Cianan’s Column: GW27: Time to talk chips

Entering the twilight period of the season, with just over ten gameweeks remaining, we need to talk about chip strategy. A lot of managers deployed their triple-captain in GW26 on an Arsenal asset, to, at best, a mediocre result. However, many have all chips remaining, which leaves the question: when should you be planning on laying them on the table?

GW33 will likely be the largest double gameweek of the season, with a lot of sides involved in the latter stages of the FA Cup, triggering the need for fixture stacking, which we can take advantage of. The same teams will likely blank in GW34, turning that into the largest blank gameweek of the season. Given Arsenal, Man City, Crystal Palace, and Wolves’ blanks in GW31, this provides a key opportunity to attack this unique set of circumstances. You can make transfers heading towards GW31 with a plan not to use any chips. Then, you can wildcard in GW32, allowing you not only to have an optimal team for that week but also the one that has almost exclusively doublers in GW33. You could have as many as 15 doublers for that week, where the bench boost seems like a tantalising prospect. Then, the week after, most of your team will face blanks, making it the perfect time to free-hit.

This creates a hectic but likely profitable period from GW31, where you need to make astute transfers to navigate the blank, followed by a wildcard, then a bench boost, and concluding with a free hit. Although this strategy will undoubtedly be popular, that’s because it’s probably the best chip plan you’re going to get. Though there’s no guarantee of another double gameweek aside from GW33, those who still have the triple captain will want to wait for those possibilities. If they fail to come to fruition, it’ll be about picking the ideal single game for one of Haaland, Fernandes, or Palmer.

Given I’ve mentioned navigating blank GW31 without using a chip, something the optimal chip strategy hinges upon, we need to discuss smart transfers that help you both then and now. Brentford will draw managerial in this regard, who are due to face Brighton (H), Burnley (A), Bournemouth (A), Wolves (H) in the coming weeks, with, most importantly, Leeds(A) after that in blank GW31; their upcoming fixtures are superb. Even if we discount GW31, you’ll want Brentford assets for this run regardless, making their fixture in that gameweek only the cherry on top. Thiago is fairly essential: he’s one of the league’s top scorers, takes penalties, and doesn’t depend on xG for securing returns. Ouattara is similarly electric and in demand, coming in at £1.1m cheaper than his midfield teammate Schade, though there aren’t swathes to separate the two over the next few weeks, excluding price; either could easily outscore the other. Defensively, it’s harder to pick and choose, given the frequency of rotation and assets like Collins, who will eventually return from injury. Kelleher is probably the optimal option solely based on consistency of minutes, but goalkeeper transfers usually aren’t worth it. You could look at Kayode, but he rarely achieves DEFCON points, while Ajer is better in that area, though he has a slightly higher risk of rotation. In general, the attacking trio of Thiago, Ouattara, and Schade are your best options from the bees.

Bournemouth are too useful for navigating the optimal chip strategy. West Ham (A), Sunderland (H), Brentford (H), and Burnley (A) in the next four is a sensational fixture run. However, their fixture in GW31 is a fairly tough one against Manchester United (H) (however, beggars, of course, cannot be choosers). On that basis, I’d argue Brentford’s assets are slightly preferable, but if you need to make changes to your team, they still offer greater mid-term viability than most. The likes of Hill and Rayan offer routes into their outfit without breaking the bank, whilst the likes of Senesi and Evanilson aren’t horrid options but don’t offer particular value for money.

Elsewhere in the FPL, Pedro and Palmer are proving particularly popular ahead of GW27. Their fixture this week is against Burnley (H), which ought to be a happy hunting ground, but they are likely to look into jumping off the Chelsea bandwagon shortly after. Their subsequent matches against Arsenal (A) and Aston Villa (A) are tough even for the high-flying Blues, followed by difficult fixtures against Newcastle (H), Man City (H), and Man United (H) in the near future. I’d steer clear unless you’re flush with transfers.

Rapid Recommendations

● Semenyo is evidently a great FPL option, so buy him if you so desire. But given his blank in GW31, he doesn’t feel essential.
● If you waited for the City game to pass and now wanted to bring in the likes of Ekitiké or Wirtz, the fixtures are great for the next few games, and they do play in GW31 (against Brighton (A)).
● On the subject of Liverpool, despite his 17-pointer last week, I wouldn’t rush to bring in Van Dijk. He’s burnt many managers already this season, and Liverpool haven’t seemed defensively secure all season.
● Although many managers seem to be considering it, I wouldn’t jump to sell Rice. In his last three matches, he’s scored nine, five, and five points, respectively, highlighting how he is the definition of set-and-forget.
● It’s a slightly dull and uninspiring piece of advice, but given the amount of manoeuvring around blanks and doubles we have to do in the coming weeks, try to save transfers where possible.

The Boar Standings

1st: Dwight Club (1534) – managed by Cianan Sheekey
2nd: parths11 (1499) – managed by Parth Malik
3rd: Meganerd FC (1498) – managed by Megan Green