Season-high number of Free Hit chips played in FPL

Over 1.3million have used the chip in Blank Gameweek 31 to navigate the reduced round of matches A season-high 1.3million Fantasy Premier League managers have played their Free Hit chip to navigate Blank Gameweek 31. Four teams were without a fixture due to the EFL Cup final taking place on Sunday, meaning the finalists, Arsenal and Manchester City, together with their scheduled Premier League opponents this weekend, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace, all blanked. Using the Free-Hit allowed managers to keep their players from those teams, such as Erling Haaland (£14.5m), Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) and Gabriel (£7.2m), and select 15 players ideally suited to this round of matches. Their regular squad then returns for Gameweek 32. Only twice before in Fantasy history have more Free Hit chips been played in a Gameweek. Most Free Hit chips played in a Gameweek Season Gameweek Free Hits played 2023/24 GW29 1,705,262 2020/21 GW18 1,410,195 2025/26 GW31 1,344,160 2024/25 GW29 1,189,224 2022/23 GW12 1,063,311 Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (£10.2m) is the most-popular player among those using their Free Hit chip, selected by 93 per cent of managers. The Portuguese duly delivered for his backers, producing 13 points in the 2-2 draw with AFC Bournemouth thanks to a goal, an assist and the maximum three bonus points. It's his 11th double-figure return of the campaign, the most of any player, and his second-highest score on the road. Only against Wolves in Gameweek 15 has he recorded more points in an away fixture, when he totalled 18 points. Fulham's Harry Wilson (£6.1m) was also on the scoresheet and claimed a share of the bonus for a nine-point return. A home encounter with Burnley, the easiest fixture in Fantasy according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), persuaded over 900,000 managers to include him in their Free Hit squads. Marco Silva's side won the contest 3-1 consigning the Clarets to their 11th defeat on the road, the most of any team. Wilson has now produced 11 attacking returns at home this season, with eight goals and three assists, a tally bettered only by Fernandes and Bruno Guimaraes (£6.8m) among midfielders. Most popular players on Free-Hit Player Selected by Percentage Pts* Fernandes 1,255,354 93% 13 Joao Pedro 1,070,888 80% 2 Virgil 974,905 73% 3 Thiago 965,110 72% 4 Wilson 904,296 67% 9 Ekitike 843,445 63% 1 Thiaw 664,105 49% 0 Gordon 619,672 46% 10 Senesi 601,618 45% 1 Rogers 547,526 41% 6 *including projected bonus points It wasn't such a good Gameweek for Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi (£5.1m), however, who finished with just a single point. Usually so reliable for defensive contribution points - he's reached the threshold 22 times - he made only four defensive contributions in the draw with Man Utd, his lowest tally in a match this season. Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m) also failed to keep a clean sheet in a 2-1 reverse to Brighton & Hove Albion, but he did at least gain the consolation of two defensive contribution points for the 73 per cent of managers who had him on Free Hit. The same couldn't be said for team-mate Hugo Ekitike (£9.3m), who returned one point after he picked up an injury and was withdrawn in the eighth minute. Fellow forward Joao Pedro (£7.8m) added to the woes of Fantasy managers as he recorded a second successive blank for Chelsea in their 3-0 loss at Everton. He had zero big chances, situations were a player is expected to score, over those two matches having been presented with 11 in his previous four outings. There were mixed results for Newcastle players, Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) and Malick Thiaw (£5.1m), in the Magpies' defeat against Sunderland. The former scored for a third consecutive Gameweek and claimed maximum bonus points. However, Thiaw was named on the bench by Eddie Howe and returned zero points after conceding twice in his 36-minute appearance. Morgan Rogers (£7.5m) notched his first attacking return since Gameweek 25 in a lively display against West Ham. The England international racked up four shots and made four key passes, both match highs. Fantasy key facts The third forward among the top 10 most-selected Free Hit players, Igor Thiago (£7.3m), also failed to produce an attacking return as Brentford drew 0-0 at Leeds United. Despite that disappointment, Thiago managed to create a little piece of Fantasy history, racking up 15 defensive contribution actions, the most by a forward in any match this season. He follows West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) and Burnley's Armando Broja (£5.2m) as the only forwards to have earned defensive contribution points. More from Blank Gameweek 31