus. So if you are chasing a huge number of points in your mini-leagues, David Moyes and then Emery is not at all a bad option. If you are on Slot for GW25, Sticking with Slot makes sense for GW26 as the transfers are really precious at this point.

GW25-GW27

• GW25- Slot vs WOL(H), AVL(A) or Emery vs IPS(H), LIV(H)
• GW26- Frank vs LEI(A) or Iraola vs WOL(H)
• GW27- Maresca vs SOU(H) or Glasner vs AVL(H) if eligible for Table Bonus

In GW26- Mckenna vs Spurs(H) is an option to consider if you are chasing Table Bonus points. In GW27- Ange vs MCI(H) is another Table Bonus option to consider if you are chasing ranks in your mini-leagues.

GW31-GW33

If you still have Assistant Manager Chip, Using it on Eddie Howe from GW31-GW33 is a great option!

• GW31: Howe vs Leicester(A)
• GW32: Howe vs Man United(H), Palace(H)
• GW33: Howe vs Villa(A), Ipswich(H)* *GW33 Double is not confirmed & can happen only if Newcastle/Ipswich reach FA Cup Semis

This is a great strategy as it won’t use up any of your transfers while using the Assistant manager chip. Free Transfers are precious at this point and that can be used to Navigate the Blank Gameweeks surrounding this period- GW29 and GW34.

If you are chasing points and willing to punt for Table Bonus points, you can stick with Eddie Howe for DGW32 and try out these options in GW31 and GW33 for Table Bonus.

• GW31: Emery vs NFO(H)/Potter vs BOU(H) – Both potential Table Bonus
• GW33: Amorim vs WOL(H), BOU(A)*- Projected Double and maybe Table Bonus vs Bournemouth

GW35-GW37

• GW35: Pep vs WOL(H)
• GW36: Pep vs SOU(A), AVL(H)*
• GW37: Pep vs Bournemouth(H)

This is a good option if Manchester City are in the title race around that period or even in the top 4 race and knocked out of other cup competitions. However, if you are chasing points in your mini-leagues and targeting table bonus, you can go for Moyes in GW36 with a Projected Double vs Fulham and Chelsea. If Everton are fighting relegation and Chelsea, and Fulham have nothing to play for this could be a punt to consider.

GW36-GW38

• GW36- Pep vs SOU(A), AVL(H)*
• GW37- Amorim vs CHE(A) or Potter vs NFO(A)
• GW38- Amorim vs AVL(H) or a Team who are fighting to save against relegation on the final day vs a Team who don’t have anything to play for like Wolves vs BRE(H) or Ipswich vs WHU(H).

After the GW24- GW26 window, We think that GW36-GW38 could be the next best window to use the Assistant Manager chip because, towards the end of the season, there will be teams who have everything to play for – Title Race, European places, and Relegation Battle. At the same time, there will be teams who have nothing to play for. Teams in 16th, 17th, and 18th playing against teams 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th(Beach teams) could work in favor of Table Bonus Points.

2024/25 FPL Chip Strategy

Have all Chips Left

FPL Chip Strategy 1- All Chips Left:

Wildcard	GW30/GW31
Bench Boost	GW33
Free Hit	GW29/GW34
Triple Captain	GW32
Assistant Manager	GW36-GW38

This is one of our favorite Chip Strategies to consider right now if you have all you chips left. This could be really handy if GW34 is a Bigger Blank due to the FA Cup semis 8 Teams blanking including Teams like Liverpool, Villa, Chelsea, Man City, Man United, and Spurs. You will be left with very few options and it would be difficult to navigate without Free Hit and you can use Free Hit there. However you can also use it in GW29 as well. The decision can be based on how your team is set up well for GW29 or GW34 Blank.

Wildcarding in GW30/GW31 will set you up for the GW32 Triple Captain(Isak), GW33 Bench Boost(15 Double Gameweek players) and GW36 Double Gameweek as well. The idea is to target teams that double in both GW33 and GW36 on Wildcard if there are any.

FPL Chip Strategy 2- All Chips Left:

Wildcard	GW35
Bench Boost	GW36
Free Hit	GW29/GW34
Triple Captain	Single Gameweek
Assistant Manager	GW31-GW33

To maximize Assistant Manager Chip it is played in GW31-GW33 with the likely 2 Double Gameweek landing there. But this slightly messes up the other chips if your team is not set up well. Either Triple Captain or Bench Boost needs to be played in a Single Gameweek. If your team is set up well for it, then it is a good strategy.

FPL Chip Strategy 3- All Chips Left:

Wildcard	GW30/GW31
Bench Boost	GW36
Free Hit	GW29
Triple Captain	GW32
Assistant Manager	GW33-GW35

Already Used Assistant Manager Chip alone(GW24-GW26):

Strategy 1:

Wildcard	GW30/GW31
Bench Boost	GW33
Free Hit	GW29/GW34
Triple Captain	GW32

If you have already used the Assistant Manager Chip in GW24-GW26, the first thing you should do is check how many players you have for GW29 Blank Gameweek. If you are able to field 10/11 players for GW29 without any hits then you can save up Free Hit for GW34 Blank Gameweek. Else you need to use the Free Hit in GW29 and prepare for GW34 Blank with Free Transfers.

Wildcard is used in GW30 to load up your team for the rest of the season along with a planned Bench Boost in GW33.

Strategy 2:

Wildcard	GW35
Bench Boost	GW36
Free Hit	GW29/GW34
Triple Captain	GW32

In this strategy, Wildcard is saved up for GW35 with a GW36 Bench Boost plan. Triple Captain is used in GW32/GW33.

Already Used Triple Captain alone:

Wildcard	GW30/GW35
Bench Boost	GW36
Free Hit	GW29/GW34
Assistant Manager	GW31-GW33

If you have already used the Triple Captain chip, then the first decision to make is when you are going to use the Assistant Manager Chip- One of the most powerful chips in the game. We feel that Assistant Manager chip is best used if there are 2 Double Gameweeks in the space of 3 Gameweeks. GW31-GW33 is the only likely window that happens.

Take the call for GW29/GW34 Free Hit based on the Team structure. If your team is set up well for the GW33 Doubles, you can use the Wildcard as late as GW35 to maximize GW36 Bench Boost.

Already Used Assistant Manager and Triple Captain Chip:

Wildcard	GW30/GW35
Bench Boost	GW33/GW36
Free Hit	GW29/GW34

Based on transfer saved and the number of players you have for GW29, The decision to Free Hit or not in GW29 is made. The other decisions are based around it – WC30/BB33 or WC35/BB36.

Already Used Wildcard and Bench Boost:

Triple Captain	GW32
Free Hit	GW33
Assistant Manager	GW36-GW38

In this strategy, you need to plan the GW29 and GW34 Blanks with Free Transfers as you are using the Free Hit to attack GW33 Doubles. With Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea, and Everton not blanking in GW34- This strategy can work out well.

Conclusion:

There is no right or wrong strategy in FPL. It is totally team-dependent. We have come up with these Strategies and information so that it will be helpful in coming up with your own strategy based on your team. More strategies are likely to emerge based on the information we receive about the Upcoming Double and Blank Gameweeks. We will keep updating the article, so don’t forget to Bookmark/Save it. Good luck all with your planning!

Further reads from AllAboutFPL ahead of FPL GW26:

2024/25 Ultimate Chip Strategy Guide- Best Windows to play all Chips & Combinations
FPL GW26 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups
FPL Gameweek 26 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
Upcoming FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks | 24/25 FPL Season
FPL GW26 Tips- Assistant Manager Options, Wildcard Thoughts & More

Link to all our FPL GW26 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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