FPL GW5: Wildcards and Free Hits for a Season Reset

Gameweek 4 left chaos in its wake. Leeds were the only side to win at home, popular picks misfired, and penalty drama swung ranks all over the place.

For the founders of AllAboutFPL, Surya and Srini, it did more than sting. It forced their hand.

Both go into Gameweek 5 with a chip active. One on Wildcard. One on Free Hit. Two very different routes, one shared objective: reset now, own the upside later.

Surya: Wildcard Pulled Early

GW4: Free Hit, but no real freedom

Surya went hard on a Free Hit in GW4 and walked away with 78 points. Respectable, but not what that chip is meant for.

The Arsenal triple-up was the right idea, the wrong combination. No David Raya. No Bukayo Saka. Both scored and both saved penalties, punishing anyone who tried to be too clever around them.

Add a Joao Pedro injury concern and a team riddled with “fires”, and Surya didn’t wait for the international break. The Wildcard is active for GW5.

Why now? Why risk GW5?

Most managers would cling to the Wildcard with a three-week international break looming after GW5. Surya’s gone the other way.

The logic is blunt: the squad is a mess, and the structure is wrong.

He wants a spine built around:

• Erling Haaland
• Cole Palmer
• Bukayo Saka
• Morgan Gibbs-White
• Double Arsenal defence

To fund that core, he’s targeting cheaper assets from teams with strong fixture runs, building a squad that can sit for weeks rather than needing constant surgery.

The draft, as it stands, scores a 91% rating on Fantasy Football Hub’s free AI Team Rating Tool and is projected at 59 points. Numbers aren’t everything, but they back up the eye test.

Defence and Goalkeepers: Banking on Arsenal and DEFCON Gems

Double Arsenal defence is locked. On a Wildcard, Surya sees it as non-negotiable.

Ezri Konsa at 4.5m adds huge value, while Muharemovic and Silva are what he calls “DEFCON defenders” – reliable four-pointers almost every week, regardless of fixture difficulty. They tick along, they don’t complain, and they rarely leave you with a blank.

Then there’s Munoz. That’s the upside play. With Coventry, Crystal Palace and Ipswich in the next four, he offers attacking potential on top of clean-sheet chances. If you’re chasing rank, you need at least one defender who can explode. Munoz is that bet.

Midfield: Penalties, Creativity and a Quiet Enabler

Saka and Palmer are the headline acts. Both are on penalties. Both are talismans for their clubs. They’re not just premium in price; they’re premium in influence.

Surya’s already thinking a few weeks ahead. One of them could make way for Bruno Fernandes around GW11–GW12 when Manchester United’s fixtures soften and the Portuguese playmaker becomes harder to ignore.

Then comes Morgan Gibbs-White, who is quietly putting up elite numbers:

• 1st among midfielders for Big Chances Created (4)
• 5th for xGI (2.57)
• Joint 2nd for Bonus Points (6)
• 11th for total FPL points (26)

He has multiple routes to returns: creativity, set pieces, bonus. Coventry at home in GW5 only sharpens the appeal.

King is the budget swing. Three promoted sides in three straight weeks from GW6–GW8, an advanced No.10 role, and consistently dangerous positions in the box. Surya is backing this to be King’s breakout season from an FPL standpoint, not just a short-term punt.

Vitaly Janelt completes the midfield as the eighth attacker and a classic bench enabler who can still hurt opponents. He’s more than a 5.0m filler:

• GW1: 13 DEFCON
• GW2: 10 DEFCON
• GW3: 12 DEFCON
• GW4: 20 DEFCON
• 13.75 DEFCON per 90
• 2 goals already
• A share of corners and set pieces (8 corners taken so far)

At just 2.5% ownership, he’s a genuine differential who can quietly grind out returns while freeing cash for the stars.

Forwards: Haaland, Data Monster Barry and a Fixture Punt

Haaland needs no debate. He’s the captain, the perma-pick, the one name inked in before the game even updates.

