BB33 Meaning: Should You Play Bench Boost in FPL GW33?

BB33 means playing your Bench Boost chip in Gameweek 33 — the double gameweek where all 15 of your players score points, not just your starting 11.

I ran FPL Copilot's chip optimizer across hundreds of real squads to find the optimal Bench Boost timing. GW33 came out on top for 47.1% of teams. Here's why, and whether it's right for yours.

Why BB33 Is the Top Bench Boost Week

GW33 is a double gameweek. More Premier League clubs have two fixtures in GW33 than in any other remaining gameweek. That means more of your 15 players are likely to play twice — which is exactly what Bench Boost needs to work.

The math is straightforward: if your bench three average 4 points per game and they each play twice in GW33, that's 24 bonus points you'd normally leave on the table. Add your GK and the gains compound further.

The WC32 + BB33 Combo

The isolated value of Bench Boost is +16.7 points — that's the median gain from playing BB compared to not playing any chip at all, all else being equal.

But BB33 isn't played in isolation. The real power is the combo: Wildcard in GW32, Bench Boost in GW33.

Wildcarding in GW32 lets you rebuild your entire squad around the double gameweek. You pick 15 players optimised for GW33 fixtures — not just your starting 11, but your bench too. Then you BB33 and all 15 of those hand-picked players score.

The difference in the data:

• WC32 alone: +24.7 pts median uplift
• WC32 + BB33: +58 pts median uplift

That's more than double. The Wildcard builds the squad. The Bench Boost cashes it in. Together they're worth more than the sum of their parts.

Should You Play BB33?

BB33 is right for you if:

• You have or plan to Wildcard in GW32 (giving you a full bench of doublers)
• Your bench players are likely starters at their clubs — not 4.0m bench-fillers who might not play
• You don't need your Bench Boost for a later DGW that better suits your squad

BB33 is not right for you if:

• You're not Wildcarding in GW32 and your bench is weak
• Your squad is built around players without GW33 fixtures
• A later DGW (GW35, GW36) has stronger double gameweek coverage for your squad

What About Triple Captain in GW33?

You can't play BB and TC in the same gameweek. So if GW33 is your BB week, your Triple Captain goes elsewhere.

The data shows TC36 edges TC33 (16.7% vs 13.3% of squads). GW36 has a higher ceiling for captaincy — the fixture list tends to produce bigger hauls from premium players, and by that point you have a clearer picture of who's in form.

Most managers running WC32 + BB33 + FH34 are targeting TC36 as the final chip play. That four-chip combo covers 69% of all squads in the analysis.

The Median Uplift: +54.5 Points

Across all chip combinations and all squads, the median improvement from optimal chip timing is +54.5 points over a no-chip baseline. 70% of teams gain at least 40 points just from getting the timing right.

That's not from better players or more transfers. Just playing the right chip in the right gameweek.

Creator's Tip

Before committing to BB33, run the chip optimizer with your actual squad. 47.1% of teams are optimal on BB33 — but 52.9% aren't. Your bench composition and remaining chips change the answer completely.