Best GWs to Use Your Free Hit & Triple Captain Chips (GW13–19)

Hello everyone! Welcome to our updated analysis on when to use your remaining FPL chips — specifically the Free Hit and Triple Captain — in the upcoming weeks from FPL GW13 to GW19.

With confirmation that there will be no blank or double gameweeks in this period, managers will have to turn to single gameweeks to make the most of their remaining chips. Most active FPL managers have already played their first Wildcard and Bench Boost, leaving these two powerful chips still in play. The challenge now is to find the optimal window to deploy them for maximum impact.

Free Hit 13 seems like a very good option, offering a lot of variance and option to gamble with Brentford and Villa assets. Lets dive in.

Link to all our FPL GW13 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, best forwards, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL Free Hit Analysis

Let’s begin with the Free Hit chip. When we look at attacking and defensive projections from GW12–19, some clear patterns emerge. Teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City consistently feature among the top five for both attacking and defensive potential across multiple Gameweeks.

Using a model that I have created that projects expected points for top assets each gameweek, an interesting trend appears. In GW13, GW15, and GW16, several high-performing players emerge outside of the usual elite teams (Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Palace). This suggests possible Free Hit opportunities — weeks where differential teams can deliver big while the popular ones face tougher fixtures.

Adding it all up, the expected points for core FPL teams (City, Arsenal, Liverpool, etc.) dip most noticeably in GW13 and GW16, making these two the standout Free Hit candidates. Between them, GW13 edges ahead slightly as the ideal week to pull the trigger.

Free Hit FPL GW13

GW13 offers a perfect storm of favorable fixtures for under-owned assets.

Liverpool face West Ham, Aston Villa host Wolves, Manchester City play Leeds at home, and Brentford meet Burnley — all excellent matchups for attacking returns. Mainly if you look at the table, Manchester City, Brentford and Aston Villa have excellent home numbers while the teams that they are playing have really poor away numbers – 5 losses each.

These fixtures open the door to several players that most managers won’t own — Brentford and Villa attackers, for instance — while also allowing a temporary Salah-Haaland double-up though Salah hasn’t hit form yet. The Free Hit lets you target these short-term opportunities without having to compromise your long-term structure.

West Ham have 2W 4L at home and Liverpool similarly have 2W 4L in away fixtures. So this could be a very unpredictable fixture especially given Liverpool’s 0-3 loss to Forest last weekend – which makes the Salah gamble more spicy. I like 3x Man City, 3x Aston Villa, 3x Brentford and Salah and maybe a Palace attacker to round it off. I haven’t owned Salah ever since I sold him so really looking forward to one last ‘Hurrah’ before he leaves for AFCON.

Meanwhile, the popular FPL sides face each other: Arsenal vs Chelsea and Manchester United vs Crystal Palace — reducing the appeal of your regular starters. Though Palace could still come out strong against Manchester United, Palace are unbeaten at home (2W 4D). All things considered, GW13 looks like the best week to deploy the Free Hit chip, with the potential for high upside from off-template picks.

Free Hit FPL GW16

GW16 is another viable Free Hit week. The fixtures again favor teams like Aston Villa (vs West Ham), Fulham (vs Burnley), Brentford (vs Leeds), and Chelsea (vs Everton) — all sides with potential for clean sheets and attacking hauls. But compared to FH13, Aston Villa and Brentford have tougher fixtures in GW16 so you might not really want to triple up on those players.

Additionally, there’s one key difference here. Brentford, who are strong Free Hit targets this week, also begin a great long-term run from GW16 onwards — facing Leeds (H), Wolves (A), Bournemouth (H), and Spurs (H) in the next four. This means you can naturally bring in their players through transfers around this time, rather than relying on a Free Hit. The same case with Arsenal, they still seem defensively strong without Gabriel and they have a good fixture run from 16 with 3 home games so you will anyway most likely be tripled up on Arsenal from 16. Fulham also have a good run from 16, in fact top of the ticker and you might really just want Andersen from the Fulham assets so most of us might already have him.

