What Is Free Hit in FPL and When Should You Use It?

The Free Hit in FPL is one of the most useful chips for dealing with a difficult Gameweek. It allows you to completely reshape your Fantasy Premier League squad for one round of fixtures without permanently changing your team.

That makes the Free Hit particularly valuable when your normal squad is well set up for the long term but poorly suited to one specific Gameweek.

For the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League season, managers receive two Free Hit chips: one for each half of the campaign. Understanding how the chip works and choosing the right moment to activate it can make a significant difference to your overall rank.

What Is the Free Hit in FPL?

The Free Hit is an FPL chip that allows you to make unlimited free transfers for a single Gameweek.

You can temporarily replace as many players as you want while remaining within the normal FPL squad and budget rules.

The key word is temporarily.

Once that Gameweek is over and the next deadline arrives, your squad automatically returns to the team you had before activating the Free Hit.

For example, imagine you own several players who do not have a fixture in an upcoming Gameweek. Instead of selling those players permanently, you could activate the Free Hit and temporarily build a squad containing players who do have matches.

After the Gameweek, your original squad returns.

How Does the Free Hit Work?

Suppose your normal squad contains 15 players and you activate your Free Hit.

You can then rebuild that squad for the upcoming Gameweek.

You could change your goalkeeper, replace your entire defence, restructure your midfield and select completely different forwards.

These transfers do not result in points deductions.

However, your temporary squad only exists for that Gameweek.

At the next deadline, the Free Hit squad disappears and your previous team is restored.

This makes the chip fundamentally different from the Wildcard.

Free Hit vs Wildcard

The Free Hit and Wildcard can appear similar because both allow managers to make unlimited transfers.

The difference is what happens afterward.

A Wildcard makes permanent changes to your squad.

A Free Hit makes temporary changes that last for only one Gameweek.

If your squad needs major long-term restructuring, a Wildcard may be more appropriate.

If your squad is generally strong but faces one problematic Gameweek, the Free Hit can be the better solution.

Our complete FPL Chips Explained guide covers the differences between Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain in more detail.

How Many Free Hits Do You Get in FPL 2026/27?

Managers receive two Free Hit chips in the 2026/27 season, with one available in each half of the campaign.

The first set of chips must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline. Unused first-half chips do not carry over into the second half of the season.

A refreshed set of chips then becomes available for the second half.

This means you have another Free Hit opportunity later in the campaign.

There are some important restrictions.

The Free Hit cannot be used in Gameweek 1. It also cannot be played in consecutive Gameweeks. Therefore, if you activate your first Free Hit in Gameweek 19, you cannot immediately activate the refreshed Free Hit in Gameweek 20.

When Should You Use the Free Hit FPL?

There is no universal Gameweek that guarantees the best Free Hit return.

Your decision should depend on your squad, the fixture schedule and how many changes you would otherwise need to make.

However, certain situations are particularly suitable for the chip.

Free Hit in a Blank Gameweek

A Blank Gameweek occurs when some Premier League teams do not have a league fixture.

Players from those clubs cannot score FPL points in that Gameweek.

This can create major problems if your squad contains several players from blanking teams.

For example, imagine that only seven or eight members of your normal starting XI have a fixture.

You could use transfers to replace the missing players, but doing so might damage a squad that is otherwise well positioned for future Gameweeks.

This is where the Free Hit becomes extremely powerful.

You can temporarily build a full team specifically for the Blank Gameweek and then automatically return to your original squad afterward.

The Premier League’s official FPL guidance specifically highlights Blank Gameweeks as a situation where the Free Hit can help managers field 11 players with fixtures.

Free Hit in a Double Gameweek

A Double Gameweek occurs when one or more clubs play twice within the same FPL Gameweek.

This creates additional opportunities for points.

Although Bench Boost and Triple Captain are commonly associated with Double Gameweeks, the Free Hit can also be useful.

You could build a temporary squad packed with players who have two fixtures without permanently changing the structure of your normal team.

However, having two matches does not automatically make a player a good selection.

Fixture difficulty, expected minutes, rotation risk and individual form should still influence your decisions.

Free Hit During a Major Fixture Swing

Blank and Double Gameweeks are not the only possible opportunities.

Sometimes a single Gameweek contains an unusually attractive collection of fixtures.

Several strong attacking teams might face weaker opponents while your existing squad has difficult matches.

A Free Hit allows you to attack that opportunity aggressively.

The important question is whether the potential advantage is large enough to justify using a chip that could become more valuable later.

Free Hit in Gameweek 38

The final Gameweek can also provide an interesting Free Hit opportunity.

By Gameweek 38, there is no need to plan for future fixtures.

Managers can therefore build a squad entirely around the final round.

