FPL Chip Strategy Guide 2025/26
Wildcard · Bench Boost · Triple Captain · Free Hit
The four FPL chips can be worth 30–80 extra points per season when timed correctly. Here is exactly when to play each one, what to avoid, and how to sequence them across 2025/26.
Chip usage — GW37
Total chips played by FPL managers in the most recent completed gameweek.
Wildcard
Unlimited free transfers for one gameweek · 2 per season
The Wildcard lets you make unlimited free transfers in a single gameweek without costing points. You have two — one usable in the first half of the season (GW1–19) and one in the second half (GW20–38). Your squad cost locks in at the current market price when you activate it.
Play Wildcard before a long run of easy fixtures for 3+ of your key players. Double gameweeks are prime timing — activate just before to load up on DGW assets. Also consider it when injuries have wrecked your squad structure.
Never panic-Wildcard after one bad week. Two poor GWs in a row is not a Wildcard situation unless your squad has structural damage (3+ injured starters, wrong captains for 4+ weeks). A single hit transfer usually fixes the immediate problem cheaper.
- Save your second Wildcard for the DGW/BGW run in spring (GW28–34 typically has double gameweeks).
- Do not play a Wildcard in GW1 — you have free transfers and need 4 weeks of data first.
- When activated, your team value is locked — price rises you held become realised.
- Plan the squad on paper before activating; activation cannot be undone mid-transfer window.
Bench Boost
Your bench players score points this gameweek · 1 per season
Bench Boost activates your four bench players so all 15 players score points simultaneously. Normally benched players are irrelevant; this week every clean sheet, goal and assist they pick up counts.
Double Gameweek with 3–4 double-playing bench players. Ideally you want a strong GK on the bench and two budget defenders from the same DGW team. The average Bench Boost score in recent seasons is ~20–25 bonus points, but the ceiling with a strong bench in a DGW is 50+.
Never play in a blank or single gameweek. Avoid it when your bench is £4.0m padding — the chip only pays off with quality bench options. Do not save it for the final GW (GW38) as most managers do — the upside there is limited.
- Set up your Wildcard bench with Bench Boost in mind — get 3 players from the same DGW team.
- Defender starters get bonus points for clean sheets; two from the same team doubles your CS upside.
- Check fixture difficulty for bench players, not just starters — DGW vs a bottom-half team is the ideal setup.
- Average GW score is ~65 pts; a well-timed Bench Boost in a DGW can add 30–50 extra.
Triple Captain
Your captain scores 3× points instead of 2× · 1 per season
Triple Captain triples your captain's points haul for one gameweek instead of the normal 2×. If your captain scores 20 points, you get 60 instead of 40. Most impactful chip in the game when timed correctly.
A Double Gameweek for your premium captain — ideally a guaranteed starter like Salah, Haaland or Palmer who plays two games with favourable opponents. The expected uplift over normal captaincy is roughly +1× the captain's single-GW average, so timing it for a DGW could be worth +15 pts over standard captaincy.
Single gameweeks, blank gameweeks, or gameweeks where your premium asset faces a tough fixture. Never play it if your captain has a fitness concern. Do not play during a DGW if your captain only has one fixture.
- Check fixture difficulty: DGW with FDR 1–2 both games = perfect Triple Captain setup.
- Combine with a Wildcard if needed to ensure maximum squad coverage for the DGW.
- If two premium players both DGW, pick the higher-floor option — the 3× multiplier amplifies both ceiling and floor.
- The last few GWs of the season often have attractive DGWs — a prime window.
Free Hit
Unlimited free transfers for one GW — squad reverts after · 1 per season
Free Hit lets you make unlimited free transfers for one gameweek. Unlike the Wildcard, your squad reverts to its pre-chip state the following week. It's a one-week superteam — ideal for navigating blanks or maximising a special fixture window.
Blank Gameweek where most of your squad are missing — play the Free Hit to field a full 11 from teams who are playing. Also strong in the final Double Gameweek run if your squad structure is too rigid to naturally field 11 DGW players.
Normal single gameweeks — the squad reverts so you gain nothing structural. Do not play if your squad already covers the blank well (8+ players playing). Never waste it on a GW with poor overall fixtures.
- Map out the full BGW/DGW calendar before deciding when to play — FPL usually publishes this in December.
- For a BGW, pick budget players from teams definitely playing; ignore form and ownership — just maximise 11 starters.
- Captain a nailed premium in a double — he is the anchor even if the bench is understrength.
- After the Free Hit, check your reverted squad immediately for fixture-driven transfers needed.
FPL Chip Strategy — Common Questions
When should I play my FPL Wildcard?
The best Wildcard windows are: (1) before a 5+ GW run of easy fixtures for premium players, (2) just before a Double Gameweek to load up on DGW assets, (3) after injury has gutted your squad structure. Never panic-Wildcard after one bad week — a single hit transfer is almost always the better move.
When is the best time to use Bench Boost in FPL?
Bench Boost is most valuable in a Double Gameweek where your bench players also have two fixtures. Set up your bench during a Wildcard with 3+ players from the same DGW team. The average Bench Boost in a DGW adds 30–50 extra points versus a normal week.
Should I save Triple Captain for a Double Gameweek?
Yes — Triple Captain in a Double Gameweek for a premium like Salah or Haaland is the optimal play. They play twice, tripling points from both games. In a single GW the uplift is roughly one extra captain share (+1× instead of +2×); in a DGW it can be +30 points over standard captaincy.
What is the Free Hit best used for in FPL 2025?
Blank Gameweeks — weeks where several clubs do not play due to cup replays or rescheduled fixtures. The Free Hit lets you field a full starting 11 from the teams that ARE playing, then revert to your normal squad the following week. Also effective for Double Gameweeks if your squad structure cannot naturally field 11 DGW players.
Can I use two chips in the same gameweek in FPL?
No. FPL only allows one chip per gameweek. You cannot combine Wildcard + Bench Boost or Triple Captain + Free Hit in the same week. The exception is that the Wildcard and Free Hit are entirely separate chips — you can play them in different weeks of course, just not simultaneously.
What is the order to play FPL chips in 2025/26?
A common strategy for 2025/26: save Wildcard 1 for GW5–10 once you have form data, play Triple Captain in the first big DGW (often GW19–22), use Free Hit on the major BGW (often GW29–32), then Wildcard 2 before the final DGW run, with Bench Boost in the last DGW of the season.
Related FPL tools
Chip usage data sourced from the FPL API. Strategy advice based on historical FPL data and community consensus.