In Fantasy Premier League (FPL), a wildcard is a bonus chip that allows managers to make unlimited transfers to their team without suffering a points hit. FPL managers get two wildcards a season, one for the first half of the season and another for the second half. The first wildcard must be played before the Gameweek 20 deadline, and the second wildcard can be used between the Gameweek 20 deadline and the end of the season. The wildcard is the most powerful chip in FPL, and it can be a huge advantage to use it at the right point in the season.

The wildcard can be used to make as many changes as you want to your team without suffering a points hit. This means you can make more than one transfer in a gameweek without losing points. The wildcard is a bonus chip that allows you to swap your entire team for free if you so desire. It is the only chip that cannot be rescinded, and once youve chosen to play it, theres no going back.

The first wildcard window which immediately sticks out is in Gameweek 5, which is typically a popular time to use wildcard number one as the season template starts to emerge a bit. The second wildcard is typically best used around double gameweeks, as it can position you nicely to then deploy the bench boost and free hit chips. The two international breaks in the first half of the season always offer a nice opportunity to use your first wildcard.

Inexperienced managers may slam their thumb down on the wildcard button, but having a long-term plan for using the first wildcard in FPL is useful. A minimum of five transfers is the right justification for using a wildcard, particularly if it involves moving on or off premium assets due to fixture swings and providing depth in captaincy picks.