The Bench Boost, explained
For one gameweek your four bench players score too. Worth little on an ordinary bench, a lot on a bench that plays twice.
How the Bench Boost works
- 1All fifteen players' points count for the gameweek, not just the starting eleven.
- 2Two per season in 2026/27: one from Gameweek 1 to the Gameweek 19 deadline, one from Gameweek 20 to 38. The first is lost if unused by GW19.
- 3It can be cancelled any time before the deadline, and cannot be combined with another chip that week.
- 4Automatic substitutions do not happen on a Bench Boost week; everyone is already counted.
- 5The captain still scores double; the Bench Boost adds the bench, nothing else.
When to play it
A double gameweek, with a bench that plays twice
The Bench Boost is worth what your four bench players score. In a normal week that is a handful of points, often fewer than a single good transfer. In a double gameweek, with four bench players who each have two matches, it is a different chip: four players, eight matches. Build towards it with the transfers, or a Wildcard, in the weeks before.
Only when all four start
A bench player who does not play multiplies nothing. The line-ups page gives every player's chance of starting; a Bench Boost on a bench with two doubtful starters is half a chip. Check the predicted elevens on the Friday and move the chip if the bench has gaps.
The first half: a good single week rather than nothing
Big doubles usually come after Gameweek 20, so the first Bench Boost rarely gets a double. Rather than lose it at the GW19 deadline, play it in the first-half week where your bench projects best. The chip planner shows that week for your squad.
The mistakes to avoid
- Playing it on a bench of £4.0m players who never start.
- Playing it in a double where only the starting eleven have two matches and the bench has one each.
- Forgetting that auto-subs are off: an injured bench player scores his zero.
- Holding the first one for a double that does not come before Gameweek 19.
Questions
01How many Bench Boosts do you get in FPL?
Two in 2026/27: one from Gameweek 1 to the Gameweek 19 deadline, one from Gameweek 20 to 38. The first is lost if you have not played it by GW19.
02How does the Bench Boost work in FPL?
For one gameweek the points scored by your four bench players are added to your total, so all fifteen count. It is played before the deadline, can be cancelled before it, and cannot be used in the same gameweek as another chip.
03When is the best time to play the Bench Boost?
In a double gameweek, when your bench players each have two matches and are all likely to start. In the first half of the season, where doubles are rare, play it in your best bench week before the Gameweek 19 deadline rather than lose it.
04Do auto-subs still happen on a Bench Boost?
No. Every player's points already count, so there is nothing to substitute. A bench player who does not play scores nothing.