fantasy premier league double gameweeks and blank gameweeks – a potential schedule

Here’s my fantasy premier league double gameweeks and blank gameweeks article updated for the end of the FA Cup 4th round and the 5th round draw. Here we outline a potential schedule for both blanks and double gameweeks. Plus we include some thoughts on using the 2nd wildcard, the triple captain, free hit and bench boost chip

FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE BLANK GAMEWEEKS AND DOUBLE GAMEWEEKS – A POTENTIAL SCHEDULE

If you’re not worried about the why or how there’s a simple summary near the end.

You may have seen my original blank and double gameweeks updated article. With the FA Cup 4th round over and the 5th round draw made I thought I would update it further and continue doing so every week where something significant happens.

It’s a very simple schedule which outlines all the fixtures on a weekend and midweek basis to establish where the doubles and blank game weeks could be.

THE BASICS

I’ll keep repeating this so each article stands alone.

Starting with the obvious. Blanks are the result of EFL Cup fixtures and the FA Cup fixtures clashing with premier league fixtures and forcing postponements in the gameweek. Therefore blanks are created if the postponements can’t be moved to midweek of the same gameweek.

Double gameweeks result from when the postponed fixtures are moved into midweek of a future gameweek meaning some teams will play twice in 1 gameweek.

By loading up on those double gameweek players or planning for blank gameweeks in advance to maximise your FPL teams playing numbers you can potentially gain a significant points advantage.

It’s worth noting that weather postponements could also mean DGWs and blanks.

SOME ASSUMPTIONS

As for the basics, I’ll keep repeating this so each article stands alone.

The biggest assumption is that UEFA keep to the rule that postponed domestic games cannot clash with European Matches irrespective of whether English teams are playing or not. This has been relaxed in the past but only on the odd occasion

The FA Cup replays will go to the next available midweek space. Quarter and semi final clashes do not go to replays.

HOW THE CALENDAR SCHEDULE WORKS

Again, I’ll keep repeating this so each article stands alone.

The schedule outlines each week of the season identifying PL, EFL (aka the Carabao) Cup, FA Cup and UCL/EL matches to identify which PL matches will need to be postponed and where there are gaps that will accommodate those postponed games.

Each week is broken into weekend and midweek matches. Midweek is where matches will most likely be postponed to.

Then the 4th column identifies possible blank and double gameweeks

Underneath that I’ve talked about each potential double and blank week

It’s worth noting that the FA can spring surprises very easily and these are only my theories following through the various fixtures and making some assumptions.

POTENTIAL BLANK GW28

Any blanks in GW28 now seem unlikely.  It could only happen if Man City are taken to a 5th replay by Wigan (see directly below)

This is when the EFL Cup final on Sunday February 26 clashes with GW28 forcing postponements.  The finalists of the EFL  Cup (Man City and Arsenal) also play each other in GW28.  That game has been moved to midweek GW28 and will stay there unless Man City need a replay to beat their 5th round FA Cup opponent Wigan as the midweek is likely to be designated for 5th round replays.  That seems unlikely.

POTENTIAL BLANK GW31

FA Cup quarters. PL clashes postponed. Only GW31 Stoke v Everton and Liverpool v Watford safe at the moment. See schedule below.

This is the week that the premier league clashes with the FA Cup quarters and it could be a big week of postponements with no where to go except for midweek GW34 or midweek GW37.

Here’s a schedule with the GW31 fixtures showing how they stack up FA Cup wise so far. I have put in green the fixtures guaranteed to be on.  Firstly here’s the 4th round replays still to be played with the clubs in the schedule shown as R4

Birmingham City v Huddersfield Town
Swansea City v Notts County
Spurs v Newport County

Apart from the 2 guaranteed fixtures in green above one of West Ham v Man Utd or Huddersfield v Palace will also be on in GW31.  It’s quite possible all the other PL sides will go through meaning only 3 games survive.  We won’t know more until after GW27 when the 5th round is played and after GW28 for replays.

POTENTIAL DGW 34 AND DGW37

The natural home for the postponed games above from GW31 and for GW35 below

Depending on which games are postponed to where, there could be the double gameweeks ahead in both of these gameweeks.

POTENTIAL BLANK GW35

This is the fixture clash between GW35 and the FA Cup semis.

The postponed games couldn’t be moved to midweek due to UCL/EL games and midweek GW37 seems the only home for them

USING THE CHIPS

Free hit – to avoid the carnage that is possibly going to be GW31

 2nd wildcard and bench boost – a week or 2 before one of the DGWs and then bench boost in the DGW. You can’t use 2 chips in the same gameweek

Triple captain – for the DGW not used above

What about if I don’t have my free hit?

The draw couldn’t have gone any worse.  You can either plan for a team in GW31 consisting of Liverpool, Watford, Everton, Stoke and likely Huddersfield and C Palace or you could wildcard taking into account the blank GW31 and DGW34 or you can take a bath in GW31 and continue as normal.

I have 1 team in this position and are thinking what to do myself

A simple summary

Unlikely now to be any blanks in GW28.

GW31 will be carnage.  Only 2 guaranteed fixtures on;  Everton v Stoke and Liverpool v Watford.  Huddersfield v C Palace or West Ham v Man Utd will also be on but that could easily be it.  Use your free hit to deal with this otherwise plan for it or wildcard to also plan for DGW34 or take the pain

GW34 and GW37 will be double gameweeks for the postponed FA Cup quarters and semis.  Wildcard before and bench boost on one of them to maximise points.

GW35 will see FA Cup semi finalists games postponed leading to a blank gameweek.

Worry about GW31.  Don’t worry yet about the others yet

PLEASE ADD ANY COMMENTS

I don’t pretend to be the ultimate expert in this. I’ve just tried to match fixtures and join the dots. So any corrections or thoughts are definitely welcome. Please put them in the comments section below and I’ll update the article if needed.

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