Considering both fixture quality and long-term planning, GW13 remains the superior Free Hit option, with GW16 being a close second if your squad happens to be poorly set up for that week.

FPL Triple Captain Analysis

With no doubles, the Triple Captain chip will likely revolve around one man — Erling Haaland. Using projected points data, Haaland crosses the 8+ expected points mark in GW13, GW15, and GW17, with Arsenal defenders like Gabriel and Timber also crossing 7+ in GW16.

That gives us four realistic Triple Captain candidates:

• Haaland (GW13 vs Leeds)
• Haaland (GW15 vs Sunderland)
• Haaland (GW17 vs West Ham)
• Saka/Arsenal Defender (GW16 vs Wolves)

Let’s assess each in turn.

Triple Captain in FPL GW13 – Haaland vs Leeds (H)

Haaland at home to Leeds in GW13 is a tempting fixture. Leeds have conceded 20 goals already this season, with an xGA of 14.6, 44 shots on target conceded, and a poor save percentage of 59.1%.

However, as discussed earlier, GW13 is already the best Free Hit week, and you can’t use two chips in one gameweek. Between the two, Free Hit offers more holistic value by allowing you to capitalize on multiple favorable fixtures rather than one explosive captain pick. So, while Haaland vs Leeds is a strong TC option on paper, it likely ranks behind the other choices.

Triple Captain in FPL 15 – Haaland vs Sunderland (H)

In GW15, Haaland faces Sunderland at home. While the fixture might sound appealing, Sunderland’s defensive stats tell a different story — they’ve conceded only 10 goals, have one of the lowest xGAs among these opponents, and boast a high save percentage.

This combination of defensive solidity and limited attacking exposure makes it a less explosive fixture for Haaland. As such, this week feels like a “trap” TC week that’s better avoided.

Triple Captain in FPL GW17 – Haaland vs West Ham (H)

Now, GW17 vs West Ham looks like the standout Triple Captain week.

West Ham have the worst defensive numbers among these opponents — the highest goals conceded, xGA, and shots on target allowed. The fixture aligns perfectly for Haaland to go big, especially at the Etihad.

City do have a midweek EFL Cup game before this, similar to their schedule before GW13 and GW15, but Haaland’s minutes have been consistently strong across these stretches. Factoring in opponent strength, fixture location, and form projection, GW17 emerges as the best week to use the Triple Captain chip.

Triple Captain in FPL GW16 – Saka/Timber vs Wolves (H)

For those who prefer a differential route, GW16 offers an interesting alternative. Arsenal hosts Wolves, and their defensive numbers have been exceptional this season. Wolves have struggled for goals, and Gabriel’s attacking threat from set pieces makes him a genuine points magnet in this fixture.

Gabriel is injured at the moment and it looks like he won’t be back by then. Timber offers a good Differential choice with 2 goals, 3 assists already this season. That said, triple-captaining a defender comes with more risk, and Haaland’s ceiling remains higher. Still, for managers chasing rank or looking for a creative play, Timber in GW16 is a viable option. Saka is also another option if you are considering an attacker from this game.

Summary- Chip Strategy:

• With no doubles ahead, Chip strategy becomes about timing and maximizing single-gameweek upside.
  From the analysis above:
• Free Hit 13 stands out as the best opportunity, with Free Hit 16 as a solid backup.
• For the Triple Captain, Haaland vs West Ham in GW17 is the most promising week, followed by a differential defensive punt on Gabriel vs Wolves in GW16.

In short:

• Free Hit 13. Triple Captain 17.
• That’s the optimal playbook to get the most out of your remaining chips in the first half of the FPL season.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL GW13

FPL GW13 Free Hit Guide – Tips, Players to Target and Best Drafts
Top FPL Gameweek 13 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
Top FPL GW13 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of Deadline
FPL Gameweek 13 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold, & Sell
FPL GW13 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups
Premier League Players who will miss PL due to AFCON 2025
FPL GW13 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Eye Test & Stats
Best GWs to Use Your Free Hit & Triple Captain Chips (GW13–19)
FPL GW13 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

Link to all our FPL GW13 blogs, including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 13 of the 2025/26 FPL Season?

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