Fantasy Premier League managers are heading into one of the most chip-sensitive stretches of the 2025/26 season. With Double Gameweek 33 already underway and Blank Gameweek 34 looming, the Free Hit chip has become the most talked-about tool in any manager’s arsenal right now. Whether you’re still holding it or deciding how best to deploy it, here’s everything you need to know.
What Is the Free Hit Chip?
The Free Hit chip allows managers to make unlimited free transfers for one gameweek only. At the next deadline, the squad is returned to how it was before those unlimited moves were made. The chip is played when confirming transfers and cannot be cancelled once confirmed.
Think of it as a one-week rental squad. Every player brought in during a Free Hit week is only in your team for that single gameweek. When the next deadline arrives, the original 15-man squad snaps back into place — injuries, price changes, and all.
After playing the Free Hit chip, the bank balance and squad is restored to their state at the previous deadline, with any player price changes in the previous gameweek reflected. Any change to the bank balance while the Free Hit chip was active will be lost.
There are a few other important mechanical points to keep in mind:
- Any saved free transfers are lost when activating the Free Hit. Even if two free transfers were banked going into the activation, managers will be set back to just one for the following gameweek.
- The Free Hit chip cannot be played in Gameweek 1, and it cannot be used in both Gameweek 19 and Gameweek 20.
- The chip cannot be cancelled after being confirmed.
A New Rule for 2025/26: Two Free Hits Per Season
One major change this season made the Free Hit more valuable than ever. For the first time, all four chips — including the Free Hit — can be used twice per season, once in each half of the campaign covering Gameweeks 1–19 and 20–38.
As of the 2025/26 season, chips now refresh after GW19, giving managers one in each half of the season — just like how the Wildcard chip works. This structural shift means managers who properly planned their first-half chip deployment now enter the run-in with a fresh Free Hit available precisely when it matters most — during the busiest period of blank and double gameweeks. For fans tracking all the action across live matches and fixtures, 라이브스포츠 provides real-time coverage to stay fully updated.
Why Blank and Double Gameweeks Make the Free Hit So Valuable
To understand the chip’s timing, it helps to understand what it’s defending against.
A Blank Gameweek is when at least one club has no Premier League fixture in a given gameweek, meaning those players score zero FPL points. A Double Gameweek is when at least one club has two league fixtures in a given gameweek, giving players from those clubs two opportunities to score.
Blank Gameweeks occur when teams don’t have a fixture, resulting in zero points, while Double Gameweeks mean two fixtures and more scoring potential. With the FA Cup reshaping the schedule, GW33 and GW34 are defining the run-in of the 2025/26 season.
In a normal week, a starting XI of 11 players gives managers 11 chances to earn points. In a Double Gameweek, if 15 players with two fixtures each are selected, a squad would have a potential 30 chances to score points instead of the usual 11. A Free Hit opens that door wide — no transfers, no hits, no compromises.
DGW33: The Season’s Biggest Double Gameweek
Double Gameweek 33 is set to be the biggest Double Gameweek of the season, with six clubs playing twice: AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds United, and Manchester City.
The deadline for DGW33 was 11:00 BST on Saturday 18 April, featuring a Manchester City triple-up and four double-ups among the standout picks.
For managers who still had their Free Hit chip available heading into this window, the opportunity was clear. By playing the Free Hit chip in DGW33, managers can temporarily bring in players they may not want as long-term investments, whose only job is to deliver points across their two matches — while holding onto popular long-term assets for BGW34 and beyond.
BGW34: The Case for Saving the Free Hit
The flip side of DGW33 is what immediately follows it. The same six clubs that play twice in DGW33 won’t play at all in Blank Gameweek 34, meaning their players will score zero points.
This is where the second key use case for the Free Hit emerges — navigating a heavily reduced fixture round. Free Hitting in GW34 is the ideal scenario for managers who used their Wildcard to load up on DGW33 assets, as it allows them to field a functional team during the blank without permanently damaging their squad structure.
The logic works like this: if a manager used a Wildcard in GW32 to build around DGW33 teams, their squad will be packed with players who go blank in GW34. Activating the Free Hit in GW34 then lets them field an entirely different lineup — one built around the clubs still playing that week — before their original squad resets for GW35 and beyond.
The troublesome BGW34 is problematic because some players might not have a match, but the Free Hit chip can be used to select a one-gameweek squad to navigate that reduced round of matches.
How to Choose: Free Hit in DGW33 or BGW34?
The decision ultimately comes down to a manager’s current squad composition and chip availability.
If the Free Hit chip is not remaining, managers need to be wary of overloading their squad with DGW33 players, because those same players won’t have a match in BGW34. This comes down to the number of free transfers available — for example, five banked transfers allow managers to go bigger on DGW33 sides and then swap some of them out ahead of BGW34.
For those who still have the chip available, the general strategic breakdown is:
Use the Free Hit in DGW33 if:
- The existing squad has limited DGW33 coverage
- A Bench Boost has already been played in DGW33
- BGW34 teams are already well-represented in the permanent squad
Save the Free Hit for BGW34 if:
- A Wildcard was used in GW32 to stack DGW33 assets
- The permanent squad will be full of blanking players in GW34
- The priority is protecting rank during the blank rather than maximising DGW33 output
Gameweek 32 proved a popular week to play the Wildcard, with six clubs playing twice in GW33 before blanking in GW34. Saving up multiple free transfers alongside the Free Hit chip to navigate BGW34 and then wildcarding in GW35 is considered a strong alternative strategy.
Looking Beyond GW34: Late-Season Considerations
The planning doesn’t stop at GW34. Gameweek 36 is flagged as another option for the Bench Boost, with Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Nottingham Forest among clubs with favourable home fixtures.
If Manchester City remain firmly in the title race, a potential DGW36 featuring two home matches against Brentford and Crystal Palace would be an appealing window for further chip deployment, with Erling Haaland a strong captaincy candidate across those fixtures.
Final Thoughts
The Free Hit chip is one of the most flexible tools in FPL, but its value is directly tied to timing. In the 2025/26 season, with DGW33 and BGW34 arriving back-to-back, the stakes for correct deployment have never been higher. Managers who plan around their squad composition — rather than using the chip reactively — stand to gain the most ground on their mini-league rivals in these final crucial gameweeks.
With rank movements potentially running into the thousands across a single blank or double gameweek, getting the Free Hit decision right in April 2026 could be the difference between finishing the season with a green arrow or a painful red one.
