FPL Double & Blank Gameweek Guide 2025/26: BGW31, DGW33 and BGW34 Strategy
Complete FPL blank and double gameweek guide for BGW31, projected DGW33 and BGW34. Teams to target, players to buy, chip strategy and planning tips.
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View Campaign OfferFPL Double & Blank Gameweek Guide 2025/26: BGW31, DGW33 and BGW34 Strategy
The season-defining scheduling stretch has arrived. Blank Gameweek 31 is confirmed, while the next wave of potential disruption is building around Gameweeks 33 and 34 as the FA Cup shapes the run-in.
This guide is built from the live FPL API for fixtures, prices, ownership and player projections, plus external schedule context from Fantasy Football Hub's blank/double guide updated on 19/03/26 and The FA's confirmed quarter-final scheduling. The key point: BGW31 is confirmed, but DGW33 and BGW34 are still planning weeks rather than locked doubles/blanks in the FPL feed.
If you can separate confirmed information from projection, you'll make better chip decisions than most managers.
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📅 What Is Confirmed Right Now?
✅ Confirmed: Blank Gameweek 31
The live FPL fixture feed confirms that Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Man City and Wolves blank in Gameweek 31.
That leaves only 8 fixtures in the gameweek:
- Aston Villa vs West Ham
- Bournemouth vs Man Utd
- Brighton vs Liverpool
- Everton vs Chelsea
- Fulham vs Burnley
- Leeds vs Brentford
- Newcastle vs Sunderland
- Spurs vs Nott'm Forest
⚠️ Not Yet Confirmed in FPL: DGW33 / BGW34
As of 20 March 2026, the FPL API does not yet show any confirmed doubles in GW33 or blanks in GW34. Every team still has one fixture in the raw feed for those weeks.
That matters because plenty of content online talks about these swings as if they are already scheduled. They are not.
🔎 What External Forecasting Suggests
Fantasy Football Hub's latest guide, drawing on Ben Crellin-style fixture forecasting, points to this likely chain:
- GW33 could become a double for some FA Cup semi-finalists' postponed league fixtures
- GW34 could become a blank-heavy week depending on quarter-final results
- The four safest GW34 fixtures in external planning right now are:
- Wolves vs Spurs
- Fulham vs Aston Villa
- Sunderland vs Nott'm Forest
- Man Utd vs Brentford
The correct way to use that information is as planning context, not as confirmation. Keep your structure flexible.
Use our fixtures tool to check every team's upcoming run as the schedule updates.
🎯 Teams To Target Now
1. Fulham
Why now: Burnley at home in BGW31 is the best confirmed fixture on the slate with FDR 1.
Run: Burnley (H), Liverpool (A), Brentford (A), Aston Villa (H)
Fulham are the classic one-week spike team. You buy them for BGW31 first, then reassess quickly.
2. Liverpool
Why now: No blank in 31 and one of the cleanest medium-term runs among premium sides.
Run: Brighton (A), Fulham (H), Everton (A), Crystal Palace (H)
Liverpool combine confirmed BGW31 availability with strong captain and hold appeal through GW34.
3. Man Utd
Why now: Bruno gives you a captaincy anchor in the blank, and the wider run is solid enough.
Run: Bournemouth (A), Leeds (H), Chelsea (A), Brentford (H)
It is less explosive than Fulham's immediate one-week punt, but Bruno can carry an entire gameweek on his own.
4. Chelsea
Why now: They play in BGW31 and are one of the clubs external planners are watching closely for future rescheduling upside.
Run: Everton (A), Man City (H), Man Utd (H), Brighton (A)
Chelsea are not an easy attack-first buy on fixtures alone, but they are a key structure team if you want flexibility for any DGW33 news.
5. Newcastle
Why now: Sunderland at home in BGW31 is one of the best immediate attacking fixtures.
Run: Sunderland (H), Crystal Palace (A), Bournemouth (H), Arsenal (A)
Great short-term. Much less attractive by GW34.
🔥 Players To Target For The Confirmed Blank
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd vs Bournemouth - A) - £10.2m
MID | 44.8% TSB | 8.7 Expected Points
If you want the safest route through BGW31, start with Bruno.
- 176 total points
- 7 goals, 16 assists
- 6.5 PPG
- 8.2 form
- Penalty and set-piece monopoly
He is the premium who keeps your rank intact in a week where many popular assets vanish.
See Bruno's full profile for deeper stats.
Verdict: Best all-round captain and transfer target for BGW31.
Joao Pedro (Chelsea vs Everton - A) - £7.8m
FWD | 51.5% TSB | 8.0 Expected Points
He is the most-owned major attacker available in BGW31, which makes him both safe and awkward. If you do not own him, rank damage is obvious. If you captain him, the gain is smaller.
- 162 total points
- 14 goals, 9 assists
- 5.4 PPG
- 7.5 form
- Away to Everton, FDR 3
He is less exciting than a pure differential captain, but as a squad asset he makes a lot of sense.
View Joao Pedro's profile for shot and xG data.
Verdict: Strong own, optional captain.
Alex Iwobi (Fulham vs Burnley - H) - £6.4m
MID | 3.2% TSB | 7.5 Expected Points
If you want the pure fixture play, this is it.
- 94 total points
- 4 goals, 3 assists
- 3.9 PPG
- 7.0 form
- Burnley at home, FDR 1
He is the kind of BGW pick that works because the whole field is distracted by blankers and chip noise.
Check Iwobi's full profile before locking him in.
Verdict: One of the best upside punts for non-Free Hit squads.
Harry Wilson (Fulham vs Burnley - H) - £6.0m
MID | 25.2% TSB | 6.3 Expected Points
Wilson gives you a second Fulham route with more direct goal involvement than many managers expect.
