FPL Gameweek 34 2025/26: an 8-point hit in a blank
In 2025/26 Gameweek 34 the optimiser captained Bruno Fernandes, used a 3-4-3, and made three transfers (Wieffer to Rice, Chalobah to Virgil, Haaland to Bowen) with one free transfer, taking an 8-point hit. It scored 28 net. The template made no transfers and scored 33. Free Hit and Wildcard were available and not played.
The blank in the squad file
Seven of the 15 squad players had no fixture stored. Groß, João Pedro and Marc Guiu were in the starting XI. Dúbravka, Guéhi, Rodon and Semenyo were on the bench. The other eight had a fixture. Those names and the 7 of 15 count come from gw-34.json. The opponent field holds one fixture only, so this is not a double-gameweek note.
Gameweek 31 is the other blank in the files, and it is a useful contrast. Three of 15 had no fixture (Guéhi in the XI, Gabriel and J.Timber on the bench). Five free transfers were available, three were used, and there was no hit. The optimiser scored 63 net and the template 68. No chip was played that week either.
What was published
The projected objective was 35.6 expected points. Net realised was 28 after the hit. The template scored 33 by making no transfers. Same-state evidence matched the optimiser. Across the whole season this was the only hit week: 39 transfers in total, and the 8-point hit only in Gameweek 34.
What is still missing
A complete chip policy would show the points from zero, one, two and three transfers, the weeks after, and a Free Hit or Wildcard alternative. That comparison is not in the 2025/26 files. The hit is an observed choice. It is not proof it was the right one. No Free Hit score was modelled.
Should I take an 8-point hit in a blank?
Only if the multi-week value beats Free Hit, Wildcard, and rolling. This replay does not publish that comparison. It only shows that the hit happened and chips stayed on the bench.