All posts by Rae

FPL Tips: Wildcard Draft and Player Picks for DGW25 and DGW26

Two consecutive double gameweeks on matchday 25 and 26 present a fantastic opportunity for FPL managers to use their chips. In this article, tipster Rae shares his insights on the wildcard draft and player picks to consider for the doubles.


Premier League Double Gameweek Schedule

Teams with a double on matchday 25:

  • Manchester United: Southampton (H) and Brighton (H)
  • Brighton: Watford (A) and Manchester United (A)

Teams with a double on matchday 26:

  • Liverpool: Norwich (H) and Leeds United (H)
  • Arsenal: Brentford (H) and Wolves (H)
  • Wolves: Leicester City (H) and Arsenal (A)
  • Crystal Palace: Chelsea (H) and Watford (A)
  • Burnley: Brighton (A) and Tottenham (H)
  • Watford: Aston Villa (A) and Crystal Palace (H)
  • Tottenham: Manchester City (A) and Burnley (A)
  • Leeds: Manchester United (H) and Liverpool (A)




FPL Player Picks for Gameweek 25

 

David De Gea

David De Gea is the man in goal in our FPL double gameweek 25 and 26 wildcard draft. The Manchester United shot-stopper has made the most saves amongst goalkeepers this season which means he has picked up the most saves point. Despite United’s poor defense, David De Gea has picked up 92 points this season which is the fifth-highest amongst goalkeepers.

United face Brighton and Southampton in gameweek 25, and FPL managers would be hoping that he can add to those numbers.

 

Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes was one of last season’s top FPL assets. In DGW22, Bruno had a total of twenty-three points – his highest return so far this season. He has scored seven goals so far and is averaging 4.7 points per match. Bruno is known for his creativity (only Trent Alexander-Arnold has created more chances in the Premier League this season). If you’re looking for a reliable captain with a double, Bruno is one to consider.

 

Marc Cucurella

The Brighton full-back would be a good FPL differential pick for gameweek 25 as he’s owned by only 3.5% of FPL managers. This season, Brighton have kept only six clean sheets, and Cucurella has managed just one assist so far, which explains his 3.5% ownership. Cucurella does not have the numbers to back up his FPL price tag – however, he is a player who passes the eye test. The Brighton wing-back put up a man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea, completing more crosses and creating more chances than any other player. DGW25 would be a good time for the wing-back to reward the 3.5% of managers who have selected him.

 

Leandro Trossard

Another differential pick for double gameweek 25. The Brighton midfielder valued at £6.1M has scored four goals this season from 53 shots, twenty of those being on target. Trossard is heavily involved in Brighton’s attacking play and, his four goals this season are the second-most goals scored by a Brighton player, and only Brighton’s striker Neal Maupay has more goals (7).

 

Alexis Mac Allister

If you want to save some extra cash – Alexis Mac Allister is a fantastic Leandro Trossard alternative. The Argentinian has started nine games this season for Brighton and has scored four goals, making him the joint-second top scorer for Brighton this season. Valued at only £5.3M and owned by just 0.7% of FPL managers, Alexis Mac Allister is a good differential pick for double game week 25. This season, his standout performance was his 15 point haul against Everton, a game where he scored two goals and assisted another two.





FPL Gameweek 25 Wildcard Draft

The current wildcard draft costs £97.9M, leaving you with another £2.5M in the bank. Bruno Fernandes would be my captain for double gameweek 25 because he has the better fixtures going into this matchday. To find out other captain alternatives for DGW25, click here.

 

FPL Player Picks for Gameweek 26

Using the DGW25 draft, here are some transfer suggestions that you could make in order to have a pretty strong team for DGW26.

 

Defence

David De Gea (£5.3M) ➡️ Aaron Ramsdale (£5.1M)

Marc Cucurella (£5.1M) ➡️ Kieran Tierney (£5.1M)

 

Midfield

Bruno Fernandes (£11.7M) ➡️ Mohamed Salah (£12.9M)

Alexis Mac Allister (£5.3M) ➡️ Michael Olise (£5.4M) or Conor Gallagher (£6.2M)

Phil Foden (£8M) ➡️ Bukayo Saka (£6.4M)

 

Forwards

Neal Maupay (£6.5M) ➡️ Emmanuel Dennis (£6.2M) or Joshua King (£5.9M)

Armando Broja (£5.3M) ➡️ Odsonne Edouard (£6.5M)

Here’s what your double gameweek 26 team would look like after making the transfers, and Mohamed Salah is my pick for the captain’s armband. The team costs £98M, which leaves £2M in the bank for future upgrades. To find more about the best double gameweek 26 captain picks and chip strategy, check out my article on chip strategies.


You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 21/22 season here.

FPL Tips: Planning for the Upcoming Blank and Double Gameweeks

The combination of some surprising results in the FA Cup and a growing backlog of delayed games have caused a massive change in the FPL schedule, resulting in some big double gameweeks and blanks up ahead. Fantasy Tipster Rae looks at the chip strategy and players to consider for the upcoming weeks.


