The final weeks of the 2025/2026 EPL Season are notoriously chaotic, and Fantasy Premier League managers are currently standing in the eye of a scheduling storm.
With the FA Cup semifinals shifting the landscape of the remaining fixtures, the temptation to jump on early transfers for Gameweek 35 is at an all-time high.
However, unless you are planning to trigger your Wildcard chip, exercising extreme patience is the only logical move.
The schedule is currently in a state of flux, and a single announcement
from the Premier League office could render your early trades obsolete before the deadline even arrives.
The FA Cup Factor and Rescheduling Chaos
The primary reason for this uncertainty stems from the recent FA Cup semifinals. Because Manchester City and Chelsea progressed, their schedules are now a jigsaw puzzle for the league organizers.
Specifically, the Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace fixture from GW-31 remains unplaced, and two additional fixtures involving City and Chelsea now need new dates because they clash with the FA Cup Final during GW-37.
This ripple effect creates two distinct possibilities for how the final three weeks of the season will look for FPL assets.
Option 1: The Most Likely Scenario
In the first and most probable scenario, the Premier League will consolidate the major shifts into the penultimate week of the season.
Under this structure, Gameweek 37 would become a massive Double Gameweek for Manchester City and Crystal Palace.
For the rest of the league, including popular assets from Bournemouth and Chelsea, the schedule would remain a standard single-fixture week. This is the “cleanest” outcome for the league and would allow managers to focus their final chips on a blockbuster GW-37.
Option 2: The 25% “Chaos” Curveball
However, there is roughly a 25% possibility that the league opts for a split rescheduling. In this secondary scenario, Bournemouth could receive a surprise Double Gameweek in GW-36 alongside Manchester City.
This would then lead to a Double Gameweek for Crystal Palace in GW-37, but would result in a “Blank” Gameweek for Bournemouth and a standard single fixture for City in the final weeks.
If this happens, bringing in Bournemouth players for GW-35 would be a tactical masterstroke, whereas under Option 1, it might be a wasted transfer.
With the official EPL announcement expected within the next 48 to 72 hours, there is zero competitive advantage to making moves today.
A premature transfer could leave you stuck with players who have fewer fixtures than expected or, worse, players who don’t play at all during a critical stretch.
Keep your finger off the “confirm” button until the path to the finish line is clearly paved by the official schedule makers.
If the league confirms Option 2 and gives Bournemouth a Double Gameweek in 36 followed by a Blank, would you still prioritize Manchester City assets, or would the scheduling shift force you to play your Free Hit chip?
