FPL GW38 Free Hit Team: Best Draft & Strategy for Gameweek 38
Gameweek 38 presents one final opportunity for aggressive rank gains, making Free Hit strategy more important than ever.
With rotation, motivation and lineup uncertainty all playing major roles on the final day of the season, building the right Free Hit squad requires balancing upside with security of starts. Targeting players with strong fixtures, penalty duties, set-piece involvement and guaranteed minutes can create a major edge in the final Gameweek.
The draft below is built using expected goals data, clean sheet probabilities, projected minutes and bookmaker odds to identify the strongest combination of ceiling and reliability for FPL GW38.
- Check out RotoWire's updated FPL GW38 rankings and full FPL strategy guide for this week.
- For injury updates on key players, visit our FPL Gameweek 38 Injury News page, updated daily.
- Use our Fixture Difficulty Ranker to compare upcoming FPL fixture runs and plan transfers for the final couple weeks.
- Visit our Predicted Lineups page for GW38, updated throughout the week up to 75 minutes before kickoff.
Best FPL GW38 Free Hit Team (Draft)
Goalkeeper
David Raya remains one of the safest selections in the game. He is the top scoring goalkeeper this season and continues to benefit from playing behind the best defence in the league by some distance. While Arsenal have already secured the title, Crystal Palace may rotate more heavily ahead of Wednesday's Conference League final.
Defenders
Gabriel continues to look like the best defender in the game to own. He combines strong defensive contribution potential with genuine attacking threat from set pieces and remains central to everything Arsenal do defensively.
William Saliba completes the Arsenal defensive triple up. Arsenal have one of the better clean sheet odds on the slate this week and with uncertainty around the minutes of several attacking players, Raya, Gabriel and Saliba feel like the safest Arsenal picks for guaranteed starts. Saliba may not carry the same attacking threat as Gabriel, but his consistency and security of minutes remain huge positives.
Pedro Porro is the final defender in the side. Spurs are among the leading teams for clean sheet probability according to the bookmakers and unlike many teams at this stage of the season, motivation is not an issue for them. Porro remains heavily involved on set pieces and continues to carry attacking upside.
Midfielders
Phil Foden looks like a strong pick this week. Manchester City are expected to rotate and Foden should benefit from that. He will also be highly motivated to impress after a mostly down season and no World Cup call up. The fixture against Aston Villa stands out given Villa's recent celebrations after winning the Europa League and the sense that they may not approach this game with full intensity.
Dominik Szoboszlai is one of the more reliable and steady picks in midfield. He continues to tick along with returns, is secure for 90 minutes, and remains heavily involved on set pieces. There is also the possibility of penalty duties whenever Mohamed Salah is not on the field.
Bruno Fernandes remains one of the safest picks in the game. His consistency under Michael Carrick has been remarkable and he continues to deliver through multiple routes to points. He's also one assist away from the outright Premier League assist title.
Rayan Cherki is more of a calculated gamble. He has recently lost his place, but Manchester City's expected rotation could push him back into the starting XI.
Pascal Gross is probably the safest Brighton attacker to own. His security of minutes is a huge plus and he offers multiple routes to points through set pieces, creativity and possible penalty involvement when Danny Welbeck and James Milner are not on the field.
Forwards
Best GW38 Captain
Erling Haaland is the standout captain this week. Manchester City at home to Aston Villa is one of the headline fixtures of the Gameweek and Haaland comfortably leads the bookmakers' odds for anytime goals or assists.
Jarrod Bowen completes the side. He is one of the few players this week who ticks every single box. He has motivation, secure minutes, penalties, set pieces and remains the clear talisman of the West Ham attack.
Final Thoughts for GW38 Free Hit
The key to a successful GW38 Free Hit is maximizing upside without sacrificing security of starts.
On the final day of the season, motivation and rotation can vary dramatically across the league, making reliable minutes one of the most important factors in squad construction. Prioritizing players with penalties, set pieces and multiple routes to points can provide a significant edge, especially for managers chasing rank late in the season.
As always, monitor injury news and predicted lineups before the deadline, as late rotation news can quickly change the strongest Free Hit setup for Gameweek 38.
