Planning beyond the opening Fantasy Premier League deadline is difficult, with new signings, changing line-ups and unexpected benchings capable of disrupting even the best chip strategy.
However, six-time top-10k finisher Copenhagen Wednesday is already looking beyond Gameweek 1.
The Elite Team Reveals manager has mapped out his opening three Gameweeks, with an early Bench Boost at the heart of his plans:
The screenshots in this article were created using FPL Plus, the free browser extension that adds a Future Gameweek Planner and predicted player points to the official FPL website.
Copenhagen usually starts by identifying fixture swings that could shape his transfer and Wildcard strategy. This season, however, there are few obvious turning points.
“Usually there are one or two obvious fault lines. This year? Almost nothing.”
That makes him less determined to save his first Wildcard.
“If my opening squad is wrong, I’ll fix it. Blindly preserving a chip because the calendar says so has never really appealed to me.”
Early price rises could make flexibility even more valuable, while the lack of a clear fixture swing reduces the appeal of saving the Wildcard for a predetermined window.
Then there is, in Copenhagen’s words, “that bloody Bench Boost”.
It often means tying up money on the bench, using transfers to protect weak squad spots and still risking rotation ruining the plan.
Copenhagen is considering a simpler approach: use the chip early, target a strong fixture and move on.
“Without doubles to target, I’d much rather get it over with early, bank whatever it gives me and not think about it again until the second one comes around.”
Gameweek 2 is the current target.
The screenshot above is from FPL Plus, the free Chrome extension that lets you plan future Gameweeks and view predicted points directly on the official Fantasy Premier League website.
Hull’s early fixture has encouraged Copenhagen to invest in Coventry assets, giving his cheaper players a favourable home match during the planned Bench Boost.
Copenhagen’s provisional Gameweek 1 squad has been constructed with the following week in mind, but he does not want to sacrifice the opening deadline completely.
Kinský starts in goal, with Petrovic initially left among the substitutes.
The starting defence currently consists of Maguire, Mosquera and Gvardiol, providing coverage from Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City.
In midfield, Copenhagen has selected:
Szoboszlai, Foden, Bruno Fernandes, Le Fée and Schade.
The attack is led by Haaland and João Pedro, with Wright occupying the cheaper third-forward position.
Petrovic, Van Ewijk, Wright and Thomas make up the Gameweek 1 bench, although all four are being selected primarily for what comes next.
Looking only at the Gameweek 1 squad could make some of Copenhagen’s selections appear unusual.
The purpose becomes clearer when the team is moved forward using the FPL Plus Future Gameweek Planner.
FPL Plus allows managers to view future opponents, experiment with transfers and see projected player points without leaving the official FPL website. Users can also create as many as five separate drafts, making it easier to compare different squad structures and chip strategies.
In Copenhagen’s case, the planner highlights the potential benefit of carrying three Coventry players into Gameweek 2, when they are scheduled to host Hull.
Gameweek 2 is when the strategy is designed to pay off.
Petrovic has a home fixture against Everton, while Van Ewijk, Wright and Thomas all face Hull at home. Activating the Bench Boost would allow the points from all four substitutes to count towards Copenhagen’s Gameweek total.
The starting XI also contains several attractive fixtures.
Bruno Fernandes faces Ipswich at Old Trafford, while João Pedro hosts Brighton. Haaland and Foden face Crystal Palace, with Kinský at home to Newcastle.
An early Bench Boost should strengthen one particular Gameweek without leaving the manager dependent on four budget players producing an unlikely collection of attacking returns.
Copenhagen’s provisional Gameweek 2 Bench Boost squad, shown in the FPL Plus Chrome extension’s Future Gameweek Planner with predicted points.
Copenhagen would ideally like to carry this squad until the international break between Gameweeks 5 and 6.
That would provide several weeks of information on player form, line-ups and new signings before committing to a major squad overhaul.
Gameweek 4 is another possible exit point, particularly if the early Bench Boost squad begins deteriorating more quickly than expected.
The challenge between now and the Gameweek 1 deadline is therefore not simply to improve the planned Bench Boost.
Copenhagen must decide whether the same group of players can survive for several weeks afterwards.
“I like this squad for a GW2 Bench Boost. I’m much less convinced I like it enough to drag it all the way through to a GW5/6 wildcard.”
That may ultimately determine whether he proceeds with the chip.
Copenhagen’s plan demonstrates why an early Bench Boost could work, but it should not automatically be copied by every FPL manager.
The strategy is more appealing when:
The final point may be the most important.
A strong Bench Boost score would be welcome, but it could easily be cancelled out if managers subsequently spend several transfers removing players they only selected for one fixture.
The best early Bench Boost squad is therefore not necessarily the one with the highest projected score in Gameweek 2. It is the squad that combines a strong chip opportunity with enough flexibility to navigate the following weeks.
This remains Copenhagen’s current thinking rather than his locked-in Gameweek 1 squad.
Player availability, pre-season minutes and transfers could all alter the plan before the first deadline. The Coventry investment, the timing of the Bench Boost and even the proposed Gameweek 5 or 6 Wildcard remain open to revision.
Through Elite Team Reveals, Fantasy Football Fix members can follow Copenhagen alongside a panel of proven FPL managers with over 80 top-10k finishes between them.
Managers can also test their own version of the strategy with the free FPL Plus extension, using the Future Gameweek Planner and predicted points directly on the official Fantasy Premier League website.
Unlock live Elite Team Reveals, AI transfer recommendations and all our Opta-powered planning tools with Premium Plus.
Join 89% of members who won their main Mini-league last season.
Get 50% offAlready a Premium user? Login here
© fantasyfootballfix 2024 | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
