Gameweek 34 is the biggest Blank Gameweek of the season, with Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds and Man City all without a fixture after doubling in Gameweek 33.
For managers who loaded up on Double Gameweek 33 players, this looks like the ideal time to deploy the Free Hit chip and build a squad tailored to Blank Gameweek 34.
In this guide, we use Fantasy Football Fix’s AI-powered Assistant Manager tool to put together a first draft of the optimal Free Hit team for Gameweek 34. With midweek matches still to come, that draft could still change before the deadline.
The AI-powered Assistant Manager tool helps you create a fully tailored FPL team based on your own strategy.
Whether you want to exclude specific players, load up on midfielders, or experiment with different formations, this smart tool adapts to your preferences.
As shown in the image above, FPL managers who still have their Free Hit chip available can set the Assistant Manager tool to build a one-week Free Hit team with the view to achieve the highest projected points for that week only.
Once your criteria is set, the Assistant Manager generates an optimised FPL team designed to maximise points.
Arsenal have plenty of incentive to keep a clean sheet when they take on Newcastle in Gameweek 34, and with J. Timber still a doubt, the Algorithm prefers to double up on the centre-back pairing of Saliba and Gabriel, who are both reliable for minutes.
While Gabriel’s qualities need no introduction to FPL managers, Saliba has perhaps gone under the radar. As the image below from our Fix Heatmaps feature shows, the French international has averaged 4.3 FPL points per game at the Emirates this season.
Sunderland have kept six clean sheets in home matches this season, only Man City, Palace (seven each) and Arsenal have fared better. As the below image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows, no keeper has accumulated more points in home matches than Roefs.
Ballard has played just 2,034 minutes but has already scored twice. As the image below from our Opta Stats Sandbox feature shows, the Northern Ireland international ranks top among defenders for big chances per game (0.30).
Virgil scored his fourth goal of the season last weekend. Among defenders, only O'Reilly, with five, has scored more. The Dutch international also ranks top for big chances over the season, with nine.
Mamardashvili is an injury doubt for the weekend, with Woodman expected to deputise in goal. If Roefs misses out for any reason, Woodman is a reliable budget bench option at just £3.9m.
Casemiro has found the back of the net eight times this season, with only Mbeumo and Šeško, on nine each, scoring more among Man United players. He is currently the seventh-highest scoring midfielder in FPL with 148 points and ranks ninth for DEFCON (312), which only adds to his routes to points.
B. Fernandes has registered 19 FPL assists this season and is chasing the all-time record of 20, shared by De Bruyne and Henry.
No player has attempted more assists (109) or created more 'big chances' (26) this season. As the image below from our Projected Points & Stats feature shows, he is the highest projected scorer for Gameweek 34 and the Algorithm’s preferred captain.
As the below image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows, Rice is second amongst midfielders for FPL assists (nine), attempted assists (61), 'big chances' created (16) and 'Expected Assists' (xA) (7.64). He is also fifth for DEFCON (336) and second for FPL Bonus Points (23).
No midfielder has racked up more DEFCON than Anderson (457), he joins Dewsbury-Hall as a bench option with reliable routes to points that can be called upon if needed.
Watkins reminded FPL managers of his quality with a 16-point haul against Sunderland last weekend. The England international has racked up 27 FPL points over the last three Gameweeks, with only Beto (32) faring better among forwards. As the Stats Sandbox image below shows, he ranks second for xG (2.99) over that period.
Man United have kept just four clean sheets in 16 matches at Old Trafford, while Thiago will be aiming to close the gap on Haaland in the Golden Boot race, with the Norwegian currently two goals ahead on 23.
West Ham's talisman Bowen will be looking to power the Hammers to three points as they play Everton at home, as the above image from our Match Centre feature shows he is top amongst their players over the last five matches for FPL assists (five) and attempted assists (10).
The Algorithm has opted for trusted, reliable picks at the back, with Ballard, Gabriel and Virgil all hitting the DEFCON threshold numerous times this season. The trio also carry significant set-piece threat to go with their clean sheet potential.
In midfield, it has gone for some of the league’s most creative players in B. Fernandes and Rice, alongside reliable DEFCON monsters Casemiro and Anderson.
Up top, it has selected three talismanic forwards in Bowen, Watkins and Thiago, all of whom are likely to be central to their sides’ attacking prospects.
The Assistant Manager tool lets you build your own custom Free Hit draft using FPL AI. You can prioritise certain positions, target differentials, or tailor the squad to suit your own management style.
Your ideal FPL Free Hit team may only be a couple of smart tweaks away.
If you are looking for more inspiration for your Free Hit team, you can also check out the latest Elite XI: Team Reveal drafts.
At the time of writing, five of our managers are playing the chip, including Tarek Balbaa, who has 10 top 10k finishes to his name and is looking to add to that tally with his current rank sitting at 30,070.
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