The Big Picture

The final stretch of the season is upon us. Gameweeks are blurring together, European fixtures are wrecking domestic rotations, and millions of Fantasy Premier League managers are staring at their unused chips with a mix of hope and sheer terror. As Alistair Bruce-Ball, Chris Sutton and Statman Dave discussed recently on the BBC FPL Podcast, chip strategy makes or breaks a season. Hitting the button at the right time takes calculation, luck, and a strong stomach.

But history shows chips rarely go exactly to plan. Over the years, we have seen masterstrokes that won mini-leagues and disasters that caused managers to delete their accounts. We are ranking the top 10 moments in FPL chip history, arguing why some blunders hurt more than others and why certain hauls remain unmatched. These are the instances where the Free Hit, Bench Boost, or Triple Captain chip created absolute chaos.

10. The DGW34 Bench Boost Mirage (2023)

Setting up a Bench Boost takes weeks of meticulous transfers. In the 2022/23 season, Double Gameweek 34 was the consensus target. Millions of managers dragged four playing substitutes into their squads, taking unnecessary point hits to finalize their rosters. The reality was a spectacular letdown on the pitch. Highly touted assets from Brighton and Manchester United blanked or were rotated into oblivion. The average Bench Boost yielded a pathetic handful of points, ruining weeks of preparation. It proved that forcing a chip play based on underlying stats often ignores late-season fatigue. It ranks lowest here because it was a slow-motion car crash rather than a singular dramatic event.

9. Sergio Aguero's Newcastle Annihilation (2015)

When the Triple Captain chip was introduced in the 2015/16 season, managers were unsure how to optimize its usage. Then Sergio Aguero hosted Newcastle in October. The Argentine striker obliterated the Magpies, scoring five goals in a 20-minute span before Manuel Pellegrini subbed him off in the 66th minute. A few brave souls who activated the chip on him walked away with a staggering 75 points from one player. It defined the ceiling of the Triple Captain chip for years to come. It sits at number nine purely because the chip was in its infancy, and most managers missed the boat.

8. The COVID-19 Postponement Chaos (2020)

Nothing tests a Free Hit chip quite like an unpredictable act of God. During the chaotic December fixtures of the 2020/21 season, a wave of late Covid postponements ruined millions of carefully laid plans. Managers activated their Free Hit chips on Friday night, only to wake up on Saturday to find three matches suddenly called off. Entire starting elevens were decimated an hour before the transfer deadline. FPL servers crashed under the weight of panicked transfers. It was a miserable disaster that stripped the skill entirely out of the game. It earns a spot simply for the sheer scale of panic induced.

7. Alexis Sanchez's DGW37 Carry Job (2017)

Late-season Double Gameweeks are the traditional hunting ground for the Triple Captain chip. In May 2017, Arsenal were chasing a top-four finish, and Alexis Sanchez put the team squarely on his back. Facing Stoke City and Sunderland, Sanchez delivered three goals and an assist across the two fixtures. The Chilean winger racked up 27 points, rewarding those who trusted him with an 81-point Triple Captain haul. It was a textbook execution of chip strategy under pressure. You find an elite player with maximum motivation, two favorable fixtures, and trust the math to deliver. It ranks above Aguero due to the high-stakes timing.

6. The Blank Gameweek 29 Trap (2024)

Last season's Blank Gameweek 29 was billed as the ultimate Free Hit week by content creators everywhere. With only four fixtures taking place due to FA Cup clashes, non-Free Hitters struggled to field six active players. Millions pulled the trigger to build a full squad of eleven. The result was a historically low-scoring weekend where the most popular premium assets did absolutely nothing. Aston Villa and Tottenham attackers blanked, and Luton Town failed to deliver expected attacking returns. Managers who saved their chip and fielded five players outscored the Free Hitters by a wide margin. It was a brutal reminder that a full squad of average players is still just average.

5. John Lundstram's Bench Stinker (2019)

While not technically a chip activation, this moment defines the agony of the Bench Boost omission. Sheffield United's John Lundstram was the budget hero of the 2019/20 season, misclassified as a defender while playing in midfield. In Gameweek 11, millions inexplicably benched him for a home fixture against Burnley. Lundstram scored twice and kept a clean sheet, racking up 21 points. Managers who saved their Bench Boost chip were left staring at a historic haul marooned uselessly on their sidelines. The collective groan across the FPL community was deafening. This earns a high spot because it proved overthinking your starting eleven is the quickest path to ruin.

4. Harry Kane's DGW37 Masterclass (2017)

Tottenham's end to the 2016/17 season was a relentless attacking display, and Harry Kane was the undisputed focal point. In Double Gameweek 37, Spurs faced Leicester City and Hull City away from home. Kane scored four goals against Leicester and followed it up with a ruthless hat-trick against Hull. He accumulated a ridiculous 31 points over the two matches. If you played your Triple Captain chip on Kane, you netted 93 points from a single roster slot. It remains one of the most devastating individual performances in FPL history. It completely warped mini-league standings and heavily rewarded those who held their nerve.

3. Sadio Mane's DGW24 Hamstring Snap (2020)

This is where the list shifts dramatically from triumph to pure trauma. In the 2019/20 season, Liverpool had a glorious Double Gameweek 24 against Wolves and West Ham. The community was split evenly between Triple Captaining Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane. The Mane backers felt incredibly confident heading into the first fixture. That confidence lasted exactly 33 minutes against Wolves before Mane pulled up holding his hamstring. He was substituted off, scoring a single point, and missed the second game entirely. The Salah backers watched their man return 16 points. It was a cruel variance that effectively ended seasons in January, earning a top-three spot for sheer heartbreak.

2. Emmanuel Dennis' DGW23 Red Card (2022)

Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis was having a breakout season in 2021/22, becoming an unexpected budget darling. When Watford were handed a Double Gameweek against Norwich and Burnley, over a million managers brought him in, and hundreds of thousands slapped the Triple Captain armband on him. What followed was a masterclass in FPL misery. Dennis started against Norwich, blanked, and was then sent off in the 71st minute for a second yellow card. He finished with minus one point. Because of the suspension, he missed the second fixture entirely, resulting in a Triple Captain score of minus three. It was a catastrophic failure that harshly punished managers for chasing form in a relegation-battling team.

1. Mohamed Salah's DGW26 Destruction (2022)

This is the undisputed king of FPL chip moments. In Gameweek 26 of the 2021/22 season, Liverpool faced Norwich and Leeds at Anfield. It was the most obvious Triple Captain opportunity in the history of the game. Over a million managers activated the chip on Mohamed Salah, creating massive rank pressure. The Egyptian delivered a performance of ruthless efficiency. He scored against Norwich, then dismantled Leeds with two goals and an assist. He finished the double with 28 points, rewarding his backers with an 84-point explosion. It was the rare moment where the highly-owned consensus pick actually delivered on maximum expectations. It completely validated the strategy of holding the chip for the perfect storm, cementing its place at number one.

Honorable Mentions

Bruno Fernandes delivering massive returns in DGW 24 of the 2020/21 season deserves a nod. The 2021/22 season also saw Kevin De Bruyne bag a four-goal haul against Wolves in DGW 36, destroying those who bet against Manchester City. Finally, any manager who accidentally activated their Wildcard instead of a Free Hit on a Friday night after three pints knows true pain.