The schedule for FPL Blank Gameweek 29 has finally been set, after weeks of uncertainty over which fixtures would go ahead.
The FA Cup fifth round has been completed, meaning FPL managers know for sure which Premier League fixtures will be postponed in a few weeks&#8217; time.
Here, we take a look at how easy it might be for FPL managers to navigate the blank and look at the potential of using the Free Hit chip.
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<h2>What are the fixtures in FPL Blank Gameweek 29?</h2>
FPL Gameweek 29 clashes with the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Those involved in the last eight will see their Gameweek 29 matches postponed, resulting in them &#8216;blanking&#8217; that week.
Those postponed fixtures will most likely be played in either Gameweek 34 or 37, when the affected teams will have a double gameweek.
Heading into this week, just three games were definitely going ahead.
But FA Cup fifth-round losses for Luton and Nottingham Forest mean four games will now take place in Gameweek 29. The full schedule is as follows:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-blank-double-gameweek-guide">FPL Blank and Double Gameweek Guide</a></li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_62329" style="width: 644px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-62329" class="size-full wp-image-62329" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GW29-confirmed.jpg" alt="Gameweek 29 fixtures" width="634" height="415" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GW29-confirmed.jpg 634w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GW29-confirmed-300x196.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GW29-confirmed-610x399.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 634px) 100vw, 634px" />Gameweek 29 fixtures</div>
<h2>How well are FPL managers set up for Blank Gameweek 29?</h2>
The lack of fixtures limits the chances that the majority of teams are well covered for the blank.
Most teams will have several players from Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, who are all without a fixture.
The typical team might have had more Tottenham Hotspur coverage too, however their blank in Gameweek 26 and Son Heung-min&#8217;s Asian Cup absence may have dampened interest in the North London side.
Looking at the most duplicated squad in the top 250,000, it appears Blank Gameweek 29 could be problematic.
With bench options varying slightly across the board, only a handful of FPL managers have exactly the same team, however it provides a useful overview.
It has only four players for Gameweek 29 &#8211; Matt Turner, Charlie Taylor, Richarlison and Ollie Watkins &#8211; and Turner has not played for Nottingham Forest since Gameweek 22.
<div id="attachment_62304" style="width: 822px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-62304" class="wp-image-62304 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Top-250k-most-duplicated-squad.jpg" alt="Most duplicated FPL team in the top 250,000" width="812" height="865" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Top-250k-most-duplicated-squad.jpg 812w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Top-250k-most-duplicated-squad-282x300.jpg 282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Top-250k-most-duplicated-squad-768x818.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Top-250k-most-duplicated-squad-610x650.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px" />Most duplicated FPL team in the top 250,000</div>
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Alphonse Areola, Jarrod Bowen, Pedro Porro and Son are other players who are popular picks, in the the 20 for overall ownership, who FPL managers will need to call on in the blank.
Douglas Luiz was also a popular transfer in ahead of Gameweek 26, with one eye on the blank gameweek.
It is possible that some teams will be able to comfortably get a full 11 out in Blank Gameweek 29, however the average squad may only have a few.
That will give many managers a difficult decision &#8211; whether to Free Hit in 29 or use their free transfers to get through, probably with fewer than 11 players.
The good news for the majority is that the Free Hit remains in play, with 82% of the top 250,000 still having it as an option.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-62301" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Chip-usage-to-date.jpg" alt="" width="812" height="927" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Chip-usage-to-date.jpg 812w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Chip-usage-to-date-263x300.jpg 263w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Chip-usage-to-date-768x877.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Chip-usage-to-date-610x696.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px" />
<h2></h2>
<h2>How should FPL managers tackle Blank Gameweek 29?</h2>
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With the fixtures now set, FPL managers at last have clarity over how their team sets up for Blank Gameweek 29.
Time is running out to plan though, with just three opportunities left to make changes.
That amounts to three or four free transfers, so hits will be required to field a full starting 11 unless seven or eight eligible players are already in place.
