Free Hit Squad — Blank Gameweek 31

SlowBuild • Chip: FREE HIT • Temporary squad for one week only • Real squad returns GW32

The Problem: 5 Players Blank

4 teams have no fixture in GW31: Arsenal, Man City, Crystal Palace, Wolves (EFL Cup Final weekend). This wipes out 5 of your starters.
PlayerTeamPositionPriceFormStatus
Gabriel ARSDEF£6.3m5.8 BLANKS No fixture
Timber ARSDEF£5.9m5.0 BLANKS No fixture
O'Reilly CRYMID£5.1m5.0 BLANKS No fixture
Semenyo WOLMID£5.5m3.8 BLANKS No fixture
Haaland MCIFWD£14.8m4.2 BLANKS No fixture

The remaining 10 players in your squad DO have a GW31 fixture and can be kept or swapped depending on matchup:

PlayerTeamPosGW31 FixtureFDRFormVerdict
PetrovićBOUGKvs MUN (H)35.2KEEP Top form GK
SenesiBOUDEFvs MUN (H)35.5KEEP Solid form
ScottBOUMIDvs MUN (H)33.0KEEP Has fixture
Bruno FernandesMUNMIDvs BOU (A)36.2KEEP Premium, top form
PalmerCHEMIDvs EVE (A)36.2KEEP Premium, top form
EnzoCHEMIDvs EVE (A)32.2SWAP Poor form — upgrade for FH
MukieleSUNDEFvs NEW (A)40.8SWAP Injured + tough away fixture
EkitikéLIVFWDvs BHA (A)34.6KEEP Premium asset
RiceMUNMIDvs BOU (A)33.5KEEP Has fixture
SemenyoWOLMID3.8BLANKS

GW31 Fixture Map (8 matches, 16 teams play)

HomevsAwayHome FDRAway FDRKey Targets
BOUvsMUN 33 Petrović, Senesi, Hill, Truffert | Bruno, Šeško
BHAvsLIV 33 Verbruggen, Welbeck | Virgil, Mac Allister, Ekitiké
FULvsBUR 13 Iwobi (6.8 form!), Wilson (5.5), Bassey
EVEvsCHE 33 Pickford, Tarkowski | Palmer, João Pedro
LEEvsBRE 33 Van den Berg, Damsgaard | Kelleher
NEWvsSUN 24 Thiaw (4.8), Isak, Gordon — easy home fixture
AVLvsWHU 24 Martinez, Rogers, Watkins — easy home fixture
TOTvsNFO 23 Son, Solanke, Johnson — strong home fixture
Best fixtures (FDR 1-2 home): Fulham vs BUR (FDR 1), Newcastle vs SUN (FDR 2), Aston Villa vs WHU (FDR 2), Tottenham vs NFO (FDR 2). These four home teams are the primary hunting ground for Free Hit picks.

Player Shortlist by Position (Live API Data)

Goalkeepers

PlayerTeamPriceFormTPSel%FixtureVerdict
PetrovićBOU£4.5m5.2945.0%vs MUN (H)KEEP — already yours
MartinezAVL£5.1m3.2974.4%vs WHU (H, FDR 2)Great fixture, proven keeper
PickfordEVE£5.6m2.511713.3%vs CHE (H)Highest TP among active GKs
VerbruggenBHA£4.5m3.4915.4%vs LIV (H)Tough fixture vs LIV

Defenders

PlayerTeamPriceFormTPSel%FixtureVerdict
Virgil van DijkLIV£6.2m7.213032.5%vs BHA (A)MUST-OWN Best form in the game
TruffertBOU£4.6m6.21072.5%vs MUN (H)TARGET Huge form, attacking returns
SenesiBOU£5.0m5.512617.4%vs MUN (H)KEEP — already yours
HillBOU£4.2m6.2757.4%vs MUN (H)Budget option, same BOU defence
DioufWHU£4.0m6.0792.2%vs AVL (A, FDR 4)Great form but tough fixture
Van den BergBRE£4.5m5.2831.2%vs LEE (A)Decent away fixture
ThiawNEW£5.0m4.81054.2%vs SUN (H, FDR 2)TARGET Easy derby, CS potential
BallardSUN£4.6m5.21143.7%vs NEW (A, FDR 4)Good form but tough away fixture

Midfielders

PlayerTeamPriceFormTPSel%FixtureVerdict
Bruno FernandesMUN£10.1m6.216640.5%vs BOU (A)KEEP — Captain candidate
PalmerCHE£10.6m6.29216.2%vs EVE (A)KEEP — Premium in form
IwobiFUL£6.4m6.8912.2%vs BUR (H, FDR 1)TOP TARGET Best form + easiest fixture
WilsonFUL£6.0m5.514023.2%vs BUR (H, FDR 1)TARGET High TP, easiest fixture
Mac AllisterLIV£6.3m5.8762.1%vs BHA (A)Good form, LIV double-up with VVD
AndersonNFO£5.5m5.81317.0%vs TOT (A)High TP but tough away
Gibbs-WhiteNFO£7.3m5.51223.8%vs TOT (A)Pricey for an away fixture
DamsgaardBRE£5.6m5.8850.8%vs LEE (A)Differential, decent form
AnthonyBUR£5.0m6.01001.9%vs FUL (A)Budget mid, good form

