When to use the FPL Free Hit

Five questions before you Free Hit

• Is the problem just this week, or will it still be there next week?
• How many of your starting 11 have no match, or a poor one, this gameweek?
• How different would your Free Hit team be from your current squad?
• Is there a bigger blank or double coming before the chip expires?
• Would a Wildcard fix the same problem and leave you with a better squad afterwards?

If the problem only lasts a week and your Free Hit team would look very different from your own, it's a strong option. If the problem will still be there next week, look at the Wildcard instead.

What makes the Free Hit different

Every other transfer you make is a decision you live with. The Free Hit is the one exception. You can build any team you like for a single gameweek, and at the next deadline your old squad comes back.

That makes it the chip for problems that don't last. If the trouble is your squad, a Free Hit only delays it. If the trouble is the week, a Free Hit can solve it without costing you anything beyond the chip.

It also takes away one usual worry. You don't have to think about whether a player is worth owning for the next six weeks, only whether he's worth picking for this one.

Four timing options

1. A blank gameweek

Why it works: when cup ties or rearranged fixtures leave several teams without a match, many managers find half their starting 11 has nothing to play. A Free Hit lets you field 11 players who all have a game, then go back to your normal squad the week after. This is the classic use of the chip.

When it doesn't: when the blank is small. If only two or three teams are missing and your bench can cover them, a free transfer or two might be enough. Save the chip for a blank that really hurts.

2. A double gameweek

Why it works: when some teams play twice in one gameweek, a Free Hit lets you load up on their players for that week only. You get two matches from most of your side without rebuilding your squad around a run that lasts seven days.

When it doesn't: when the doubles come in a cluster, or the teams playing twice keep good fixtures afterwards. Then a Wildcard can do the same job and keep the benefit for longer. Doubles also bring rotation, so two matches don't always mean two starts.

3. One standout fixture week

Why it works: sometimes one club has a fixture so appealing that you'd like three of their players for a single match, but not for the weeks after. A Free Hit lets you borrow them for that game and hand them back.

When it doesn't: when everyone else does the same and the fixture turns out tighter than expected. One match is a small sample. And there's a limit: you can only pick three players from one club, so a Free Hit can't load up on one team beyond that.

4. A rescue week

Why it works: injuries, suspensions and illness sometimes arrive at once. If you're short of a full team for one week, but your squad is fine once everyone's back, a Free Hit gets you through without spending transfers or taking hits on players you'll want again soon.

When it doesn't: when the absences are long. A player out for a month is a transfer problem, not a one-week problem, and a Free Hit only pushes it back to next week.

Free Hit or Wildcard?

Both give you unlimited free transfers for a week. The difference is what happens next.

Compare	Free Hit	Wildcard
How long the changes last	One gameweek, then your old squad returns	Permanent
Best timing	Blanks, doubles, one standout fixture, a one-week injury crisis	Several players wrong, or a fixture swing lasting six or more weeks
Effect on team value	Your Free Hit team's value disappears with it. Your own players keep whatever price changes happened that week, just as they would without the chip	You sell at selling prices and buy at current prices, so risen players cost you if you sell them
The week after	Back to your old squad, problems included	Your new squad carries on
Saved free transfers	Kept	Kept

A useful test: imagine the week after the chip. If you'd want to keep most of the new team, it's a Wildcard. If you'd want your old squad back, it's a Free Hit. For more on the rebuild option, see when to play your FPL Wildcard.

Common Free Hit pitfalls

• Using it early, then facing a big blank without it. Blanks often arrive later in each half, when cup ties start moving league matches. A Free Hit spent on a modest week in September can leave you short when a real blank comes. Check what's ahead before you commit, and remember the first one expires at GW19.
• A Free Hit team that's barely different from your own. If you'd only change three or four players, free transfers or a single hit might do the same job and keep the chip for a week when it changes everything.
• Using it to fix a squad problem. If your squad needs fixing, it will still need fixing next week. A Free Hit is for the week, not the squad.
• Forgetting it can't be undone. Once confirmed, it's played. Late team news can still change the picture, so if you can, build the team early and confirm close to the deadline.

When it's genuinely close

You've checked the fixtures ahead, imagined the week after and ruled out the options that don't fit. What's left is two good ones: Free Hit or Wildcard, or Free Hit now or later. That's a 50/50, and agonising over it costs more than it gains.

Make the call and enjoy the week. If you really can't, that's what the coin is for.

More guides

• FPL chips explained: how and when to use every chip
• When to play the FPL Bench Boost
• When to play your FPL Wildcard
• When to use the FPL Triple Captain
• When to roll, when to act, and how much team value matters

Sources

• Rules (Fantasy Premier League)
• What's happening with FPL chips in 2026/27 (Premier League)
• Record number of Triple Captain chips played in Gameweek 3 (Premier League)
• How FPL Harry, Mark Sutherns + more did in Gameweek 3 (Fantasy Football Scout)
• Official FPL data: chip counts, fixtures, player points and the managers' public team data.