18 Sep, 2025
Big Man Bakar brings you his take on whether managers should use their Bench Boost chip in GW5 or not? He makes the case for and against.
Few FPL chips divide opinion quite like Bench Boost. Every season, managers wrestle with the timing of when to unleash it, and with new chips in play this year, the debate feels more intense than ever. The added flexibility has encouraged some managers to cash in early, while others remain steadfast in waiting for the “perfect” week. The reality is that timing could determine whether your Bench Boost becomes a season-defining haul or just another wasted opportunity.
Bench Boosting is almost always about fixtures for the cheaper assets, and this week offers a sneaky window of opportunity. Budget options such as Dubravka and Esteve face Nottingham Forest at home, providing a decent platform for clean sheet potential. If you don’t own Marc Guiu, one of the few budget players with limited minutes, that also strengthens the case for using the chip now.
Several enablers like Anderson, Stach, and King also have respectable fixtures and could offer points from your bench. Playing the chip in Gameweek 5 has another advantage: you don’t need to save money or plan for a future double Gameweek that may never arrive. By locking in the Bench Boost early, you free yourself up to focus on other chips such as Triple Captain or Free Hit without the constant clash of strategies.
Looking slightly ahead, Gameweek 8 brings Burnley at home to Leeds, another potentially appealing fixture set. The issue is that it falls straight after an international break, which is always a risky window for injuries and unexpected rotation. If your squad is healthy now, and you only need a single transfer to get to 14 or 15 strong starters, the case for playing the chip in Gameweek 5 becomes even stronger.
Despite the appeal of an early play, history shows that Double Gameweeks have usually delivered the most explosive Bench Boost returns. Cheap assets doubling their minutes across two fixtures can produce hauls that are tough to replicate in a single Gameweek. Patience, therefore, still carries merit. There is the slight possibility of a double Gameweek in GW16.
There is also a new wrinkle this season: with the updated AFCON rule, managers will receive five free transfers during that period. That flexibility could allow careful planning for a Bench Boost closer to the time, giving you the chance to restructure your squad more easily without hits.
Ultimately, it comes down to opportunity cost. If activating the chip in Gameweek 5 requires major surgery to your team, it’s probably better to wait. But if your squad is already healthy, with 14 strong players and minimal tinkering needed, this week represents one of the better low-risk windows to pull the trigger.
Be on the look out for Big Man Bakar’s best differentials every Gameweek!
Make sure to also check out our Premier League predicted lineups every Gameweek so you can nail your FPL lineups ahead of the deadline!
Big Man Bakar is one of the leaders in the FPL space, previously ranking as high as 4th in the world. Bakar has been a regular and valued contributor to Ingenuity Fantasy since our inception, helping managers around the world win their mini-leagues and climb rankings.
