TRISO-wrapped fuel particle failure is a function of local temperature. The spherical symmetry and hence central temperature peak in PBM-type reactor fuel pebbles can lead to considerably higher failure rates at the center of the pebbles. The so-called “wallpaper fuel” concept has been shown to be a viable solution to this issue. In this paper, the neutronic aspects of this modification were studied using MCNP. According to the obtained results, the inclusion of a central fuel-free zone could lead to a more reactive system with lower actinide production while damping the temperature response of the reactor.