Here are a few options to cover the blank. Which one is best will be team dependent. Hub members should use <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/ai-team-rating">My Team</a> and input their chip strategy on the <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/transfers">AI transfers</a> page to aid their decision making.
<h3>Free Hit</h3>
The Free Hit comes into play for managers struggling to get a team together for Blank Gameweek 29 without major surgery.
Hub AI produces a <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/ai-teams">Free Hit</a> team on a weekly basis, suggesting what it believes is the optimum squad for the given gameweek.
The Free Hit is the easiest way to get through the blank and avoids the need for hits to get to 11 players for those low on numbers.
Playing the Free Hit also enables managers to fully attack Double Gameweek 28. Luton play twice that week and don&#8217;t blank, although Bournemouth&#8217;s double looks stronger and they blank in Gameweek 29.
But the relatively uninspiring fixture list arguably offers little upside and could be seen as a waste of the chip. Saving it for a double gameweek &#8211; perhaps Gameweek 34 &#8211; may see managers gain more points.
That should be weighed against the overall benefit of using the Free Hit in 29 though &#8211; if it saves multiple hits, it could be the best option for some teams.
<div id="attachment_62331" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-62331" class="size-large wp-image-62331" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hub-ticker-27-30-1024x352.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="352" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hub-ticker-27-30-1024x352.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hub-ticker-27-30-300x103.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hub-ticker-27-30-768x264.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hub-ticker-27-30-610x209.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hub-ticker-27-30-1080x371.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hub-ticker-27-30.jpg 1232w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The top of the Hub fixture ticker for Gameweek 27-30</div>
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<h3>Save the Free Hit &#8211; but how many players are enough?</h3>
The main alternative to the Free Hit is using transfers to bring in Gameweek 29 options over the next few weeks.
Luton, Aston Villa and Spurs have good fixtures up to the blank, ranking inside the top 10 on the <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">Hub&#8217;s fixture ticker</a>. They also have appealing fixtures in Gameweek 30, which those playing their Free Hit would miss out on.
Tough games for Manchester City and Liverpool offer chances to move some of their players on, so there are transfer opportunities that will help prepare for the blank.
But the key decision will be how many players is enough for the blank?
If getting to 11 is not possible without significant hits, going into the blank a few short may be OK.
Covering off the main threats may be enough to get through, with a handful of popular picks who top the early list of <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">predicted points</a> the targets.
The top six are likely to be staples of the template Free Hit team and managers who can cover these off, with one or two extras, may not see the value in playing the Free Hit just to get 11 players out.
<div id="attachment_62330" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-62330" class="size-large wp-image-62330" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Predicted-points-top-10-GW29-1024x601.jpg" alt="Predicted points top 10 for Blank Gameweek 29" width="1024" height="601" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Predicted-points-top-10-GW29-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Predicted-points-top-10-GW29-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Predicted-points-top-10-GW29-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Predicted-points-top-10-GW29-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Predicted-points-top-10-GW29-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Predicted-points-top-10-GW29.jpg 1425w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Predicted points top 10 for Blank Gameweek 29</div>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Wildcard</h3>
The Wildcard could be activated if the Free Hit is not available or favoured for the blank and if FPL managers want to avoid hits.
Hub AI suggests a weekly <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/ai-teams">Wildcard team</a> and has come up with the squad below for Gameweek 27.
There is a good chance this will change closer to the deadline and members can keep up to date with any changes, as new information emerges and expected minutes are tweaked.
<div id="attachment_62338" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-62338" class="size-full wp-image-62338" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Wildcard-GW29.jpg" alt="Hub AI Wildcard team for Gameweek 27" width="866" height="828" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Wildcard-GW29.jpg 866w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Wildcard-GW29-300x287.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Wildcard-GW29-768x734.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Wildcard-GW29-610x583.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Hub AI Wildcard team for Gameweek 27</div>
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Free Hit or free transfers? How to tackle FPL Blank Gameweek 29

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