FPL Bench Boost GW1
Gameweek 1 has been played. This page is the record of that week's Bench Boost call. For Gameweek 8, see FPL Triple Captain GW8, the Bench Boost guide and the GW8 tips.
TL;DR
Bench Boost in Gameweek 1 is almost always the wrong call: a single-fixture week caps the chip at four one-game returns, and the same chip is worth roughly double in a double gameweek. The pitch below is the squad shape that makes it pay whenever you fire it: all 15 starting.
What a Bench-Boost-ready 15 looks like: all 15 starting, on the latest xPts
The Best FPL Bench Boost GW1 Squad
The pitch above is a Bench-Boost-ready 15 built on the latest xPts, so it moves with the projections rather than sitting frozen on Gameweek 1. The whole point of Bench Boost is that your four bench players also score, so a Bench-Boost-ready squad has no passengers: every player is a projected starter, and the green bench is the boost in action.
Even both goalkeepers start for their clubs, so the keeper you bench still brings in points. That is the difference between a Bench-Boost-ready squad and a normal one.
Why Every Player Has to Start
Under Bench Boost, your bench points count. A normal squad benches three £4.0m fodder defenders who never play, so boosting them adds almost nothing. This squad benches genuine 90-minute starters, which you can confirm on the xPts table, and that is where the extra points come from.
Should You Actually Bench Boost in GW1?
No, and the Gameweek 1 results did not change that. Gameweek 1 is a single-fixture week, so Bench Boost adds four extra one-game hauls at most. In a double gameweek those same four players each play twice, which is roughly double the return for the same chip.
The smart move: build the playing 15 above as your regular squad, play the first Bench Boost in a week when all 15 start with good fixtures (every gameweek up to 19 is a single this season), and save the second for the first double gameweek after that. If you are weighing a chip for GW3 instead, the Wildcard, Free Hit and Triple Captain calls are all live on current projections.
For the full timing logic, read the Bench Boost guide and the chip strategy plan.
FAQ
Why do people Bench Boost in GW1?
Because the first set of chips must be played by Gameweek 19, so managers who do not expect an early double gameweek would rather bank a small return than lose the chip outright. It is still usually the wrong call: Gameweek 1 is a single-fixture week, so Bench Boost only adds four one-game returns, while a double gameweek pays roughly twice that from the same chip.
Can you build a Bench-Boost-ready squad under £100m?
Yes. A Bench-Boost-ready 15 can fit Haaland, a strong midfield, and a bench of genuine starters inside £100m, staying inside every FPL rule (2 keepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders, 3 forwards, max 3 per club). The FPL planner plans a Bench Boost week around your own squad.
When is the first double gameweek in FPL?
Double gameweeks are confirmed during the season as fixtures are rescheduled, usually from the winter onward, and the fixture difficulty ticker shows one as soon as FPL moves a fixture. The first Bench Boost must be played by Gameweek 19 even if no double has come by then, so the second is the one to hold for a double.