Beside him, Barry is the data darling. Two promoted teams in the next two gameweeks, 90 minutes every match, and no rotation risk. His underlying numbers are staggering: only Haaland beats him among forwards for xG, xGI, shots, shots in the box and big chances.

He’s scored just once so far, but the volume suggests that won’t last. Surya is betting that “fixtures breed form” and that this is where Barry’s season ignites.

Wissa completes the front line with four attractive fixtures: Hull (H), Coventry (A), Aston Villa (H) and Crystal Palace (A). Two promoted sides, two struggling teams, and no European distractions for Newcastle, which means fewer rotation headaches across the league landscape. Wissa is a punt with purpose.

Garcia is still in the conversation for that final forward slot, and Surya hasn’t fully closed the door on that switch. The Wildcard gives him the flexibility to decide late.

Captaincy: Tempted by Gibbs-White, but Haaland Rules

There was a flicker of temptation.

Gibbs-White at home to Coventry, predicted at 6.1 points by Fantasy Football Hub, looks like a classic explosive one-week captain. In another world, Surya might have rolled the dice.

But owning Gibbs-White is already a differential play. Going against Haaland, who once again tops AllAboutFPL’s GW5 captaincy metrics, feels like unnecessary risk.

The armband stays on Haaland.

Srini: Free Hit Unleashed in GW5

GW4: Edged Out by Fine Margins

Srini’s GW4 story is one of what-ifs.

No Pascal Gross. No Liverpool midfield double-up. A Chelsea attacking triple-up that did its job but didn’t separate him from the pack. No Saka or Raya, which proved brutal in a week where both delivered and swung ranks sharply.

The response? The Free Hit button is pressed for GW5.

Why Free Hit Now?

Srini sees a gameweek ripe for targeted aggression.

He wants to pile into teams with strong home fixtures against promoted or struggling opposition:

• Everton vs Ipswich (H)
• Nottingham Forest vs Coventry (H)
• Newcastle vs Hull (H)
• Leeds vs Crystal Palace (H)
• Manchester City vs Sunderland (H)

That’s a slate built for a Free Hit: short-term upside, clean fixture clusters, and a chance to load up on players you wouldn’t want long term.

Joao Pedro’s situation only reinforces the call. Xabi Alonso has confirmed no one is ruled out for the next game, but refused to detail Pedro’s injury. He suggested Pedro could play the upcoming match and then miss Brazil duty, with Moises Caicedo “closer” to a return.

Reading between the lines, Srini is planning as if Pedro likely misses GW5, recovers over the international break, and returns around GW6. On a Free Hit, he can simply step away from the uncertainty.

Only two or three players from his original squad survive into the GW5 Free Hit draft. This is a full reset for one week.

The current draft scores a 95% rating on Fantasy Football Hub’s AI Team Rating Tool and is projected at 62 points.

The Free Hit Core: Six Names Set in Stone

Whatever tweaks come before the deadline, Srini has a locked core:

• Haaland
• Barry
• Dominic Calvert-Lewin
• Bruno Fernandes
• Morgan Gibbs-White
• Munoz

Around them, five spots remain fluid. But some roles are already defined. There will be:

• At least one Manchester City defender
• A Leeds defender
• An Everton defender

He’s leaning heavily towards the team shown in his initial draft image, though he’s openly weighing two alternative combinations. For now, the preferred version holds the edge.

Captaincy: No Overthinking Haaland

With Haaland rested in midweek, Srini isn’t interested in complicating things.

Manchester City have the highest goal-scoring odds of the gameweek, Sunderland come to the Etihad, and when City score, Haaland is usually involved.

The captaincy is a straightforward call: Haaland at home, fresh, and central to everything.

Two chips. Two different strategies. One gameweek that could define the early season for both Surya and Srini.

GW5 won’t just be about who hauls. It will be about whether those bold, early chips rewrite their campaigns—or leave them chasing from behind when the rest of the game still has Wildcards in hand.