- 143 total points
- 9 goals, 8 assists
- 5.1 PPG
- 5.8 form
- Same FDR 1 fixture as Iwobi
He is less of a hidden gem than Iwobi, but if you want to aggressively attack the best fixture, a Fulham double-up is viable.
Explore Harry Wilson's profile for the full breakdown.
Verdict: Excellent secondary BGW31 attacker.
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool vs Brighton - A) - £6.3m
MID | 2.6% TSB | 8.5 Expected Points
Mac Allister is still one of the best rank-chasing buys in the game.
- 84 total points
- 2 goals, 3 assists
- 8.0 form
- 8.5 expected points
- Just 2.6% owned
His season-long total is modest for the price, but the immediate projection is elite. If you trust current role and current form more than raw season points, he's a serious captaincy differential.
See Mac Allister's profile for detailed analytics.
Verdict: Best differential captain in the blank.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool vs Brighton - A) - £6.3m
DEF | 36.9% TSB | 5.7 Expected Points
If you want stability rather than volatility, Virgil is the clean-sheet-and-bonus route into Liverpool.
- 132 total points
- 3 goals, 1 assist
- 4.4 PPG
- 2,700 minutes
- Set-piece threat plus clean-sheet equity
He works especially well for managers planning a later Bench Boost, because he is a secure, high-floor piece.
View Virgil's profile for the full defensive profile.
Verdict: Premium defender for managers building steady depth.
👀 Premium Holds And Watchlist Picks
These players do not help you in BGW31, but that does not automatically make them sales.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) - £9.8m
MID | 7.8% TSB | BGW31 Blank
- 133 total points
- 6 goals, 8 assists
- 4.9 PPG
- Blank in GW31
Arsenal blank now, but they are one of the obvious clubs to monitor for future rearrangements. If you have squad depth or a Free Hit, selling Saka purely for one blank can be shortsighted.
Track Saka here if you are deciding whether to hold.
Verdict: Hold if your structure can survive the blank.
Erling Haaland (Man City) - £14.5m
FWD | 52.1% TSB | BGW31 Blank
- 197 total points
- 22 goals, 7 assists
- 6.8 PPG
- Blank in GW31
Haaland is the textbook example of a player you do not sell casually if you still expect a later double or Triple Captain opportunity.
Review Haaland's profile before making the call.
Verdict: Sell only if it solves multiple problems, not just BGW31.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) - £10.6m
MID | 18.2% TSB | 4.3 Expected Points
- 94 total points
- 9 goals, 2 assists
- 4.9 PPG
- Chelsea play in BGW31 and could gain future upside from rescheduling
Palmer is not a top captain this week on the numbers, but structurally he is very relevant for managers planning a post-blank wildcard or a DGW33 bench setup.
Check Palmer's profile for updated stats.
Verdict: Not essential for BGW31, but a strong strategic hold or buy.
🎴 Chip Strategy
Free Hit in BGW31
Use it if:
- You own 5 or more blanking players
- Your bench is weak
- You would otherwise need multiple points hits just to field 10 or 11 players
Avoid it if:
- You can already get to 9-10 solid starters
- Your blanking players are premium holds like Saka or Haaland
- You want to save the chip for a later confirmed double
Wildcard in GW32 or GW33
This is the most logical aggressive chip path if BGW31 leaves your squad awkward.
Wildcarding after the blank lets you:
- Reverse one-week punts
- Buy into any newly confirmed doubles
- Rebuild toward a Bench Boost or Triple Captain plan
Bench Boost
Do not force it in BGW31.
Save it for a confirmed double gameweek once the FPL fixture feed is updated. Right now, that could still become GW33 or GW36, but it is not confirmed in the official data yet.
Triple Captain
Do not burn Triple Captain on a single-gameweek pick just because the blank feels chaotic.
The better play is to keep it for a confirmed premium double, most likely involving players such as Haaland, Saka or another elite attacker once the rearranged fixtures are locked.
Plan your chip route in our transfer planner before reacting to every cup result.
🚫 Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Treating projected doubles as confirmed doubles
The raw FPL fixture feed is the final authority for scheduling. External forecasts are useful, but they are not the fixture list.
- Selling every blanking premium
You do not need to rip your squad apart just because Arsenal and Man City miss one week.
- Overbuying one-week punts
Fulham are brilliant for BGW31. That does not automatically make triple Fulham a long-term plan.
- Using Bench Boost too early
Wait for official doubles. Bench Boost is too valuable to spend on guesswork.
📊 Quick Planning Summary
| Week | Status | What We Know | Best Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| GW31 | Confirmed Blank | Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Man City and Wolves blank | Buy confirmed starters and captain an active premium |
| GW33 | Projection Watch | No doubles yet in FPL API, but external forecasts point to possible rearrangements | Keep transfers flexible |
| GW34 | Projection Watch | External forecasts suggest a reduced fixture list if FA Cup clashes hit | Avoid overcommitting before official updates |
| GW36+ | Future Swing | Another likely rescheduling window later in the run-in | Preserve at least one major chip if possible |
Track everything live with our live points tracker once the blank kicks off.
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🏁 Final Recommendations
Best Team To Buy From Now
Liverpool
They combine BGW31 participation with the cleanest medium-term profile from a premium squad.
Best One-Week Attack
Fulham
Burnley at home is the standout fixture in the blank. Iwobi and Harry Wilson are both viable.
Best Safe Captain
Bruno Fernandes
The highest-floor active premium in the week.
Best Differential Captain
Alexis Mac Allister
Elite projection, tiny ownership, perfect rank-chasing profile.
Best Premium Hold Through The Blank
Erling Haaland
Do not sell just to survive one week unless the rest of your squad also improves.
Use our hidden gems finder for more low-owned BGW31 targets and our fixtures tool to keep checking for official double announcements.
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