Gameweek 4 left chaos in its wake. Leeds were the only side to win at home, popular picks misfired, and penalty drama swung ranks all over the world. Out of that mess, the two founders of AllAboutFPL, Surya and Srini, have both reached the same conclusion for GW5: a chip has to go.
One hits the Wildcard. The other slams the Free Hit. Two very different routes, same objective – seize GW5 and set up the weeks to come.
Surya: Wildcard Pulled, Structure Over Short-Term Panic
GW4: Free Hit Frustration
Surya went aggressive in GW4 with a Free Hit and walked away with 78 points – not a disaster, but not the payoff he wanted either. The Arsenal triple-up call was right in principle, wrong in execution. No David Raya. No Bukayo Saka. Both returned from the spot, and the swing hurt.
On top of that, Joao Pedro’s injury concerns and several other fires have turned his squad into what he calls “a mess”. That’s the trigger. Wildcard active for GW5.
Why Now? Wildcard Before a Three-Week Break
Activating a Wildcard before a three-week international break is bold. There’s obvious risk. Players can break down, squads can change shape, and you’re locked in.
Surya’s view is clear: his current team isn’t sustainable, and GW5 offers a chance to build the structure he wants for the long term, not just patch holes.
The spine he’s chasing:
- Erling Haaland
- Cole Palmer
- Bukayo Saka
- Morgan Gibbs-White
- Double Arsenal defence
Around that, he’s targeting value from teams with strong upcoming fixtures, using cheaper assets to power a heavy-hitting core. His current draft is rated 91% on Fantasy Football Hub’s free AI Team Rating Tool and projected at 59 points – but the appeal here is not just one week. It’s the framework.
Defence and Goalkeepers: Double Arsenal the Anchor
“Double Arsenal defence is a no-brainer on Wildcard.” That’s the line, and the logic is simple: solid defensive numbers, clean sheet potential, and price points that fit.
Ezri Konsa at 4.5m offers what Surya sees as “tremendous value”. The rest of the backline leans on DEFCON metrics:
- Muharemovic
- Silva
Both are flagged as DEFCON defenders capable of churning out steady 4-point returns most weeks, fixtures be damned.
Then comes the upside play: Munoz. With Coventry, Crystal Palace and Ipswich in the next three or four, he’s the attacking full-back pick aimed squarely at short-term gains.
Midfield: Penalties, Talismen and a DEFCON Gem
This is where the Wildcard really takes shape.
Saka and Palmer are the premium pillars – both on penalties, both central to their teams’ attacks. Surya is already looking ahead: one of them could become Bruno Fernandes in GW11 or GW12 when Manchester United’s fixtures soften.
Morgan Gibbs-White is the numbers man. Right now among midfielders, he sits:
- 1st for Big Chances Created (4)
- 5th for xGI (2.57)
- Joint 2nd for Bonus Points (6)
- 11th for FPL points (26)
Multiple routes to points, strong creative output, and a favourable home tie against Coventry in GW5. He’s not just an eye test pick – the data backs the faith.
King is the budget midfielder with a run that screams potential: three promoted sides in three straight Gameweeks from GW6 to GW8. Playing in an advanced No.10 role, taking up dangerous positions, he’s the differential Surya is backing to finally turn performances into FPL returns.
Vitaly Janelt completes the midfield as the eighth attacker and bench enabler, but the numbers on him are anything but bench fodder:
- GW1: 13 DEFCON
- GW2: 10 DEFCON
- GW3: 12 DEFCON
- GW4: 20 DEFCON
- 13.75 DEFCON per 90
- 2 goals already
- A share of corners and set pieces, with 8 corners taken this season
- Just 2.5% TSB – the classic DEFCON gem at £5.0m
He’s the kind of player who can quietly deliver when called upon, especially in tight, low-scoring games.
Forwards: Haaland, the Data Monster Barry, and a Punt
Up front, there’s no debate. Haaland stays. He’s the captain, the perma-pick, the fixture-proof monster.
Next to him, Barry is the standout value striker. Two promoted teams in the next two Gameweeks, 90 minutes in the tank, no rotation risk, and only Haaland beating him across the key underlying metrics for forwards:
- xG
- xGI
- Shots
- Shots in the box
- Big Chances
One goal so far doesn’t tell the full story. Surya is backing the age-old FPL mantra: fixtures breed form. These two upcoming matches could ignite a scoring streak.
Wissa rounds off the frontline with a strong four-game run: HUL (H), COV (A), AVL (H), CRY (A). Two promoted sides, two struggling teams, and no European distraction for Newcastle. Surya sees enough there to justify the punt, though Garcia remains in contention for that final slot.
Captaincy: Temptation vs Logic
There was a flicker of temptation. Gibbs-White at home to Coventry, projected at 6.1 points by Fantasy Football Hub, is a classic differential captaincy shout.
Surya walked away from it.
Owning Gibbs-White is already a differential play. Betting against Haaland, who once again tops their captaincy metrics for GW5, felt like a step too far. The armband stays on the Norwegian.
Srini: Free Hit Unleashed to Attack Home Fixtures
GW4: Missed Swings and Midfield Regrets
For Srini, GW4 was a story of what he didn’t have. No Pascal Gross. No Liverpool midfield double-up. A Chelsea attacking triple-up delivered, but so did everyone else’s.
The real damage came from the absence of Saka and Raya. As penalties went in and saves racked up, rank arrows turned red.
So he’s going the other way to Surya. No long-term reset. Just one explosive week: Free Hit active in GW5.
Why Free Hit in GW5?
The strategy is crystal clear. Use the chip to pile into teams with strong home fixtures against promoted or struggling sides:
- Everton vs Ipswich (H)
- Forest vs Coventry (H)
- Newcastle vs Hull (H)
- Leeds vs Crystal Palace (H)
- Man City vs Sunderland (H)
Those fixtures are exactly the type that can break a Gameweek wide open, especially when combined with form players and nailed minutes.
Joao Pedro’s situation adds another layer. Xabi Alonso has confirmed no one is ruled out for the next game but refused to reveal the exact nature of Pedro’s injury. He admitted it’s possible Pedro plays this Gameweek but then misses out for Brazil. The expectation is that Pedro likely sits out GW5, uses the international break to recover, and could return by GW6.
For a Free Hit, that’s enough uncertainty to move away.
Only a Handful Survive
Srini’s original squad barely survives contact with his Free Hit draft. Only two or three players from his non-chip team make it into the GW5 setup.
The draft he’s currently on is rated 95% on Fantasy Football Hub’s free AI Team Rating Tool, with a projected 62 points. That number won’t decide his week, but it does underline how aggressively he’s targeting the fixtures.
Some names are non-negotiable in his starting XI:
- Haaland
- Barry
- Calvert-Lewin
- Bruno Fernandes
- Gibbs-White
- Munoz
Around them, he’s juggling combinations for the remaining five spots. The plan includes:
- At least one Man City defender
- A Leeds defender
- An Everton defender
He leans towards the team in his current draft image, but has two other options in mind and likes all three. Final calls will come closer to the deadline.
Captaincy: No Overthinking
With Haaland rested in midweek and Sunderland visiting the Etihad, Srini isn’t interested in getting clever. City carry the highest goal-scoring odds of the Gameweek, and when they score, Haaland is usually in the middle of it.
Armband on Haaland. Decision made.
Both founders have gone heavy on GW5, but in very different ways. One resets the squad for the long haul with a Wildcard, locking in structure and value. The other empties the clip on a Free Hit, chasing home fixtures and short-term upside.
The only question now: who comes out of GW5 with the green arrows to prove their chip was the right one?