Forwards

PlayerTeamPriceFormTPSel%FixtureVerdict
João PedroCHE£7.7m9.516047.4%vs EVE (A)MUST-OWN Best form in the league, absurd 9.5
ŠeškoMUN£7.3m6.5895.9%vs BOU (A)TARGET Excellent form, pairs with Bruno
EkitikéLIV£9.1m4.612334.0%vs BHA (A)KEEP — already yours
BowenWHU£7.5m5.01357.6%vs AVL (A, FDR 4)Good but tough fixture
WelbeckBHA£6.1m4.4923.8%vs LIV (H)Tough fixture vs LIV
SolankeTOT£7.7m4.21097.0%vs NFO (H, FDR 2)Easy home fixture, decent option
WatkinsAVL£8.0m3.81016.9%vs WHU (H, FDR 2)Easy fixture but mediocre form

Recommended Free Hit XV

Formation: 3-5-2 — Maximise midfield exposure to the best fixtures. Budget: unlimited (Free Hit = full £100m).

Goalkeeper
Petrović
BOU
£4.5m
vs MUN (H)
Form: 5.2 — KEEP
Defence
Virgil van Dijk
LIV
£6.2m
vs BHA (A)
Form: 7.2 — IN
Senesi
BOU
£5.0m
vs MUN (H)
KEEP
Thiaw
NEW
£5.0m
vs SUN (H, FDR 2)
Form: 4.8 — IN
Midfield
Bruno Fernandes
MUN
£10.1m
vs BOU (A)
CAPTAIN
Palmer
CHE
£10.6m
vs EVE (A)
Form: 6.2 — KEEP
Iwobi
FUL
£6.4m
vs BUR (H, FDR 1)
Form: 6.8 — IN ★
Wilson
FUL
£6.0m
vs BUR (H, FDR 1)
Form: 5.5 — IN
Mac Allister
LIV
£6.3m
vs BHA (A)
Form: 5.8 — IN
Forwards
João Pedro
CHE
£7.7m
vs EVE (A)
Form: 9.5 — IN ★★
VICE CAPTAIN
Ekitiké
LIV
£9.1m
vs BHA (A)
KEEP
Bench
Martinez
AVL — GK
£5.1m
vs WHU (H)
Truffert
BOU — DEF
£4.6m
vs MUN (H)
Šeško
MUN — FWD
£7.3m
vs BOU (A)
Damsgaard
BRE — MID
£5.6m
vs LEE (A)

What Changes vs Your Real Squad

SlotOut (Blanking/Weak)In (Free Hit)Reason
DEFGabriel (ARS)Virgil van Dijk (LIV)ARS blank → Best-form DEF in the game (7.2), LIV CS potential
DEFTimber (ARS)Thiaw (NEW)ARS blank → NEW home vs SUN (FDR 2), clean sheet favourite
DEFMukiele (SUN)Truffert (BOU) [bench]Injured + tough away → BOU home, form 6.2
MIDO'Reilly (CRY)Iwobi (FUL)CRY blank → Best form mid (6.8) + easiest fixture (FDR 1)
MIDSemenyo (WOL)Wilson (FUL)WOL blank → FUL vs BUR (FDR 1), high TP (140)
MIDEnzo (CHE)Mac Allister (LIV)Poor form (2.2) → Better form (5.8), LIV away at BHA
MIDScott (BOU)Damsgaard (BRE) [bench]Low form (3.0) → Better option, budget allows upgrade
MIDRice (MUN)KEEP Rice — has fixture, plays for MUN
FWDHaaland (MCI)João Pedro (CHE)MCI blank → Hottest FWD in the game (9.5 form)
GK (bench)Sánchez/backupMartinez (AVL)FDR 2 home fixture, strong backup GK option
FWD (bench)Šeško (MUN)Form 6.5, pairs with Bruno in MUN attack

Captaincy Decision

Captain: Bruno Fernandes (MUN)

Form: 6.2 • TP: 166 • Fixture: vs BOU (A)

Top-10 managers captained Bruno 2:1 over Haaland in recent weeks. With Haaland blanking, Bruno is the clear #1 pick. Penalty taker, set piece threat, always involved. 40.5% ownership means massive EO — you can't afford to not captain him.

Vice Captain: João Pedro (CHE)

Form: 9.5 • TP: 160 • Fixture: vs EVE (A)

The best form in the entire game at 9.5. If Bruno somehow doesn't play (unlikely), João Pedro is the dream fallback against a leaky Everton defence.

Free Hit Principles to Remember

1. Don't think long-term. Free Hit is a one-week rental. Pick purely on GW31 form + fixture. Don't worry about whether you'd normally own Iwobi or Thiaw.

2. Stack favourable fixtures. FUL vs BUR (FDR 1) is the standout — double up with Iwobi + Wilson. NEW vs SUN and AVL vs WHU (both FDR 2) are the next tier.

3. Keep your premiums who play. Bruno, Palmer, Ekitiké all have fixtures — no reason to drop them. Free Hit lets you keep them AND fill the gaps.

4. Bench still matters. Even on Free Hit, pick a strong bench. If one of your starters gets a late injury, you want Šeško or Truffert auto-subbing in, not a £4.0m benchwarmer.

5. Check news on deadline day. This squad is based on current data. Check for last-minute injuries/rotation before the GW31 deadline.

Free Hit Plan generated March 2026 • Data: FPL API (live) • SlowBuild