The upcoming period in Fantasy Premier League could prove a season-defining one for many managers.
Saturday’s confirmation of a rescheduled match for
Liverpool
means both are now among four sides to have a Double Gameweek 25, along with
Manchester City
Managers have been quick to react, with Diogo Jota (£8.0m) the second most-bought midfielder in the Gameweek on the back of more than 70,000 transfers in.
But before investing in the Double Gameweek 25 contingent, managers must look at the bigger picture and also factor Blank Gameweek 26, as well as Blank Gameweek 29, into their plans.
Liverpool and Luton immediately have a Blank Gameweek 26, along with
Essentially, then, the more Liverpool and Luton players you have for Double Gameweek 25, the fewer available players you will have for Blank Gameweek 26.
This is compounded by the absence in Blank Gameweek 26 of popular picks such as Chelsea’s
(both £5.9m), who are owned by 39 and 34 per cent respectively. Porro’s team-mate
(£7.2m), meanwhile, is the most-bought player in the Gameweek, earning 160,000+ transfers in after his two goals against
Everton
last weekend.
Is tripling up on Liverpool essential?
The appeal of tripling up on Liverpool assets is certainly lessened at a time when a double-up on
Erling Haaland
(£14.2m) and
Kevin De Bruyne
(£10.8m) could be the better move; Man City have a visit to
in Blank Gameweek 26 following their Double Gameweek 25.
Another possible issue for the Reds is the threat of rotation in the second match of their Double Gameweek 25 against Luton, which takes place four days before their EFL Cup final encounter with Chelsea. Owners of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) experienced this as recently as Gameweek 22 against Chelsea. The England star earned a one-point haul off the bench while his deputy Conor Bradley (£4.1m) delivered a bumper 21-point return.
Added to the doubts surrounding the fitness of Mohamed Salah (£13.0m), managers should be looking to bank their Gameweek 24 transfer and hope for a positive update on the Egyptian’s availability before deciding on the best way to invest in Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Play the Free Hit chip in Blank Gameweek 26?
The absence of such a high number of key Fantasy assets in Blank Gameweek 26 now makes it a very appealing time to play the Free Hit chip.
This would allow managers to invest in Liverpool and Luton for Double Gameweek 25 while also keeping Palmer, Porro and Richarlison in their squads.
Typically, Blank Gameweek 29, which coincides with the FA Cup quarter-finals, is the preferred time to play the Free Hit chip due to the reduced number of matches.
However, managers can already start building towards Blank Gameweek 29 due to the early cup exits of Spurs and Brentford.
is one of only two matches currently set to go ahead in Blank Gameweek 29, with Porro, Richarlison,
James Maddison
(£7.9m) and
Son Heung-min
(£9.6m) all strong options.
Brentford’s visit to
Burnley
that weekend will make
Ivan Toney
(£8.1m) a key pick. The Bees also have a Double Gameweek 25 and face
Effect of FA Cup replays
’s FA Cup fourth-round replay with Chelsea on Wednesday evening will offer more clarity on Blank Gameweek 29 as the outcome will affect some of the most-owned players in Fantasy.
A win for Villa would mean that
Arsenal
’s home encounter with Chelsea would be the third match confirmed to take place in Blank Gameweek 29.
(£9.0m) and Palmer are the most-owned midfielders in Fantasy, found in 60 and 39 per cent of squads respectively.
If Chelsea win, then Villa’s visit to West Ham would instead be the third match. Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) is the third most-popular player in Fantasy with an ownership of 53 per cent, while the Hammers’ Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) can be found in almost a quarter of squads.