FPL Gameweek 29 kicks off at 3pm UK time on Saturday. It is a big one for FPL managers because Liverpool, Newcastle, Palace and Villa all blank this week. 

We are publishing a bit early this week to deal with the many questions it throws up. This means we are publishing ahead of European games so bear that in mind and hold those transfers until after Thursday night.

How many players do you need for FPL Gameweek 29?

This is the first question on many manager’s minds this week. 

Ideally, you will get eleven players out this week. However, if that is not the case or if you are close, say, for example, 9 or 10 players that will probably be fine. To be clear, when I say 9 or 10 players, I mean 9 or 10 nailed players. 

Players that play 10 minutes every game or come off at half time or only play every other game are problems. So, someone like Dango is a problem. He is not nailed and if he is one of your 9 or 10 then I think you need to reconsider him. If he is the eleventh man and you want to avoid hits then that’s probably fine.

Are point hits okay in FPL Gameweek 29?

Simple answer: yes

Many managers won’t have a full starting 11 or be able to get a full starting 11 out with the number of transfers that they have left available to them. Many managers will be taking a four point hit. Quite a few will probably take an 8 point hit. Some crazy bastards might take a 12 point. 

I think my risk tolerance stops an eight point hit. This is not necessarily through anything super scientific, but if you’re starting to think about something beyond that, then maybe you should be starting to think about chips.

So a 4 point hit is fine. An eight point hit is okay. A twelve point hit is borderline.

Can I use my free hit or wildcard in FPL Gameweek 29?

Ideally, you will have thought about this already, have a plan to free hit now or free hit later and have thought about when you’re going to use your other chips to maximise double gameweeks. 

If you have not thought about that, then it’s probably okay to free hit this week. 

But if you’re really desperate, I would consider a wild card. And this is because:

• The blank gameweek in 34 will be more difficult to deal with than this one
• You know Crystal Palace and Newcastle double in 32 (Palace probably double again in 33)
• You can feel confident that City and Villa double in 33
• You can take an educated gamble on the others left in the FA Cup that will lead to blanks – see Ben Crellin on Blue Sky 

The Great Premium Debate Returns

Is it gameweek 1 again? 

With Salah blanking, Palmer faltering, Saka injured and Erling Haaland quietly motoring along with 62 points over the last ten gameweeks (including one game he didn’t play), many of us are considering whether we have the right set up.

Can you afford Three-mium with Salah, Palmer and Haaland?

Not without ruining your squad.

This is not a viable option, especially if you still have a bench boost to play.

Should You Keep Salah for Blank FPL Gameweek 29?

It depends.

At the time of writing, it is my plan to keep salah regardless of the blank. The reason for that is that he is the best FPL player of all time having his best season ever. I love fixtures and I trust fixtures more than anything else but some very rare players are just absolutely fixture proof.

So, I will bench Salah for one week and captain him for the foreseeable future after that.

Is Haaland Essential for FPL Gameweek 29?

No. He has been pretty good recently. But he is far from essential.

His ownership remains relatively low, especially among active managers. This means he is unlikely a big threat to you in your mini-leagues or overall rank. His ownership in gameweek 27 was actually the lowest it has been all year! And, his ownership in gameweek 28 is the second lowest.

And, whilst he has been good with his 62 points from the last ten gameweeks, the following players have all beat him:

• Salah – 120 points from 12 games
• Wood – 78 points from 10 games
• Kluivert – 70 points from 9 games
• Alexander-Arnold – 67 points from 12 games
• Watkins – 67 points from 11 games
• Foden – 66 points from 10 games
• Mateta – 66 points from 9 games
• Mbeumo – 63 points from 10 games

There are also other captaincy choices to pick from – see captaincy corner below.

Should You Keep Palmer in FPL Gameweek 29?

It depends.

On the one hand, he is a good option for the next few weeks. Firstly, he is playing so you shouldn’t really be looking to sell him if you have bigger issues (like only having 7 players who will play). Secondly, he has good fixtures and is a great player. 

On the other hand, he and Chelsea suck at the moment. I try not to read too much into short term form because it is exactly that: short term. However, when I see a team that cannot put more than one goal past Leicester I am worried. Obviously he goes up against the second best defence in the league in Arsenal too so it’s not like we expect big things from him this week.

Which Two of the Three Premiums Should You Have?

It depends on what you are hoping to achieve, how many transfers you have and how many playing players you have this week.

If you have few transfers and lots of blankers this week then you should focus there and just hold the premiums you have.

If you have lots of transfers or lots of playing players then you can consider switching premiums.

If you are chasing rank and need a big jump then take a risk without Salah.

If you are chasing your mini-league leader then do the opposite to what they do.

If you are consolidating your mini-league lead or your overall rank then I think holding Salah is the most sensible thing to do.

For what it is worth, the models and FPL review are telling me to sell Salah to fund a move to Haaland and keep Palmer. That is probably the optimal high points scoring route. However, I will be selling Palmer and funding a move to Haaland with a 4 point hit because I don’t want to lose the money invested in Salah, take the risk without Salah against his ownership and I frankly don’t trust Palmer at the moment.

Fixtures

As a reminder:

• Gameweek 29 is a CONFIRMED blank for four teams
• Gameweek 32 is a CONFIRMED double for Newcastle and Palace
• Gameweek 33 is LIKELY a double gameweek for six to eight teams
• Gameweek 34 is LIKELY a blank for six to eight teams
• Gamweek 36 is LIKELY a double gameweek for four teams
• Gamweek 37 is LIKELY a blank gameweek for four teams

We expect to know what will happen in 33/34 before the 31 deadline but it might be the 30 deadline – whichever one it is will likely trigger the use of my wildcard.

The following fixture tickers are based on what is CONFIRMED ONLY.

Best Attacking Fixtures

Here are the five sides with the very best attacking FPL fixtures, from FPL Gameweeks 29 to 33.

Yes, Newcastle’s fixtures are so good that they make this list even with a blank. I have added the next best team so you can ignore them.

Over the final ten following the best fixtures are:

1. Wolves
2. Notts Forest
3. Bournemouth
4. Man City
5. Arsenal

Best Defensive Fixtures

Here are the five sides with the very best defensive FPL fixtures, from FPL Gameweeks 29 to 33.

Over the next ten the following have the best fixtures:

1. City
2. Forest
3. Wolves
4. Arsenal
5. Bournemouth

Captaincy Corner

With Salah blanking and Palmer playing against the second best defence in the league the captaincy is wide open.

Wood, Haaland and Kluivert will probably be the popular options and I like them all. Wood and Kluivert have good fixtures whereas Haaland has the pedigree. Pick one. They are all fun and, unlike most other weeks, come with minimal risk as there is no obvious pick and no Salah.

That’s It.

Have fun everyone. Hope you get loads of FPL points and I beat you all in FPL Gameweek 29 and beyond!