The Scout analyses the standout options, whether you’re using your Free Hit chip, Wildcard or are simply using transfers

The Scout looks at the best picks for Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34) in Fantasy Premier League ahead of Friday’s 18:30 BST deadline.

SIX teams have no Premier League fixture this weekend – giving them a Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34) – because they played twice in Double Gameweek 33 (DGW33) instead. Players from the following clubs will therefore score zero points – AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds United and Manchester City.

BGW34 schedule
Sunderland v Nott’m Forest
Fulham v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
West Ham v Everton
Wolves v Spurs
Arsenal v Newcastle
Man Utd v Brentford

So, who are the best picks for BGW34, whether you’re using your Free Hit chip, Wildcard or are simply using transfers? Let’s take a look.

The must-haves

Bruno Fernandes (£10.3m), Gabriel (£7.1m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) HAVE to be in your line-up in BGW34.

There’s little doubt that Fernandes will be the most-selected captain for Manchester United’s home fixture against Brentford on Monday evening.

In his six matches at Old Trafford under Michael Carrick, the Portuguese has amassed 57 points, scoring twice and supplying a further seven assists.

Fernandes has delivered double-figure hauls in five of those contests and has yet to blank at home since Carrick took charge.

 

Arsenal’s Gabriel and West Ham United’s Bowen boast identical records over their recent home matches.

Both have blanked only once in their previous seven such contests and just a single point separates the pair, with each totalling 50 points. 

A goal, two assists and four clean sheets in that spell highlights Gabriel’s impact at both ends of the pitch for Arsenal’s home match against Newcastle United. 

Bowen, who is at home to Everton, has combined two goals and six assists with four defensive contribution points.

Who else is worth picking this weekend? Let’s look at each match to identify the best players for managers who are playing chips or using their free transfers to navigate the biggest Blank Gameweek of 2025/26 Fantasy.

Sunderland v Nottingham Forest

Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele (£4.5m) and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.5m) can also appeal to those using chips or making transfers.

Mukiele’s multiple routes to points returns have made him one of the most reliable defenders in home matches this season.

As well as collecting five clean sheets, the right-back has scored twice and assisted four more goals in matches at the Stadium of Light, while earning 12 defensive contribution points and eight bonus points.

Sunderland’s meeting with Forest is one of three home matches for the Black Cats over the final five Gameweeks, while they also visit relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers in Gameweek 35.

Gibbs-White, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly talismanic in his side’s bid to avoid relegation.

He scored a hat-trick and earned his career-high 20 points at home to Burnley last weekend, while he has also scored in each of his last three away matches.

That form has attracted 133,000+ new owners, making Gibbs-White the most-bought midfielder in BGW34.

Fulham v Aston Villa

Fulham’s Harry Wilson (£6.0m) has the form and schedule to reward those managers with chips active or those making free transfers.

He has racked up 91 points in home matches this season. 

If we look solely at the players who have a fixture this weekend in BGW34, and rank them all by their home and away statistics over the season – with players who have a home match in BGW34 being judged on their home record, and players who have an away match being judged on their away record – then Wilson is second in the table below, with his 91 points at home.

The Welshman has scored eight goals and supplied three assists in 14 home starts, blanking on just five occasions. Similarly to Sunderland, Fulham have three home matches and a visit to Wolves across the final five Gameweeks.

Best BGW34 players based on home/away records 2025/26

Player
Pts
Returns
Blanks
Pts per start

Fernandes (H)
105
13
3/14
7.5

Wilson (H)
91
11
5/14
6.4

Casemiro (H)
90
10
6/16
5.6

Timber (H)
89
14
4/13
6.8

Gabriel (H)
86
11
2/12
7.1

Rogers (A)
83
9
9/16
5.2

Mukiele (H)
85
11
4/14
6.1

Bowen (H)
81
10
8/16
5.1

Gibbs-White (A)
77
7
8/16
4.8

Scroll across on mobile to see the full table

Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£8.6m) has both the form and fixtures to be a great replacement for Joao Pedro (£7.7m), who missed both of Chelsea’s DGW33 matches through injury.

Watkins produced his best haul of 2025/26 in DGW33, scoring twice and adding an assist against Sunderland to collect 16 points.

He now has six goals and an assist across his club’s last five matches in all competitions and, with matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley in Gameweeks 35-36, he could be the top-scoring forward over this coming period.

Fulham’s home defensive record does suggest doubling up with Watkins and Morgan Rogers (£7.4m) could be a risky move on a Free Hit, though – they have conceded more than one goal in only four of their 16 matches at Craven Cottage.

Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Having scored in back-to-back Gameweeks for just the second time this season, Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) is an option for those on Free Hits with plenty of cash to spare after temporarily selling Erling Haaland (£14.5m). 

If you’re playing a Wildcard, now is the time to bring in Crystal Palace’s key players for the run-in as they are expected to get a Double Gameek later in the season when their match against Manchester City is rescheduled.

Investment in Palace’s backline can pay off over the run-in due to rotation concerns in attack. Along with goalkeeper Dean Henderson (£5.1m), Daniel Munoz (£5.8m), Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) and Chris Richards (£4.4m) offer options across the price points in defence.

West Ham v Everton

Hammers centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos (£4.4m) is also worth considering alongside Bowen for BGW34 and the run-in.

The defender has amassed a huge 42 points across his last four matches, scoring three goals and collecting two clean sheets.

Everton’s favourable run-in suggests Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.1m) is likely to be overlooked for those on Free Hits and can therefore be a great pick for managers using their transfers.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), three of the Toffees’ final five matches score just two – their visit to the Hammers this weekend, along with a home match against Sunderland and visit to Spurs in Gameweeks 37 and 38 respectively.

Wolves v Spurs

Spurs’ visit to relegated Wolves is arguably the one match that holds far more allure to those on Free Hit chips, as the north London side have a tough run-in afterwards which looks best avoided.

Defender Pedro Porro (£5.1m) scored against Brighton last weekend, while his four shots in the box rank second among team-mates across Roberto De Zerbi’s two matches at the helm.

Midfielder Xavi Simons (£6.5m) produced a goal, an assist and 11 points against Brighton, his first start for the new head coach. Forward Dominic Solanke (£7.2m) has had a team-leading six shots in the box in those two matches, despite blanking on both occasions.

Arsenal v Newcastle 

Pairing up Gabriel with goalkeeper David Raya (£6.0m) or right-back Jurrien Timber (£6.2m) is another strong tactic, whether you’re using a chip or transfers.

If fit, Timber is the best option, as his average of 6.8 points per start is near-identical to Gabriel’s 7.1 at Emirates Stadium.

Crucially, the Gunners have three home matches and a visit to West Ham over the next four Gameweeks in their bid to win the title. 

Man Utd v Brentford

While Fernandes is a must-have for the rest of the season, Man Utd’s subsequent schedule – at home to Liverpool and at Sunderland in Gameweeks 35-36 – suggests a double-up in midfield is more appealing to those playing Free Hit chips in BGW34.

Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) is second only to the Portuguese for transfers in among Man Utd players, earning 48,000+ new owners after producing two goals and two assists over the last six Gameweeks. 

In terms of output over the season, though, it’s Casemiro (£5.7m) who impresses the most as a double-up option – he’s scored six goals and supplied four assists in 16 outings at Old Trafford.

The Brazilian’s total of 90 points in home matches places him third in the home/away table shown earlier.