If you could blow up anything in the world, what would it be? Me? I-95. A short stretch of I-95 is a source of stress for me five days a week. This week I traveled back home to South Carolina. The return to Maryland was brutal. I would have loved a view from Outer Space of I-95 exploding like a long strand of det cord. Now that I have that out of my system….
The first half of the Fantasy EPL season is about to end. If you haven’t already played your Chips, now is the time to plan your Chip Strategy. Fantasy Premier League has five chips: two Wildcards, Triple Captain, Bench Boost, and Free Hit. Free Hit, new this year, allows one to make unlimited transfers free of charge for one week, and then restores your squad to prior Gameweek status. Only one chip can be played at a time. For example, a player cannot use the Wildcard and Bench Boost in the same Gameweek. So, when is a good time to use the Chips?
Chip Strategy can be aggravating. One popular strategy is to use the Chips during a Double Gameweek when players will have two fixtures. A Wildcard can be used to maximize the number of players with two fixtures. Another strategy is to use the Wildcard the week before the Double Gameweek and then use another chip, such as Bench Boost, during the Double Gameweek. One drawback of the Double Gameweek is that coaches will sometimes sit players or pull them early. Also, be cautious using the Wildcard to stack players from clubs with two fixtures. You want to avoid constructing a squad that will not be productive after the Double Gameweek. There are more Chips than Double Gameweeks so which Chip do you play and when?
Wild Cards are a great tool to implement a strategy, or correct a strategy gone awry. You get one Wild Card each half. December 30 is the last day to use the first half Wild Card. I have a tendency to save my Wild Card
unless my team is a dumpster fire. As you reconstruct your new squad, pay attention not only to total points but also to form and value compared to form. This year, investing in forwards is not paying off. Of the top 15 point leaders, only two are forwards, Harry Kane and Roberto Firmino. While Kane is hot, he cost a hefty £12.9; whereas, midfielder Raheem Sterling is only £8.8 and has more points that Kane.
Fantasy Premier League defines Form as “a player’s average score per match, calculated from all matches played by his club in the last 30 days”. Again, when looking at players’ Form, only three forwards are in the top 15 and goalie Jordan Pickford of Everton is ahead of two of them. Foregoing Kane for forwards like Roberto Firmino (£8.9) and Wayne Rooney (£7.5) with midfielder Sterling (£8.8) can free up salary space for high scoring midfielders like Mohamed Salah (£10.1).
Bench Boost is a good Chip to play after using the Wild Card since your bench should be healthy and if played during a Double Gameweek, bench players will probably have two fixtures. Otherwise, you’re looking for a healthy bench with favorable matchups.
Triple Captain is probably the least favorable Chip during a Double Gameweek, since the other Chips have a better chance to provide more points. If at any time your Captain’s fixture is good, you may want to go for it. Harry Kane had 17 points Gameweeks 19 and 20. One of those weeks would have been profitable to use the Triple Captain.
Free Hit is probably the tastiest Chip. Free Hit is a wise choice for a Double Gameweek; a squad can be constructed of quality players with two fixtures for just that week. Once the Double Gameweek is over, your original squad before the Gameweek is restored. The advantage is you can stack a squad with players that you may not want the rest of the season. Also,it is not necessary to burn a Wild Card prior to a Double Gameweek.
If you don’t need a Chip to move into championship contention, try to save either a Wild Card or Free Hit for the end of the season. Last year, my team was doing well and I had a shot at the championship. I noticed that a couple of the other teams were mocking my team so that only a couple of players were different. A Wild Card or Free Hit would have hit the spot to separate my team from the others.
Follow Elaine @ElaineC_Speaks.
