The Scout explains how managers in Fantasy Premier League will now be able to use the Triple Captain, Free Hit and Bench Boost chips in EACH half of the season, just like the Wildcard, giving them more points, more choice and more fun.

Managers in Fantasy will now have TWO sets of chips to play in the 2025/26 season.

You will have a Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost chip to use in each half of the campaign, meaning eight chips in total. There will be no Assistant Manager chip in Fantasy this season.

Similarly to the use of the first Wildcard in recent seasons, this first set of chips must be played before the Gameweek 19 deadline passes. They cannot be carried over into the second half of 2025/26.

Clearly, this new set of chips adds an extra element of strategy in Fantasy.  

Managers have tended to keep their Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost chips for the latter stages of a campaign to help them navigate Blank and Double Gameweeks, which are caused by domestic cup competitions, with a club either having NO Premier League fixture or playing TWICE in one Gameweek.

However, the first half of the season is not impacted by the cups, so Blank Gameweeks and Double Gameweeks are rare.

As a result, FPL managers often only use one chip in the first half of the season – the first Wildcard – but that is all about to change.

Here’s a look at when you might want to use the Triple Captain, Bench Boost and Free Hit chips in the first half of the campaign.

Triple Captain

In each of the last two seasons, the promoted clubs have all suffered relegation due to their defensive frailties.

So, in order to maximise the potential of the Triple Captain, it makes sense to use it on a big-hitting midfielder or forward who has a home match against such an opponent.

This is where Erling Haaland is likely to be a very popular option. The Manchester City star has home fixtures versus ALL THREE promoted clubs during the first half of 2025/26.

Man City host Burnley in Gameweek 6 and also face Leeds United and Sunderland in Gameweeks 13 and 15 respectively.

If you’d prefer to use the chip on Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool talisman has TWO home matches against the promoted clubs – against Sunderland in Gameweek 14 and Leeds in Gameweek 19.

Similarly, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka faces Leeds in Gameweek 2, while Cole Palmer plays Sunderland in Gameweek 9, and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak hosts Burnley in Gameweek 15.

Bench Boost

The Bench Boost chip is more squad dependant and can prove a handy option when all 15 of your players have favourable fixtures in a single Gameweek.

Another strategic option could be to use the Bench Boost chip in Gameweek 1. By following the form and teamsheets over each club’s summer friendlies, you could immediately make a strong start to the new season.

From a practical point of view, using the Bench Boost chip this early negates the complexity involved in planning around it mid-season. It also allows you to then focus your transfers and budget exclusively on your starting XI.

The addition of defensive contribution points could now make budget defenders and midfielders more impactful.

Free Hit

The Free Hit chip could now come in very useful in a Gameweek where you have two premium attacking players going head-to-head.

For example, if you owned Salah and Haaland in Gameweek 11, you might not fancy either of their chances when Liverpool visit Man City.

By playing the Free Hit, you could temporarily freshen up your squad to look for assets with far kinder fixtures.

Again, focusing on attackers who face promoted clubs could pay off with a Free Hit chip in Gameweek 11. West Ham United and Jarrod Bowen host Burnley while Nottingham Forest and Chris Wood entertain Leeds. In addition, Arsenal and Saka visit Sunderland.

Just note that, because your team has to return to its previous state following a Free Hit, you cannot play this chip in both Gameweek 19 and Gameweek 20.