It’s one of the hottest contested, and hardest to navigate, fantasy sports leagues in the world. But the thrills and spills make it irresistible fun.
The EPL season is here again and that means Fantasy Premier League returns to focus in a big way as well.
So here is your induction; tips and tricks. Here is our Fantasy Premier League crash course, ahead of the 2023-24 season.
CHECK OUT ALL OUR FOOTBALL NEWS
How to play Fantasy Premier League
Fantasy Premier League takes a minute to learn, but years to master.
Participants can either create a league or join a private league that pits them against their friends for Fantasy Premier League glory.
Leagues range from classic mode – which works like the real Premier League and ranks players based on their week-to-week points total – and head-to-head, which pits players against a different member of their league each week.
There are no limits on the number of teams which can compete in a private league, and each individual player is able to compete in as many as 25 leagues.
Alternatively, participants can also enter public leagues, which randomly assign them against 19 other randomly assigned teams. Players can compete in up to five public leagues.
How to create a ‘league’ in Fantasy Premier League
On the Fantasy Premier League page, players must click on the ‘leagues & cup’ tab, which gives them the option to create or join a new league. From here, players can opt to join either a classic or head-to-head public league or join a private league by inputting the league’s unique league code.
Additionally, players can create either a classic or head-to-head league by choosing a league name (maximum 30 characters) and clicking the create button.
How does scoring work?
Fantasy Premier League scoring is as follows.
POINTS:
1pt – Any player who plays up to 60 minutes
2pts – Any player who plays 60+ minutes (excluding stoppage time)
6pts – Goalkeeper or defender scores
5pts – Midfielder scores
4pts – Forward scores
3pts – Any position gets an assist
4pts – Goalkeeper or defender gets a clean sheet
1pt – Midfielder gets a clean sheet
1pt – Goalkeeper makes three or more saves
5pts – Goalkeeper saves a penalty
NEGATIVE POINTS:
-2pts – Any player misses a penalty
-1pt – For every two goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender
-1pt – Any player gets a yellow card
-2pts – A player scores an own goal
-3pts – A player receives a red card
BONUS POINTS:
3pts – For the player voted the game’s MOTM
2pts – For the player voted as the game’s second best player
1pt – For the third-best player in the game
Fantasy Premier League price changing
Contrary to popular belief, players’ prices don’t change based on their on-field performance. According to the FPL website:
‘Players prices may change when they are heavily transferred in or out by FPL managers. A player’s price can rise by £0.1m per day if they are a popular transfer in. However, if a player is heavily sold by FPL managers, their price can drop by £0.1m per day.’
When does Fantasy Premier League start?
Players are able to create their team for the FPL 23/24 season already with the season set to kick off on Saturday August 12 @ 5am (AEDT) when Burnley host Manchester City for the first game of the Premier League season.
Tips for picking a Fantasy Premier League team
Much like the actual sport of football, the goal in Fantasy Premier League is to pick the strongest squad. Balance as critical for players of FPL. Invest to heavily in your attacking players and you open yourself up to possessing a soft, leaky defence. Vice versa, spend too much money on your defence and you leave yourself without both goals and crucial points.
At the beginning of each season, each player is given the option of selecting 15 players – two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three attackers. To make these selections, FPL players are given a budget of £100.0. while prices range from as little as £4.0 right through to £14.0. The weekly deadline for final team selection is typically 90 minutes before kick-off of the first game of the week.
How to change formation
The process of changing your Fantasy Premier League formation is quite simple. At the beginning of the season, once you’ve selected your FPL team, the game automatically spits your team into a default formation – usually a 4-4-2. From there, practically no formation is off limits.
According to the Premier League website, so long as your side has one goalkeeper, three defenders, and one attacker on the pitch, that formation is valid. Altering your Fantasy Premier League formation to comply with these guidelines is simple. For example, if your team was automatically spat into a 4-4-2 formation and you wanted it to change to a 3-5-2, you would switch one of your starting defenders for the midfielder on your bench.
What’s a wildcard and when should you play it?
A wildcard allows FPL players to make unlimited transfers throughout a gameweek, without copping any points reduction. Players get two wildcards per season, with many often opting to use one at the end of the January transfer window. Once confirmed, a wildcard cannot be reversed under any circumstances.
What’s a free hit
FPL players are allowed one free hit per season, which allows them to make an unlimited number of transfers for a single week. Unlike a wildcard, these transfers aren’t permanent and your squad is restored to how it was prior to the free hit.
Most players opt to use their wildcard when there is a Fantasy Premier League double gameweek in order to stack their squad with players benefitting from the double match week.
