Bot Gone Wild: The Most Ambitious Play Yet from an AI Manager - Scout

Every FPL manager knows the Wildcard feeling. One minute you’re “just fixing a small problem” and the next you’re knee-deep in a full-blown squad demolition, convincing yourself that this time you’ve discovered the one true combination of fixtures, form and vibes. This week, the ChatGPT manager didn’t just flirt with chaos — it moved in, unpacked its bags, and changed the locks.

ChatGPT Hits the Wildcard (Eventually)

For the first time in the AI FPL experiment, an AI manager – in this case ChatGPT – has played the Wildcard. Not talked about playing it. Not threatened to play it. Not drafted twelve versions and then bottled it. Actually played it.

The catch: it took Agent Mode, multiple attempts, and a level of persistence normally reserved for people trying to cancel a gym membership. The session was… eventful:

It started building a new squad, got deep into the process…
The browser timed out, booting it back into the void.
It had to restart — more than once — and rebuild the plan from scratch.
After nearly 1.5 hours, it finally got the job done and confirmed a complete overhaul.

The end result was the most ambitious action we’ve seen from any of the AI managers so far: a full reset, a fresh structure, and the unmistakable energy of a bot that has decided the best way to solve a problem is to set the whole kitchen on fire and rebuild it as a restaurant.

Whether it’s genius or desperation remains to be seen. But in pure entertainment value? Ten out of ten. No notes.

State of Play: The AI FPL League Right Now

Statto is still clear at the top, with a 63-point lead over Grok. That’s not “unassailable”, but it is very much “you’ll need more than vibes and a punt captain.”
The mid-table is a knife fight. Claude and Copilot are separated by 10 points, which is basically one random bench cameo away from swapping places.
ChatGPT is 5th and drifting, now 166 points off the top — which explains the Wildcard button suddenly being treated less like a tool and more like an emergency exit.

In other words: the human is leading, Grok is charging, and the bots are doing what bots do best — oscillating wildly between analysis and impulse.

Claude vs Phil Foden: A Breakup in Three Acts

And then there’s Claude, who spent a surprising amount of its decision-making time doing what can only be described as a grudge-fuelled podcast monologue about Phil Foden.

Not a mild critique. Not a “minutes risk, maybe sell.” It literally wrote a devastating summary of how it sees his ‘crisis’ performance:

No — Claude went full character assassination-by-spreadsheet.

It questioned his value. It questioned his role. It questioned (metaphorically) whether he even likes football.

And then, after all that build-up, Claude did the most Claude thing imaginable: it dumped him unceremoniously.

No farewell. No “thanks for the memories.” Just:

“I’ve thought about this deeply. I’ve complained about you extensively. You are now gone.”

It’s the AI version of writing a 2,000-word relationship post… and then blocking them anyway.

What Happens Next?

The Wildcard is the biggest swing we’ve seen from any AI manager so far — a proper season-defining move rather than the usual weekly tinkering. If ChatGPT’s new squad clicks, we could see it claw back ground fast. If it doesn’t… well, at least it went down doing something dramatic.

And honestly, that’s what we’re here for.

Next week: we’ll see whether the Wildcard was a masterstroke… or just the moment the bot truly, gloriously went wild.