Welcome to our in-depth Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Blank Gameweek 34 review!
With Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and Man City all without a fixture, many managers have seized the opportunity to activate their Free Hit chip. Find out below just how many made the move!
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Mohamed Salah has dominated the captaincy conversation ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham today, especially among highly ranked managers.
| Player | Top 1M (%) | Top 100k (%) | Top 10k (%) | Overall (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Salah | 59.7 | 71.3 | 78.0 | 35.0 |
| Alexander Isak | 28.6 | 20.6 | 17.2 | 17.6 |
| Matheus Cunha | 3.0 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Omar Marmoush | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 |
| Cole Palmer | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4.4 |
Salah’s captaincy numbers highlight his dominance, with a huge 78% backing among the top 10k FPL managers.
In contrast, Isak — despite a strong fixture against Ipswich, where he scored from the penalty spot — saw his captaincy rate fall from 28.6% among the top 1 million managers to just 17.2% in the top 10k.
Meanwhile, Cunha captainers could be the real winners of the gameweek. He delivered a brilliant 15-point haul (a goal, two assists, and maximum bonus) in Wolves’ 3-0 win over Leicester, yet remained a major differential with just 1.8% captaincy among the top 10k.
Meanwhile, Palmer’s blank against Everton — his fourth in a row — will have been painful for the small percentage of managers who trusted him with the armband. Marmoush also remained a minor captaincy pick, likely backed by managers who missed the deadline.
| Player | Top 1M (EO%) | Top 100k (EO%) | Top 10k (EO%) | Overall (EO%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Salah | 159.6 | 171.0 | 177.9 | 101.0 |
| Alexander Isak | 126.2 | 119.3 | 116.2 | 77.5 |
| Matheus Cunha | 66.5 | 77.9 | 81.1 | 18.5 |
| Cole Palmer | 37.1 | 47.3 | 56.8 | 42.2 |
| Luis Díaz | 44.4 | 53.9 | 60.7 | 18.7 |
| Jacob Murphy | 56.4 | 58.7 | 56.4 | 18.4 |
| Harvey Barnes | 28.4 | 28.9 | 29.2 | 6.1 |
| Yoane Wissa | 11.8 | 42.2 | 38.0 | 36.4 |
Salah’s effective ownership (EO) soared to an incredible 177.9% in the top 10k, leaving non-owners and non-captainers seriously exposed if he delivers against Spurs.
Newcastle attackers are also heavily backed: Isak (116.2% EO), Jacob Murphy (56.4%), and Harvey Barnes (29.2%) all carried strong ownership into their match against Ipswich. However, the returns were mixed — Murphy chipped in with an assist and 6-points, while Barnes blanked with just 3 points.
Despite another disappointing blank against Everton, Cole Palmer still maintained high EO, especially among top managers.
| Rank Tier | Free Hit (%) | Triple Captain (%) | Wildcard (%) | Bench Boost (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10k | 70.4 | 0.2 | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| Top 100k | 61.4 | 0.4 | 4.4 | 0.1 |
| Top 1M | 49.3 | 0.6 | 5.3 | 0.1 |
| Overall | 8.3 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
Free Hit usage exploded in Gameweek 34 to deal with the blank fixtures, with an incredible 70.4% of the top 10k activating the chip. Managers have aimed to maximise returns from strong fixtures like Liverpool v Spurs and Newcastle v Ipswich. Lower down the ranks, Free Hit usage remained substantial — 61.4% in the top 100k and nearly half of managers in the top 1M also played it.
| Metric | Top 10k | Top 100k | Top 1M | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Transfers | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Avg. Hit Points | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Avg. Team Value (£m) | 103.6 | 103.1 | 102.3 | 99.3 |
| Avg. Bank (£m) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
Team value continues to separate the high flyers from the chasing pack. Top 10k managers boast an average team value of £103.6m — £4.3m more than the overall average. This financial advantage gives them crucial flexibility when making transfers for the run in
Transfer activity was naturally low, with many managers on Free Hit, but those outside the chip strategy showed greater willingness to take hits, particularly in the top 1M.
Free Hitters made a strong start to Blank Gameweek 34, with several highly owned players delivering big returns.
Just 0.3% of FPL managers own Sá, Aït-Nouri, Sessegnon, & Trippier — who’ve combined for a massive 49 points! 🤯
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) April 27, 2025
Cunha went big, José Sá saved a penalty on his way to a 12-point haul, Trippier bagged two assists for an impressive 15 points, and Sessegnon popped up with a last-minute goal to rescue the managers who backed him — just as it looked like Fulham defensive assets would miss out on clean sheet points after conceding to Southampton.
Will day two of the gameweek widen the gap even further between Free Hitters and non-Free Hitters? Time will tell!
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