FPL Gameweek 13: Three Free Hit Concepts to Consider

With popular Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players from Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal facing off in Gameweek 13, many managers are looking to use the Free Hit chip.

More than 36% of our on-site survey respondents say they plan to play the Free Hit this week.

In this article we present three concepts for your consideration, from template to differential.

GAMEWEEK 13 FREE HIT DRAFT #1: MAINLY ‘TEMPLATE’

Manchester City hosts Leeds United, who have lost five of their last six matches, conceding thirteen goals.

Having already struck 19 times in all competitions this season, Erling Haaland (£14.9m) is a no-brainer, so the focus shifts to identifying players likely to avoid rotation. This is where things get trickier and where midweek minutes could come into play, bearing in mind that Pep Guardiola’s side have a UEFA Champions League meeting with Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, followed by a match against Fulham just three days after their Gameweek 13 match.

Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7 million) therefore has a good case for inclusion Phil Foden (£8.0m) has now started nine league matches in a row, averaging 86.7 minutes per appearance.

Elsewhere it is exactly as expected, with Aston Villa and Brentford supplying five players.

This season, only three FPL defenders have had more attempts on goal than Matty Cash (£4.6 million). The Polish right-back also sits just outside the top 10 in his position for chances created, highlighting his all-round threat.

The second Aston Villa spot goes to Morgan Rogers (£6.8m), who found his scoring boots at Elland Road on Sunday. That bodes well for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have the worst defense in the top flight (27 goals conceded and zero clean sheets).

As for Brentford, Igor Thiago (£6.5m) scores for fun and his form cannot be ignored against Burnley. Only Haaland has scored more than nine goals, 26 shots in the penalty area and 16 Opta-defined ‘big chances’ so far in 2025/26.

He is accompanied by teammates Nathan Collins (£4.9 million) and Dango Ouattara (£6.0m), both of which are owned by less than 1.2% of Fantasy managers.

Liverpool have been having a bad time lately, but they do take a penalty Muhammad Salah (£14.2m) has still taken 15 shots and scored two goals in his last four league matches.

Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m), meanwhile, has the potential to provide Defensive Contribution Points (DefCon) and poses a threat through set play, an area where West Ham United have been particularly vulnerable this season.