FPL Free Hit GW4

Gameweek 4 has been played. This page is the record of that week's Free Hit call. For Gameweek 8, see FPL Triple Captain GW8, the Free Hit guide and the GW8 tips.

TL;DR

The Gameweek 4 Free Hit record: the highest-projected legal XI for that one week, ignoring the squad you already owned. Gameweek 4 had no blank, so the chip only made sense for a squad full of injuries.

Drafting a Free Hit XI for GW4

A Free Hit gives you unlimited transfers for one gameweek and reverts your squad afterwards. That makes it the most single-minded chip in the game: only this week's points exist.

  • Stack the best fixtures. In GW4 that means Chelsea at home to Hull and Liverpool at home to Fulham, both at difficulty 2. Take three from one club if the fixture justifies it, because it costs you nothing next week.
  • Ignore price and ownership. You are renting, not buying. A premium you could never normally afford is fair game.
  • Bench barely matters. Only your XI scores, so spend on the starters and fill the bench with 4.0m names.
  • Captain the highest ceiling. With no long-term consequences, the safe floor pick is the wrong pick.

What GW4 Looks Like

Gameweek 4 is a full gameweek. All 20 teams play once, and there are no blanks in Gameweeks 4, 5, 6 or 7 either. The classic Free Hit case, rescuing a week where half your squad has no fixture, does not apply here.

So if you are playing it now you are playing it for a different reason: a pile of injuries, a stack of players on bad fixtures, or an international break that has left you short. That works, but the upside is smaller than a blank-week Free Hit, because you are beating your own squad rather than replacing one that cannot score.

The ten fixtures are Aston Villa vs Forest, Bournemouth vs Brentford, Chelsea vs Hull, Crystal Palace vs Ipswich, Liverpool vs Fulham, Tottenham vs Everton, Sunderland vs Arsenal, Coventry vs Brighton, Man Utd vs Man City and Leeds vs Newcastle. Check the fixture ticker before you draft. For the wider plan see the chip strategy guide, and for this week's captain see the GW4 tips.

FAQ

What is the best Free Hit team for GW4?

The pitch above: the highest-projected legal XI the FPL planner found for Gameweek 4 on the projections at the time, ignoring the squad you already owned. That is exactly how a Free Hit should be drafted.

Is GW4 a blank gameweek in FPL?

No. All 20 teams played in Gameweek 4, and there were no blanks in Gameweeks 4 to 7, so a GW4 Free Hit was for beating your own squad rather than covering missing fixtures.

Should I triple up on one team on a Free Hit?

Yes, if the fixture justifies it. The three-players-per-club cap still applies, but since nothing carries over there is no downside to loading up on the best fixture on the fixture difficulty ticker.

Does my Free Hit bench matter?

Only through autosubs. If a starter does not play, a bench player can come on, so give yourself four cheap bodies with fixtures rather than four blanks, but do not spend real money there.