2025/26 is a reconstructive replay (cutoff = first kickoff − 90 minutes, not a live two-hour freeze). 2026/27 pages are an illustrative sample of the live format. What that means

FPL Replay

Do not play this week

Free Hit in FPL Gameweek 2 (2026/27)

Free Hit: Do not play this week. Best projected window: GW29 and GW34. Playing it this week is worth +12.4 projected points immediately, against a historical +22.8 in better windows.

Cutoff 24 Aug 2026, 08:00 UTCIllustrative samplesha256:d41d8cd9…bc8fDownload snapshotSettledIllustrative sample

If played this week
+12.4 xP
Typical good window
+22.8 xP
Cost of playing now
-10.4 xP

Should I play Free Hit this week?

A specialized 1-week Free Hit squad in GW3 projects 80.2 xP (+12.4 xP above the 67.8 baseline plan). However, holding Free Hit to navigate severe Spring Blank Gameweeks (GW29/GW33) retains an expected relative equity of +24.6 xP.

Free Hit serves as risk mitigation insurance against postponement blanks where baseline squads field fewer than 8 players. Expending in GW3 leaves the team vulnerable to -8 or -12 hit cascades.

When to play it

Projected value if Free Hit is used in each window.

GameweekContextDouble GWChip EVNetCall
GW1Initial Setup (redundant with standard initial pick)No0.0+0.0Weaker
GW2 · this weekGW2 Target SquadNo86.4+10.5Hold
GW3GW3 Ideal 1-Week Slate (Palmer, Salah, Haaland, Saka)No80.2+12.4Weaker
GW29Projected Major FA Cup Blank Gameweek (BGW)No68.2+25.1Best window
GW34Split Blank / Double Gameweek ClashYes89.6+23.4Best window

Players the solver prefers under Free Hit

PlayerClubPosFixture£mxP
SalahLIVMIDMUN (A)12.68.10
HaalandMCIFWDWHU (A)15.28.85
PalmerCHEMIDCRY (H)10.67.82

How to verify

Free Hit in FPL Gameweek 2 (2026/27) was written to a JSON snapshot at 31 Aug 2026, 08:00 UTC and hashed with SHA-256 (sha256:7c92b7a2d488e3fa0895c32b567b489ef0c239458e0a29367d5668b02ea6f381). Download the snapshot to inspect the frozen inputs. The freeze rule is described in Methods.

Download the JSON snapshot · Methods