FPL Gameweek 22 Wildcard: Pros, cons and three possible drafts

Gameweek 22 is another opportunity to use the second Wildcard of 2024/25.

These unlimited free transfers are a chance to fix all mistakes and start planning for the future. It’s also ideal for the unlucky managers who find themselves plagued by injuries and suspensions.

So let’s list the pros and cons of a Gameweek 22 Wildcard, then provide a couple of draft ideas.

Don’t forget, you can get your Wildcard team rated via our Rate My Team tool or the Plan FPL planner!

READ MORE: Do I keep my free transfers when I use an FPL Wildcard?

GAMEWEEK 22 WILDCARD: THE PROS

POSITIVE FIXTURE SWINGS – AND LOOKING AHEAD TO GAMEWEEK 24

Crystal Palace’s good run is already underway but there’s still time to jump onto a schedule that appeals until April.

And although Tottenham Hotspur have just one win in nine, forward-thinking managers will notice they’re about to face Everton, Leicester City, Brentford, Manchester United and Ipswich Town. For the league’s second-highest scorers, it brings plenty of potential.

Moreover, according to our Season Ticker, the announcement of Double Gameweek 24 places Liverpool and Everton in first and third place over the next six deadlines.

GET RID OF JACKSON + DOUBLE ARSENAL DEFENCE

There are several frustrations within the template team. Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson (£8.1m) missed a further seven chances – three of them ‘big’ – on Tuesday night. He’s netted just once in eight matches.

Meanwhile, at the back, a popular strategy has been to own two Arsenal assets following last season’s 18 clean sheets. Well, they’re without one in three and haven’t bagged one on the road since Gameweek 4.

Perhaps it can be said in both cases that few alternatives currently hold appeal. But for those wanting to try something different or raise some money, Wildcarding allows you to downgrade.

FREES BUDGET FOR ASSISTANT MANAGER CHIP

Such funds may be needed to activate FPL’s brand-new chip. From Gameweek 24 onwards, the Assistant Manager will be available, where extra points can be gained based on the success of a Premier League side’s head coach over three consecutive Gameweeks.

As revealed last week, the 20 are split evenly between prices of £1.5m, £1.1m, £0.8m and £0.5m, meaning it’s a chip that needs budget preparation.

GAMEWEEK 22 WILDCARD: THE CONS

TRANSFER WINDOW IS OPEN

As always, January is a time of real-life transfers. Names that now seem locked into starting line-ups could suddenly be under threat should their club spend money.

Additionally, there’s still a chance that Real Madrid will come back with another Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) bid.

IT’S TOO EARLY

A standard time to use the second Wildcard is later on, near Bench Boost activation. It should help navigate managers through the uneven schedules about to be caused by cup competitions.

But we don’t yet know how Blank Gameweeks 29 and 34 will look, or Double Gameweeks 33 and 36. Until information starts coming through, finalising a chip strategy remains extremely difficult.

We can’t even be sure of the optimum Liverpool/Everton assets before Gameweek 24, so waiting a week or two could be advisable.

GAMEWEEK 22 WILDCARD IDEAS

DRAFT 1: TRIPLE LIVERPOOL + DOUBLE EVERTON – LEAVING A SPACE FOR A THIRD

In anticipation of Double Gameweek 24, this squad uses the three-player maximum for Liverpool. Alongside heavyweights Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) and Alexander-Arnold is a punt that Cody Gakpo (£7.4m) will keep starting, having begun the last nine league encounters and netted five times.

Everton’s quota was harder to fill, unsurprisingly. Last season’s number one goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (£5.0m) is currently second-best in the FPL rankings, whilst Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.3m) is a cheap defender mostly there for the home clash versus Leicester City.

Many Fantasy managers will leave it at that despite the double, although this draft provides space for an Everton midfielder/forward should one emerge.

Dwight McNeil (£5.1m) hasn’t featured since Gameweek 14 but should he regain fitness in time for the February double, Eberechi Eze (£6.6m) or Anthony Gordon (£7.6m) – whose fixtures get trickier – could be downgraded.

Wildcarders could also keep their eye on Domi… scratch that. Iliman Ndiaye (£5.4m) is the same price as the misfiring striker and has scored more goals despite having half the number of shots. The hope is that David Moyes can make Ndiaye a bit more of an enticing prospect and not peripheral on the left – although there was little sign of that in Gameweek 21.

DRAFT 2: ALTERNATIVE ‘THIRD’ LIVERPOOL ATTACKER, GOING EASY ON EVERTON

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