The international break poses a significant dilemma for Fantasy Premier League managers: should you use your wildcard or not?
It’s a difficult question, as activating arguably the game’s most powerful chip can backfire spectacularly, as many who triggered it in Gameweek 6 will know.
If you got rid of Cole Palmer before his four-goal haul, or finally brought in Erling Haaland just as he decided to blank for two games, the wildcard will have acted as a special reminder that the FPL gods can – and will – punish without discrimination.
For those who are yet to trigger their wildcard, the current international break poses something of a quandary. Is now the right time? Will the FPL lords smite you down if you go for it?
As ever, the correct answer is largely based on luck and hindsight. But there are a number of reasons that should back up your thinking either way.
Fantasy Premier League tips: Reasons to use your wildcard during the international break
Take advantage of price changes: Every 0.1m of budget helps in FPL. This is especially true with the pricing structure of the current season, which has made it difficult to fit multiple big-name stars into the same team without having to play Weetabix in defence.
Player prices rise and fall alongside the transfer popularity of each player. The speed at which these transfers happen also dictate the value. For example, if a player is badly injured and hundreds of thousands of users transfer them out, you can bet their value will drop.
So, why does this matter more during the international break? To put it simply, there is a two-week gap between deadlines, giving managers extra time to stew on decisions that may be enforced between Gameweeks.
The wildcard allows you to take advantage of this without making multiple moves and succumbing to minuses; if nine players you fancy increase by £0.1m, you’d make a risk-free 0.9m without even trying if they’re in your squad before the rise.
The same goes for falling prices. If injuries strike or content creators push away from your player, consider getting them out on the wildcard. Each player can rise or fall by £0.3m per week; a potentially game-changing difference across an entire squad.
Great for monitoring injuries: This certainly feeds into the above point. If your squad is struggling to maintain fitness or you have a decent sum of cash invested in a pricey star you no longer want, playing your wildcard will allow you to redistribute your cash in a smarter way. Bukayo Saka owners currently face this issue after seeing him limp off during England’s defeat to Greece; at over £10m, it might take more than a couple of transfers to adequately spend the money his sale will raise.
A time for differentials: It’s Gameweek 8, meaning you have seven weeks worth of knowledge festering within your brain. For those chasing rank or mini league glory, the wildcard is a perfect chance to add some differential players to your squad.
Consider your objectives for the season before weighing up how aggressive to be. Do you care about global rank? A couple of outside shouts could work wonders. Are you only worried about beating your mates? Look at who they have and spot the gaps. None of your friends have James Maddison ahead of Tottenham’s decent set of fixtures? He could be the one.
Mark out the fixture swings–Manchester City, Spurs and Brentford have good runs coming up–and consider what you need to do to stand out in the rankings you care about most.
Fantasy Premier League tips: Reasons to save your wildcard during the international break
Rotation upon the restart: This season is so busy there is talk of top level players organising a strike in protest of the schedule. Be aware that rotation is beginning to happen more frequently and will be elevated after this set of international games.
We have already seen players such as Alejandro Garnacho travel to Argentina and back before sitting on Manchester United’s bench during the last break.
Premier League managers will be wary of the miles covered by players and are likely to ease those with strenuous schedules back in. Add in the rapidly ramping up European calendar and it’s clear those who play three games per week might need a rest at some point.
Sticking with Argentina as an example: the World Champions play at 1am BST on Wednesday in Buenos Aires. Cristian Romero should feature and is due to appear for Tottenham against West Ham at 12.30pm BST on Saturday in London. Perhaps steer clear of Garnacho or Alexis Mac Allister if you go for him, in fear of having multiple rotation risks.
More information is coming: Another international break will disrupt the flow of FPL in November. If you haven’t triggered your wildcard by now, waiting until the next one could make sense if your team is decently set because you will receive more information on how sides are progressing and playing by then. It’s also possible to make use of the full two-week period for price changes, with a week already lost if you’ve held back so far.