Is Using FPL Wildcard Ahead of GW 3 Worth the Risk?

When we talk about Fantasy Premier League, its chips always take centre stage, as they can literally change the fortunes of FPL managers. The FPL wildcard chip is probably the most important and popular among managers. As the Fantasy Premier League 2025/26 season enters its third gameweek, we discuss whether it is worth utilising the chip this week.

What is the FPL Wildcard Chip?

By using the FPL wildcard chip, the FPL managers can reset the 15-member squad under their available budget, where there are unlimited free transfers available before the selected gameweek deadline, and the selected squad will continue the next gameweek, unless any changes are made in the normal way.

If an FPL manager is unhappy with the squad, where some crucial changes must be required due to poor form or injury issues, the Wildcard chip plays a useful role. Without this chip, the manager may need to lose four points for every excess transfer after completing the available free transfers for a gameweek, or the manager needs to wait until the next gameweek after completing the available free transfers to earn one new free transfer.

What is Special About the FPL 2025/26 Chips? Is There any New Story for the Wildcard Chip?

The 2025/26 season is special for the FPL managers, as each of the four chips is now available twice in a season; the first set of four chips stays available from Gameweek 2 to Gameweek 19 deadline without any chance for carry forward, and the second set of four chips will be available from Gameweek 20 to the last deadline of the season.

However, the Wildcard chip strategy remains almost the same for the FPL managers, as it could be selected previously twice in a season, once till the end of Gameweek 19, and the other would start from Gameweek 20. Since the 2024/25 season, when the free transfers have been raised up to a maximum of 5 rather than the previous maximum of only 2, the Wildcard chip strategy has slightly changed for the FPL managers, but the chip still retains significance.

Are you Struggling With Your FPL Team?

The FPL 2025/26 Gameweek 2 just ended, and we are moving quickly towards the third gameweek. The FPL Gameweek 3 deadline is at 11:00 BST on Saturday, August 30, while the upcoming gameweek will run between August 30 and 31.

The beginning of the new FPL season has been interesting, as some players have shone, including some new signings, but some renowned and widely picked players are struggling early in the season, along with their teams.

Meanwhile, there are some big names who are struggling with significant fitness issues, including Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Ødegaard; Chelsea star Cole Palmer; Newcastle United star Fabian Schär, etc. Also, there are some strong names with doubtful futures for their respective present clubs, including Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson, etc.

Some FPL managers are struggling to generate good points in the early part of the season. As the new season has just started, there are surely not many free transfers available for a manager, as a maximum of two free transfers are possible before the third gameweek. In this case, a manager either loses four points with each additional transfer after completing available free transfers or uses the Wildcard chip. If the problems are for a single or two gameweeks, such as multiple light injuries and/or card issues which can be resolved quickly, the Free Hit chip is best, but this chip can’t help to continue the newly selected team for the next gameweeks.

Is FPL Gameweek 3 a Good Time to Utilise the FPL Wildcard Chip?

As it is very early in the season, it is generally not a good time to utilise any FPL chip. Talking about the FPL Wildcard chip, an FPL manager should consider -4 points, or even -8 points, especially for a confident manager, by using one or two excessive transfers for a gameweek rather than taking a chance on the FPL Wildcard chip early in the season. The FPL is generally very unpredictable, and the early use of the FPL Wildcard chip means there will be no such support till the Gameweek 19 deadline, and 16 gameweeks are too long for any manager.

If it is mainly related to the poor form of multiple top-valued players, an FPL manager should wait for a few more weeks. But if there are significant other issues, like injuries and doubtful futures, and a manager may lose more than -8 points to set the team, especially the proper playing XI, the manager should utilise the Wildcard chip even in the third gameweek.