Double Gameweek 37 provides Fantasy Premier League managers with an opportunity to make big gains if they still have a chip available.
A large number of managers will be using their Bench Boost for this final double gameweek of the season, so we will be covering how to maximise that chip. However, we will also highlight the best team to pick if you are planning to use your Free Hit chip in a bid to get the better of your mini-league rivals in the penultimate gameweek of 2023-24.
How many double-gameweek players should you have?
This is totally team-dependent, but I would look to have at least 13 double-gameweek players if you are playing the Bench Boost. If you have any single-gameweek players, then you have to make sure they are solid picks for both this week and Gameweek 38.
For example, if you own Arsenal assets, I don’t think it’s a straightforward decision to move them on for a double-gameweek option. They have a fine fixture this week in Manchester United (away) and then welcome Everton in the final gameweek, where they will be the favourites to keep a clean sheet.
It’s almost always better to own a double-gameweek player over a single, but in some circumstances, quality prevails over quantity.
Team | Fixture One | Fixture Two |
|---|---|---|
Man. United (a) | ||
Liverpool (h) | ||
Brentford (h) | ||
Bournemouth (a) | ||
Newcastle (a) | Chelsea (h) | |
Tottenham (a) | ||
N. Forest (a) | Brighton (a) | |
Wolves (a) | ||
Sheffield Utd (h) | ||
Man. City (h) | ||
Aston Villa (a) | ||
West Ham (a) | ||
Fulham (a) | Tottenham (a) | |
Arsenal (h) | Newcastle (h) | |
Brighton (h) | Man. United (a) | |
Chelsea (h) | ||
Everton (a) | ||
Burnley (h) | Man. City (h) | |
Luton (h) | ||
C. Palace (h) |
Don’t be scared to take hits
I try to keep hits to a minimum over the course of the season, but when it comes to double gameweeks, they are much more justifiable. They have the potential to pay off instantly if you are removing a single-gameweek player to add a doubler.
If you are in a position where you have only eight doubling players, for example, don’t be afraid to take hits if the players you are bringing in have merit — even if it means you need to take a minus-eight or minus-12.
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This may seem excessive, but if you break the hits down individually rather than as a collective, you can gauge it more effectively.
For example, let’s say you have Ivan Toney (£7.7m), Ollie Watkins (£8.9m), Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.6m), and you are looking to transfer them out for Alexander Isak (£8.4m), Nicolas Jackson (£7.0m), Phil Foden (£8.4m) and Josko Gvardiol (£5.1m).
| Player out | Player in |
|---|---|
Ivan Toney (£7.7m) | Alexander Isak (£8.4m) |
Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) | Nicolas Jackson (£7.0m) |
Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) | Phil Foden (£8.4m) |
Virgil van Dijk (£6.6m) | Josko Gvardiol (£5.1m) |
This may cost you eight to 12 points, but the moves are more than worth it. Each of these replacements has an extra fixture, plus a good game in Gameweek 38.
Each transfer in is likely to gain you an extra four points over the transfer out across these final two gameweeks. So don’t be afraid to take hits and do what is best for your team, but make sure the hits make sense.
For Gameweek 37, the defenders don’t look great at all, so I would look to prioritise any hits in attack if possible. Looking at the clean-sheet odds, they don’t read well for any team apart from Manchester City.
GW37 clean sheet % 🧤🥅
To keep at least one clean sheet
𝗠𝗖𝗜: 𝟲𝟮%
𝗖𝗛𝗘: 𝟰𝟯%
EVE: 41%
𝗡𝗘𝗪: 𝟰𝟭%
ARS: 37%
𝗧𝗢𝗧: 𝟯𝟲%
WHU: 28%
CPL: 27%
BOU: 26%
WOL: 25%
𝗕𝗛𝗔: 𝟮𝟱%
LIV: 24%
𝗠𝗨𝗡: 𝟮𝟯%
NOT: 17%
BRE: 17%
LUT: 14%
SHU: 11%
AVL: 10%
FUL: 7%
BUR: 7%— Abdul Rehman (@FPL_Salah) May 8, 2024
Targeting the nailed-on options
When playing your Bench Boost, it’s more imperative than ever to have as many nailed-on players as possible. Any injury doubts or big rotation risks should be avoided as it can be a waste of the chip.
On a Bench Boost, all 15 of your squad are in play, so you effectively don’t have a bench option to save you if there are any no-shows.
If you have players such as Malo Gusto (£4.3m), who has just come back from injury, then it’s too risky to go with him on a Bench Boost. Gusto has been out since Gameweek 34 and only played seven minutes last gameweek, so it’s unlikely he will start both games in double Gameweek 37.
The same goes for Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m), who is an injury question. If we don’t get a further update or if he is still a doubt going into the gameweek, I would definitely look to get rid, especially as there are so many good alternative midfielders who have a double.
These are examples of popular assets, but if you have a player who is in the same boat, you should probably be looking to transfer them out.
GO DEEPER
FPL tips: Who to pick as your captain for Double Gameweek 37
The ideal Free Hit team for Gameweek 37
There will be some managers who still have their Free Hit chip available to use this week, so I will go over the best Free Hit team below, created using the planning tool website fpl.team.
This will also give managers using their Bench Boost an idea of who the optimal picks are for this week.
The bench here is Jordan Pickford (£4.8m), Richarlison (£6.8m), Diogo Dalot (£5.2m) and Lewis Dunk (£5.2m), although it would be a close call between Richarlison and Jackson for a place in the starting XI.
I didn’t pick any Arsenal assets as I think that, with the number of double-gameweek options available, you can afford to gamble as it’s only for this week.
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There are a few variations of this draft. You might go Kevin De Bruyne (£10.5m) instead of Richarlison and play a 3-5-2 by benching Jackson. You could move from Gvardiol to Marc Cucurella (£4.8m) and Djordje Petrovic (£4.6m) to Andre Onana (£5.0m).
Also, the third forward spot is one you can take a chance on. Joao Pedro (£5.2m) is a good alternative to Jackson, as I think he will start Brighton’s remaining three fixtures. The Brazilian has started the last four games and is on penalties.
I think the 3-5-2 draft is the more aggressive team and going for three attacking players from City is a good shout. They are likely to score four to five goals over the double, in my opinion.
My staple picks for a Gameweek 37 Free Hit would be Erling Haaland (£14.2m), Isak, Son Heung-min (£9.9m), Anthony Gordon (£6.4m), Cole Palmer (£6.2m) and Foden.
Outside of that, I don’t think anyone is essential and you can decide how aggressively you want to play it.
(Top photo: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
