Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have two bench boost chips to play in the 2025/26 season, with one for each half.
The first must be used before the Deadline of Gameweek 19 on Tuesday 30 December passes by.
In the midst of a raised talk about a game week 1 deployment in the comments section, this article will investigate the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy.
Gameweek 1 Bench Boost: The Pros
- First, it gets this chip out of the way, because it is one Headache to plan the mid -season. By using it in GameWeek 1, you can immediately start moving money from your bank to your starting XI, or through free transfers or a Yoker sign. If you are a wildcard early, you can choose to become cheap with your second ‘keeper, Fifth Defender and the eighth attacker. For those who are a wildcard directly in a bench boost later in the season, it is a bit more complicated to sort your squadron structure, because you could concentrate on removing budget -frany players, perhaps at the expense of your starting XI.
- It is one unique chanceBecause this is the only time that you can effectively play a joker sign and bench boost in the same game week.
- FPL managers have traditionally preferred the use of the bench boost chip in a double game week, but it seems Unlikely we get a ‘double’ in the first half of the seasonUnless there is a delay for bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
- We would one Decent (ISH!) Idea of who will start in Gameweek 1 Based on the last friendly matches for the season. This is what happened in 2024/25:
| Team | Starting XI changes from the last game for the season to Gameweek 1 in 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | 0 |
| Aston Villa | 3 |
| Bournemouth | 5 |
| Brentford | 0 |
| Brighton and Hove Albion | 1 |
| Chelsea | 4 |
| Crystal Palace | 1 |
| Everton | 2 |
| Fulham | 0 |
| Ipswich Town | 5 |
| Leicester City | 3 |
| Liverpool | 1 |
| Manchester City | 3 |
| Manchester United | 1 |
| Newcastle United | With matches on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 August, Eddie Howe divided his team in two for the last friendly matches of Newcastle and there was no complete ‘first XI’ and ‘reserve XI’ distinction |
| Nottingham Forest | 3 |
| Southampton | 0 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 5 |
| West Ham United | 0 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 |
- A game week 1 bank boost could help you a Good startyou propel the early rankings.
- Finally, as further potential Budget precious stones appearSuch as Martin Dubravka (£ 4.0 million) to Burnley, then an early bank boost starts to address even more. In this scenario you do not hind your future transfers by having to concentrate on changing your second ‘keeper.
Gameweek 1 Bench Boost: The disadvantages
- A bench boost in game week 1 certainly has its merits, but perhaps it might be more logical to keep it for a later date when you own More info and a higher budget. After all, FPL managers receive five free transfers in Gameweek 16 to help treat the Exodus for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). You could be of this opportunity to activate your joker sign in Gameweek 13 to take advantage of the favorable competition fluctuations for Newcastle United, Manchester City and Liverpool. You can then boost 15 benchen in Gameweek 15 with, for example, budget players from Brighton and Hove Albion, and then clean up your bank with the help of the five free transfers that are given in Gameweek 16. Having said that, it is important to note that there is a midweek round of matches in Gameweek 14, which could lead to an increased rotation. However, the after-effects can be more positive because having a deeper team can be useful during this period, so that you can absorb part of the inevitable winter rotation that will take place.
Above: The GameWeek 15 -matches sorted by difficulty on our Ticker season
- Coupled with the above point, we will also have a lot More clarity about which budget choices are the best Further down in the line.
- Bench boosting in game week 1 is likely influence the balance of your teamWhich makes it possible for you to be forced in an early Yoker sign, especially if a £ 4.0 million keeper does not arise. For those who want to save the Wildcard chip for later, it may turn out to be problematic because you may notice that you have to spend early free transfers to move your bank funds instead of getting bandwagons on early season.
- Although it has a good idea of who will start (see above), it is also true Gameweek 1 is perhaps the most challenging to predictBoth in terms of which players will actually play and the dynamics/tactics within a team. And there is usually something unexpected, such as Valentin Barco in 2024/25 and Gabriel Magalhaes (£ 6.0 million) the season before. Jarrell Quansah also left in the previous campaign during the break.
Gameweek 1 Bench Boost Draft
If you are planning to bench boost in Gameweek 1, it is advisable to select safe starters who can be seen in the FIFA Club World Cup in the pre -season or at least, as is the case with Chelsea.
This design, which has £ 0.5 million in the bank for upgrades, is generally a safe game in that respect.
Defensive contribution points can be earned by Virgil van Dijk (£ 6.0 million) and Murillo (£ 5.5 million), more Elliot Anderson (£ 5.5 million) and Carlos Baleba (£ 5.0 million), which will be on training again this week prior to the Southampton -friendly.
Further ahead, Ollie Watkins (£ 9.0 m) and Chris Wood (£ 7.5 million) have a favorable fixed value for a longer period, with Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, both are among the top four teams for problems in game week 1 to 7.
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