Teams with Double Gameweeks in FPL

The newly updated fixture list has a total of ten teams having DGWs between the period of matchday 25 and 26. Manchester United and Brighton are the only teams with a double in gameweek 25. In gameweek 26, a total of eight teams have two games and they are:

  • Liverpool 🔴
  • Arsenal 🟥
  • Wolves 🐺
  • Crystal Palace 🦅
  • Burnley 🟣
  • Watford 🐝
  • Spurs ⚪
  • Leeds 🟡

A total of ten teams have double gameweeks in the next two matchdays, but that’s not all. While ten teams have doubles, a couple of teams aren’t involved in the next round of fixtures, leaving them with blank gameweeks.

 

Teams With Blank Gameweeks in FPL

Chelsea, Arsenal and, Liverpool all have blank gameweeks coming up. Chelsea and Arsenal won’t feature in Gameweek 25 as Chelsea have Club World Cup duties in the UAE. Liverpool and Chelsea also won’t play in gameweek 27 as they would be playing in the carabao cup final.

As we reach the business end of the season, FPL managers would be looking to take advantage of DGWs and BGWs. FPL managers would need to strategize how to use their chips to do that.





FPL Double Gameweek 25 and 26 Chip Strategy

 

Man United and Brighton have a double in gameweek 25, while Chelsea and Arsenal blank in the same matchday. During this period, the best move for FPL managers is not to play any of their chips as there would be bigger doubles and worse blanks in the upcoming weeks.

 

When You Should Free Hit

Gameweek 27 is looking like the best time to play the Free hit chip with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool having blanks in the same week. It depends on the number of Arsenal and Liverpool FPL assets one has. If you have two or more Arsenal players and three Liverpool assets, you would be looking to play your free hit in GW27 as you’d be left with just six players that week.

Suppose you don’t play the Free hit chip in BGW27. The best thing to do would be to reduce the number of Arsenal FPL assets you buy in DGW26.

 

When You Should Use Your Triple Captain Chip

DGW26 is looking like the best time to play the triple captain chip. With Mohamed Salah returning and Liverpool having a double gameweek, there’s no better time to triple your captain points. Liverpool in DGW26 face Norwich City and Leeds United, two teams hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone. These are two fixtures with an FDR of two and opponents that Salah always seems to bag goals against. This would be the perfect time to use the triple captain chip.





FPL Player Picks for the Upcoming Weeks

James Ward-Prowse

After gameweek 25, Southampton have some easy fixtures coming up with the saints facing Everton, Norwich, Villa Watford, and Burnley. These days one of the things FPL managers do before picking an asset is to check if he’s on corners, free kicks, or penalties. With James Ward-Prowse, there’s no need to worry because you’re getting a set-piece specialist.

He has now scored 12 free-kicks in the English top-flight, with only the great David Beckham ahead on 18. The Saints midfielder is valued at £6.3M and is owned by only 3.4% of FPL managers. This season, his six goals are the most for the team, and he tops the charts for the most chances created, most points per game (4.1), and total points for Southampton this season.

 

Armando Broja

Selected by only 5.2% of FPL managers, Armando Broja is a great differential pick. The Southampton forward who is on loan from Chelsea has scored five goals this season and has picked up 64 FPL points in the process. Only Ward-Prowse has scored more goals for Southampton this season, and only Armstrong carries more goal-scoring threat than the 20-year-old. This season, his standout performance was the game against Crystal Palace, where he picked up 12 points after scoring, assisting, and winning three bonus points. Aston Villa, just like Southampton, have pretty good fixtures coming up with good FDR.

The only problem is that Broja could face a spell on the sidelines after being forced off the field in their win over Coventry City. Otherwise, when fully fit, he is undoubtedly one of the best budget forwards in FPL.

 

Lucas Digne

Lucas Digne (£5.1M) is the most bought player in gameweek 24, with 136404 FPL managers bringing in the Villa full-back. The ex-Everton man sold this January window had a truly noteworthy introduction against his previous side. Lucas Digne assisted Emi Buendia from a corner as Villa beat Everton 1-0. There’s a reason why the Villa man is highly sought after. Lucas Digne is an attacking full-back who loves to put crosses in the box, whether from set-pieces or open play. He’s also a full-back who carries a goal-scoring threat with his free-kick ability.

 

Mohammed Salah

Mohammed Salah has been away on international duties and has been sold by most FPL managers. If you haven’t bought him back, now is the time to do so. Mohammed Salah is the FPL player with the most points, and he is also fixture proof, making him an asset that you can give the captain’s armband every matchday. With fixtures that have an FDR rating of two in DGW26, it’s really hard to look past the Egyptian. Mohammed Salah is also an asset you should be looking to triple captain in DGW26 as he faces Norwich and Leeds United.

 

David De Gea

Four of Manchester United’s next five games have FDR of two which means they have easy fixtures that they should be winning. United aren’t affected by any blank and have a double coming up, which makes David De Gea the goalkeeper to have for the upcoming gameweeks. He could be a direct replacement for Aaron Ramsdale in DGW25 when Ramsdale doesn’t play. Despite Man united keeping only five clean sheets this season, De Gea has managed to rack up 90 points while averaging 4.1 points a match, and his 84 saves this season are the most by any goalkeeper in the league.

Not only that, David De Gea has been excellent when it comes to saving penalties. This season he has saved two penalties. When it comes to keepers in FPL, they’re not much better than David De Gea, and in DGW25, he should be your first choice. Manchester United has the easiest set of fixtures on paper, with an FDR of two.


You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 21/22 season here.