FPL double and blank gameweeks have the potential to make and break your Fantasy Premier League season. Soon they’ll be upon us. Here’s how you can maximise your points return when they arrive.
One scan of the upcoming Premier League schedule is enough for even the most casual FPL player to realise the chaos looming on the horizon. As is customary at this point of the season, a tightening fixture list means we’re about to be hit by double and blank gameweeks.
Over the next four weeks FPL players need to prepare for back-to-back-to-back-to-back double and blank gameweeks, further complicating an already complicated juncture of the season.
Where one week, some of the Premier League’s brightest stars will have a chance to showcase their talents twice, in another they will be stripped of the chance to play entirely. Nailing your team selection during this tricky period of the season is absolutely critical for FPL success.
That’s not to say doing so is easy. In fact, successfully navigating this period is complicated, requiring meticulous planning and faultless execution. To ease matters for you, we’ve run our eye over the coming weeks from a fantasy perspective to provide the ultimate guide to the Premier League’s imminent blank and double gameweeks, as well as how you can benefit from them.
Everything you need to know about upcoming FPL double gameweeks?
When are they?
Gameweek 25 and gameweek 28
Who’s playing?
Gameweek 25
Manchester City vs Chelsea (H) and Brentford (H)
Liverpool vs Brentford (A) and Luton Town (A)
Brentford vs Liverpool (H) and Manchester City (A)
Luton Town vs Manchester United (H) and Liverpool (A)
Gameweek 28
Bournemouth vs Sheffield United (H) and Luton Town (A)
Luton Town vs Crystal Palace (A) and Bournemouth (H)
Tips:
For gameweek 25, it’s very hard to look at the prospect of City’s double gameweek without licking your lips. Erling Haaland (£14.4 I 71.7%), Manchester City’s Norwegian scoring machine spearheads Pep Guardiola’s side as they face Chelsea and Brentford, two sides who, in his two games against them this season, he’s scored twice against and assisted another two.
Haaland’s returned from his foot injury with a vengeance, hunting goals like sharks do fish, reminding the Premier League of who exactly he is. His output has been boosted by the exceptional return of Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8 I 31.5%) who’s grabbed one goal and four assists since his return, cementing his claim as the greatest Premier League midfielder ever with each passing game.
Away from Haaland and De Bruyne, Phil Foden (£8.0 I 31.1%) is in the midst of a truly breakout season, exemplified by his recent hat-trick against Brentford. Either of these three will be incredibly useful for not only the upcoming 25 double gameweek but also the remainder of the season.
However, given a congested fixture list, which includes a clash with Bournemouth four days after hosting Brentford and an FA Cup tie against Luton not long after that, could Haaland, De Bruyne, Foden and FPL players everywhere, fall victim to Pep roulette?
Will the Spaniard rest or reduce the minutes of some of his stars in either of their double gameweek fixtures? These are risk for sure and one which should be given consideration prior to finalising your gameweek 25 squad, but is triple captaining a double gameweek Erling Haaland too tempting to ignore?
Ivan Toney (£8.2 I 8.2%) also falls into the category of good for both the double gameweek and the rest of the season. Since returning from his gambling ban, Toney, who’s got one foot out of the door at Brentford, has three goals and one assist.
Don’t be deterred by tough fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester City. Toney has proven the bigger the occasion, the greater his performance, with his blend of physicality and technicality perfectly suited to Thomas Frank’s tactical blueprints against superior opposition.
All Toney needs is one chance or penalty in each game to make trading him worthwhile. Given his proven Premier League history, Toney’s FPL value extends beyond Brentford’s double gameweek.
Ivan Toney waited… 👀
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 9, 2024
And waited… ⏳
Then BANG! 💥 pic.twitter.com/tnCvIkRpmT
From a Liverpool perspective, it’s probably too early to gamble bringing Mohamed Salah (£13.0 I 18.8%) back into your side, with a bench role more likely for one, or both, of Liverpool’s double gameweek fixtures, while Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.6 I 19.8%) is set to miss both Liverpool’s double gameweek and the club’s League Cup Final date with Chelsea.
In Salah’s place, both Diogo Jota (£8.3 I 20.8%) and Darwin Nunez (£7.6 I 19.0%) have stepped up and remain tempting options in the upcoming double gameweek, especially considering their opposition. That’s not to underrate Luton and Brentford, both know their tactics and execute them expertly but neither is the title challenger that Liverpool is.
The second of Liverpool’s double gameweek opponents, Luton Town, are an interesting prospect in their own right. On face value, fixtures against Manchester United and Liverpool aren’t too enticing considering the gap between the sides.
However, that discredits Luton’s season thus far, which has seen them save their best performances for their toughest opponents – Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester City and Brighton. Who’s to say United and Liverpool won’t be next on the Hatters’ hit list?
Carlton Morris (£5.0 I 3.2%) has found his way back into the starting side, finding the back of the net in three of his last four matches. Alongside him up top, Elijah Adebayo (£4.9 I 5.0%) almost exclusively scores against tough opposition. Both could be fantastic FPL point of differences over the coming month.
Elijah Adebayo at Kenilworth Road in the Premier League:
— Owen Williams (@OwenLTFC) February 8, 2024
⚽️vs Burnley
⚽️ vs Arsenal
⚽️ vs Manchester City
⚽️ vs Chelsea
⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs Brighton
He loves a goal at the Kenny. Up next, Sheffield United⏳️⚽️#LTFC pic.twitter.com/LQL9QX04Jp
Everything you need to know about the upcoming FPL blank gameweeks?
When are they?
Gameweek 26 and gameweek 29
Who’s not playing?
Gameweek 26
Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Luton Town
Gameweek 29
While nothing is confirmed yet, it looks highly likely that the following teams will miss gameweek 29: Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea, Luton Town, Brighton, Manchester City, Wolves, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Manchester United, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest
Tips
Well, it’s safe to say gameweek 29 is a write off. At this stage, it appears only West Ham, Aston Villa, Fulham, Tottenham, Burnley and Brentford will feature that weekend, though more will be confirmed in roughly a fortnight.
While these six sides have enough firepower to ensure a respectable points total is achieved in gameweek 29, evidently it won’t be enough for a standard FPL points return.
To mitigate the minimised players available during this week, it’s advised to save your free hit and using it wisely prior to gameweek 29 to ensure you’re best placed to make the best of an otherwise tough situation.
Gameweek 26 is a whole other proposition. Luton and Liverpool won’t be too far removed from their own double gameweek, meaning many of their players are likely to feature in many FPL sides while Spurs have several players having stellar FPL seasons. Chelsea’s season means only Cole Palmer’s (£5.9 I 38.2%) blank gameweek absences will sting FPL players.
Your reaction to gameweek 26 should be dependant on the make up of your side. Although it’s not worth playing a wildcard and you’ll want to save your free hit for the blank in gameweek 29, meaning taking a slight points hit is probably the safest course of action.
Fortunately, the likes of Haaland, Toney, Bukayo Saka (£9.0 I 59.1%) and Ollie Watkins (£8.7 I 50.1%) will be around to earn gameweek 26 points, while Pervis Estupinan (£5.0 I 26.6%), Kieran Trippier (£6.8 I 41.6%) and either Gabriel (£5.1 I 20.4%) or William Saliba (£5.6 I 36.1%) will be keeping things tight at the back for their respective sides.
If minimising your points hit in gameweek 26 is a priority for you, trading for any of these guys or their teammates over the coming weeks is a solid course of action as not only will they insure you against a heavy points loss in gameweek 26 but they’ll also prove worthwhile assets in the back half of the season.