Some clubs may still be fighting for the title, European qualification or survival, while others may have less at stake.

There may also be opportunities to select differentials if you are chasing rivals in your mini-league.

A late Free Hit can therefore become an aggressive final attempt to improve your rank.

Should You Free Hit Just Because Other Managers Are?

Not necessarily.

Chip strategy should depend on your team, not simply on what is popular.

Two FPL managers can enter the same Gameweek with completely different squad structures.

One manager might already have 10 or 11 strong starters for a Blank Gameweek.

Another might have only six.

The second manager potentially gains much more from using a Free Hit.

Before activating the chip, compare your current squad with the team you would realistically select on Free Hit.

If the difference is small, saving the chip may offer greater value later.

How to Build a Good Free Hit Team

A successful Free Hit should be designed specifically for one Gameweek.

Long-term fixtures are largely irrelevant because the temporary players will disappear afterward.

Start by identifying teams with the strongest fixtures.

Then consider players with reliable minutes and strong routes to FPL points.

For attacking players, look at goal involvement, creativity, form and opposition quality.

For defenders and goalkeepers, consider clean-sheet potential alongside attacking threat and save opportunities.

Captaincy should also influence your squad.

If one team has an outstanding fixture, owning multiple attacking players from that club may allow you to maximise the opportunity.

Should You Pick Differentials on Free Hit?

Differentials can be useful, but they should not be selected simply because they have low ownership.

If you are protecting a strong overall rank or mini-league lead, highly owned players with excellent fixtures may still be the sensible choices.

If you are chasing a rival, carefully selected differentials can provide more upside.

Your strategy should therefore reflect your situation.

A Free Hit gives you flexibility, but flexibility should not become unnecessary risk.

Common Free Hit Mistakes

One common mistake is activating the chip too early.

Fixture schedules can change, injuries can occur and team news may significantly alter which players are attractive.

Another mistake is using the Free Hit when your existing team already has a strong starting XI.

The objective is not simply to create a good team. It is to create a temporary team that offers a meaningful improvement over the squad you already own.

Managers should also remember that the Free Hit is not a Wildcard.

Your temporary transfers will not remain after the Gameweek.

Finally, remember that only one FPL chip can be active in a Gameweek, so you cannot combine Free Hit with Bench Boost or Triple Captain.

Can You Cancel a Free Hit?

This is an important detail.

Once the Free Hit has been confirmed when making your transfers, it cannot be cancelled.

That is another reason not to activate it unnecessarily early.

You should ideally have a clear plan before confirming the chip.

Does Your Old Team Return After a Free Hit?

Yes.

This is the defining feature of the Free Hit.

At the next Gameweek deadline, your squad returns to how it was before the unlimited Free Hit transfers were made.

The players you temporarily selected disappear from your squad unless they were already part of your original team.

This allows you to attack one unusual Gameweek without sacrificing your longer-term strategy.

Is Free Hit Worth Using in a Normal Gameweek?

It can be.

You do not have to wait for a Blank or Double Gameweek.

A normal Gameweek could present an exceptional opportunity because of fixture combinations, injuries or problems within your existing squad.

However, the opportunity cost matters.

If you use the chip in an ordinary Gameweek, you will no longer have it available when a potentially more disruptive Blank Gameweek arrives.

The potential improvement should therefore be substantial.

Free Hit Strategy for 2026/27

The two-set chip structure changes how managers should approach Free Hit strategy.

You have one Free Hit for the first half and another for the second half.

Because the first chip cannot be carried forward, you should avoid reaching the Gameweek 19 deadline with it unused unless there genuinely was no worthwhile opportunity.

At the same time, there is no need to force an early Free Hit simply because the chip exists.

Monitor the fixture schedule, assess your squad each week and identify Gameweeks where the difference between your normal XI and an ideal temporary XI is particularly large.

The second-half Free Hit can then be planned around later Blank Gameweeks, Double Gameweeks or other fixture disruptions as the schedule develops.

Final Thoughts

The Free Hit in FPL gives you unlimited free transfers for one Gameweek before automatically restoring your previous squad.

That temporary nature is what makes the chip unique.

It can be especially powerful during Blank Gameweeks, when several players in your normal squad may have no fixture. It can also be used to attack Double Gameweeks, major fixture swings or even the final Gameweek of the season.

For 2026/27, managers have one Free Hit in each half of the campaign, and unused first-half chips do not carry over.

The key is not simply finding a good Gameweek.

The best Free Hit opportunity is usually a Gameweek where the temporary squad you can build is significantly stronger than the team you would otherwise field.

Use that principle to guide your decision, and the Free Hit can become one of the most valuable tactical weapons in your Fantasy Premier League season.