Double Gameweeks in FPL: Complete Guide to DGW Strategy

TL;DR — A Double Gameweek (DGW) gives certain teams two fixtures in one gameweek instead of one. This roughly doubles the points ceiling for their players, making DGWs the most important weeks of the FPL season for chip deployment and transfer planning. Save your Bench Boost and Triple Captain for the biggest DGWs. Track your DGW live →

What Is a Double Gameweek?

A Double Gameweek happens when a team plays two Premier League matches in a single FPL gameweek. This occurs when previously postponed fixtures (usually due to FA Cup or European competition scheduling) are rescheduled into an existing gameweek.

Why DGWs matter for FPL:

Players get two chances to score points instead of one
Clean sheet opportunities double for defenders and goalkeepers
Bonus points are awarded separately in each match
Captain points are applied to the combined total of both fixtures

A midfielder who scores in both DGW matches could easily return 15-20 points — with the captain's armband, that's 30-40 points from a single player in one gameweek.

When Do Double Gameweeks Happen?

DGWs typically cluster in the second half of the season:

Period	Why	Typical Scale
GW24-28	Early FA Cup rescheduling	Small (2-4 teams doubled)
GW29-33	FA Cup quarter/semi-final rescheduling	Medium (4-8 teams doubled)
GW34-37	Main DGW window — bulk of rescheduled fixtures	Large (8-12 teams doubled)

The biggest DGW of the season (usually GW34-37) is where most managers deploy their Bench Boost or Triple Captain. FPL typically confirms DGW fixtures 2-3 weeks in advance, but you can predict them earlier by tracking which teams are still in the FA Cup.

How to Spot a Good DGW vs a Bad DGW

Not all doubles are equal. A player with two home games against leaky defences is far more valuable than one with two away trips to top-six sides.

Evaluate DGW players on:

Fixture quality — Check the opponent's xG conceded (xGC). Teams shipping lots of expected goals are the ones you want to target
Home vs away — Home advantage matters. Two home fixtures is the dream scenario for any DGW pick
Minutes security — A player who might get rotated in one of the two games is a risk. Check their minutes in recent weeks — have they played every game, or does their manager rotate?
Form — Strong underlying stats (xG, xA, shots in the box) combined with two fixtures is the sweet spot

Common DGW traps:

Buying any player just because they have two games, regardless of fixture quality
Picking rotation risks from teams with midweek European commitments
Ignoring that a player's club might rest them for a bigger game in the other fixture

DGW Transfer Strategy

The best managers don't scramble when a DGW is announced — they plan weeks ahead.

Planning Ahead

Once you know which teams have postponed fixtures, you can predict future DGWs. Start bringing in players from those teams 2-3 gameweeks early to:

Beat price rises as other managers pile in
Benefit from those players' regular fixtures too, not just the double
Avoid taking multiple hits in the DGW week itself

When Hits Are Worth It

A -4 hit for a DGW player is justified when:

The incoming player has two strong fixtures and you're confident they'll start both
They're a genuine captaincy candidate (doubled captain points offset the -4 easily)
The player you're selling has a blank or poor fixture

A -4 for a DGW captain candidate with two home games is almost always worth it. A -4 for a bench player with two tough away fixtures is almost never worth it.

Dead-Ending Your Squad

"Dead-ending" means making short-term transfers without worrying about long-term squad structure, because you plan to use a Wildcard soon after. This is powerful around DGWs:

Wildcard in GW33 to build the perfect 15-man DGW squad
Bench Boost in GW34 for maximum DGW points
Don't worry that some of those picks have terrible fixtures from GW35 onwards — the Wildcard already did its job

Chip Strategy for Double Gameweeks

DGWs are the optimal time to deploy your most powerful chips. For the complete chip-by-chip breakdown, see our FPL Chip Strategy guide. Here's the DGW-specific summary:

Bench Boost

Best for: The biggest DGW of the season (most teams doubled).

The ideal Bench Boost setup:

All 15 players have double fixtures
Every bench player is a nailed-on starter for their club
Set up via Wildcard 1-2 weeks before

A well-executed DGW Bench Boost typically adds 15-25 extra points from your bench. That's the equivalent of an extra goal and assist from your starting XI.

Triple Captain

Best for: A DGW with a standout premium captain.

The ideal Triple Captain scenario:

Premium player (Haaland, Salah) with two favourable fixtures
Ideally two home games or at least two beatable opponents
Zero rotation risk — must be nailed for both matches
Check bonus point history — bonus gets tripled too

The TC gain equals your captain's base score. On a big DGW haul of 15 points, that's +15 extra. On a blank, it's a disappointing +2.

Free Hit

Best for: The Blank Gameweek that often accompanies a DGW.

