Hit the FPL Wildcard button... or wait a bit longer?

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 32 has finally arrived! Well, almost.

One of this season’s most-discussed Gameweeks – at least from the standpoint of Wildcard planning and overall chip strategy – is next on the agenda.

However, there are still almost three weeks before the action gets underway!

There is also plenty of football to be played between now and the next deadline (18:30 GMT on Friday 10 April), from internationals to European knockouts and some pivotal FA Cup quarter-finals.

Gameweek 32 looks set to be a big week for Wildcards, too.

But if you are planning to use the chip this Gameweek, should you hit the ‘Play’ button now – or is it best to wait a bit longer?

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33 + BLANK GAMEWEEK 34 UNCERTAINTY

One of the main reasons that Gameweek 32 is a popular Wildcard window is that it sets up managers for a possible Double Gameweek 33 Bench Boost.

The problem is: we don’t yet know who will double!

Essentially, whichever teams make it to the FA Cup semi-finals could a) blank in Gameweek 34 and b) double in Gameweek 33.

That will only be confirmed in the days after the FA Cup quarter-finals, which are still a fortnight away:

Above image from Legomane

WHEN *EXACTLY* WILL WE FIND OUT WHO DOUBLES IN GAMEWEEK 33 + BLANKS IN GAMEWEEK 34?

At this stage last year, the FA Cup semi-finalists were confirmed by Sunday 30 March. That was the day we knew who would have their Blank Gameweek 34 matches postponed.

The fixture rescheduling announcement that confirmed the associated Double Gameweek 33 then arrived on the fourth day after the semi-final draw: Thursday 3 April. That gave the affected club and fans 19-20 days of notice.

It’s likely this time that we’ll get the double announcements much closer to FA Cup weekend, potentially on Monday 6 April. That would give supporters over two weeks’ notice, too. The sooner, the better, this year.

The most important point to stress is this:

We don’t know who blanks and doubles right at this moment. We will know who blanks and doubles by the Gameweek 32 deadline (likely, a few days before it).

WILL I MISS OUT ON PRICE RISES BY WAITING?

One of the major benefits of activating a Wildcard early is to ride the price changes and increase team value.

You may want to get and keep a particular player before he rises too much in price.

FPL Price Change Predictions | Fantasy Football Scout

Or, you may want to snap up players who have a chance of rising twice before the next Gameweek deadline and sell them for a profit.

But is there a realistic chance of doing the latter?

A quick look at the last international break reveals that the market can be a lot quieter than people think:

Yes, we may get a burst of activity from Wildcarders this time – but then there are also far fewer active managers than we had in autumn 2025.

TO GO EARLY OR NOT?

If you’re absolutely adamant you are going to Wildcard in Gameweek 32, perhaps because you’ve backed yourself into a Gameweek 31 corner by ‘dead-ending’ and buying players you don’t want for the long term (or selling Arsenal/City players you immediately want back), then there’s scant reason to wait.

However, for quite a few of us, hanging on till just after FA Cup quarter-final weekend might be the play.

Yes, there might be the opportunity of some team value improvements lost by doing so – although as we’ve discussed above, the market isn’t as volatile as it was back in August. Given the underwhelming performances of the premium £10.0m+ picks in 2025/26, team value may end up being irrelevant anyway.

And knowledge is power.

What if Arsenal, despite all the odds, get knocked out of the FA Cup? Suddenly, they have no blanks or doubles until the end of the season.

What if two or three of the four postponed Gameweek 34 matches stay in Gameweek 34, moving to the midweek after it (rather than coming forward to Gameweek 33)?

What if Gameweek 36 turns out to be the bigger Double Gameweek? Suddenly, a Gameweek 35 Wildcard might become more attractive.

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