DGWs are usually paired with Blank Gameweeks (BGWs) where some teams don't play. If your squad is set up for the DGW but has 4+ players blanking in the BGW, use your Free Hit for the blank and keep your DGW squad intact.

For a deep dive on Free Hit strategy, see our Free Hit guide.

Wildcard

Best for: 2-3 weeks before the biggest DGW to rebuild your entire squad.

Use Wildcard 2 to build a 15-man squad optimised for the DGW where you'll play Bench Boost. This WC → BB combo is the most powerful chip sequence in FPL.

The Power of DGW Defenders

While everyone argues over which forward to captain, defenders are quietly the best DGW value. Historically, goalkeepers and defenders account for about 43.5% of all available points during DGWs, compared to 40.4% in regular gameweeks.

Why defenders shine in DGWs:

Two chances at a clean sheet (4 pts each = potential 8 pts from clean sheets alone)
Two games of defensive actions (clearances, blocks, interceptions) driving bonus points
Playing 180 minutes guarantees 4 appearance points minimum
Budget-friendly — a £4.5m defender with two clean sheets (12 pts) outscores most £8.0m midfielders

What to look for:

Centre-backs from teams with low xGC — they're clean sheet candidates and BPS magnets from defensive actions
Attacking full-backs on set pieces — they offer goal/assist upside on top of clean sheets
Check defensive contributions live during DGW matches to spot which defenders are accumulating BPS

Tracking Your DGW Live

A DGW stretches across multiple match days. Tracking your progress live is essential for understanding how your decisions are playing out.

Effective Ownership (EO)

During a DGW, EO is the most important live metric. A player captained by 40% of the top 10k has an EO of roughly 120-140%. When they score:

If you own and captain them → you gain nothing on the field (everyone benefits equally)
If you own but don't captain → you lose ground slightly
If you don't own them → your rank drops significantly

Understanding EO helps you interpret rank movements. A red arrow doesn't always mean bad decisions — sometimes it just means the most popular captain hauled and you had them as a regular pick instead.

Live Bonus Points

In DGWs, bonus points are awarded separately for each match. A player could earn 3 bonus in their first game and 2 in their second — that's 5 extra points (10 if they're your captain, 15 if Triple Captain).

Track live BPS for every DGW match on the bonus points page. A player leading the BPS race in both fixtures is having a monster DGW even before final bonus is confirmed.

Bench Order

Set your bench order with DGWs in mind. If a starting XI player is a surprise absence for their first fixture, you want the auto-sub to be a DGW player who still has two games remaining — not a single-gameweek player who's already played.

Balancing DGWs and Blank Gameweeks

DGWs and BGWs are two sides of the same coin. The fixtures that create doubles also create blanks. While planning your DGW squad, always check the surrounding gameweeks:

Keep 2-3 players from teams that play in the adjacent BGW
Use the Free Hit for the BGW if your DGW squad leaves you with too few players
Don't take excessive hits just to field a full XI in the BGW — the DGW is where the bigger points swing happens

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Double Gameweeks are there per season?

It varies, but typically 3-6 DGWs per season, with the number of teams doubled ranging from 2 to 12 per DGW. The biggest DGW (usually GW34-37) typically has 8-12 teams playing twice. FPL confirms DGW schedules 2-3 weeks in advance.

Should I take a points hit to bring in DGW players?

It depends on the quality of the double. A -4 for a nailed captain candidate with two favourable home fixtures is almost always worth it. A -4 for a bench player with two tough away games is not. The breakeven calculation: your new player needs to outscore the player you're selling by at least 5 points to justify a -4.

Is it better to Bench Boost or Triple Captain during a DGW?

Use Bench Boost on the biggest DGW where you can have all 15 players doubled. Use Triple Captain on a DGW with a standout premium captain. If your bench is strong (all starters with doubles), BB is safer. If one captain pick is clearly elite, TC has higher upside. See our chip strategy guide for the full breakdown.

Can a player get bonus points in both DGW matches?

Yes. Bonus points are calculated independently for each match. A player can earn 3 bonus in their first game and 3 in their second — that's 6 bonus points in a single gameweek. This is why DGW bonus tracking via LiveFPL is so valuable.

What's a Blank Gameweek and how does it relate to DGWs?

A Blank Gameweek (BGW) is when some teams don't have a fixture — their match was postponed and will be rescheduled as a DGW later. BGWs and DGWs are directly linked: the fixtures that go blank eventually come back as doubles. Plan for both simultaneously.

How early should I start planning for a DGW?

Start 3-4 weeks before the expected DGW. Track which teams are still in the FA Cup (their league fixtures get postponed), monitor FPL's official fixture announcements, and begin bringing in key DGW players 2-3 weeks early to beat price rises.

Track every DGW match live — See your live rank, bonus points & mini-league standings → or plan your chips with our chip strategy guide.