Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is the official free EPL game allowing you to become a manager, building out your dream team of Premier League players to score points based on their performances. This guide will help you get started, build a strong team and use transfers and wildcards to get the most points.
Key Takeaways
- Get your Fantasy Premier League journey off to a good start with a team set up using data to get the most points!
- Master price changes and timing your transfers for maximum gain and squad rotation.
- Use your Wildcards and Chips wisely and keep an eye on fixtures and player performance to boost your FPL!
Getting Started with Fantasy Premier League
Getting started with FPL is easy but does require a few steps. First register on the official FPL website by following a 3 step process. Once registered, explore the FPL interface. It’s got loads of features to help you manage your team.
From player stats and fixtures to transfer options, the interface is your hub for all things FPL. Once you get used to it you’ll be ready to create your team and start playing.
Creating Your Fantasy Team
Once registered you’ll choose a favourite team and follow other teams then create your initial squad. This is where the magic happens! A balanced team with star players and budget options is key to getting the most points.
Split your budget across the different positions to have transfer flexibility as the season goes on. Spend wisely on your starting 11 and use cheaper players on the bench for emergencies.
Use data to get insights into player performance and outcomes to inform your decisions.
FPL Interface
The FPL interface is easy to use and has a team management dashboard and a quick view of player performance. Key features include player stats, fixtures and transfer options. All essential for managing your fantasy team.
Set up two factor authentication during the process. Using these features will help you make informed decisions and stay on top of your FPL.
Understanding FPL Price Changes
Understanding price changes is key in FPL as these can affect your budget and transfer plans. Player prices are affected by many factors but mainly the number of transfers in and out for each player.
Monitoring these price changes will help you make profitable transfers and get the most out of your squad.
Price Change Factors
Player prices go up when net transfers are above a certain threshold (+£0.1) and down when net transfers are below a certain percentage of the player’s ownership (-£0.1). The thresholds for these changes can vary especially for flagged players. Knowing these will help you make informed decisions like buying players who will increase by at least 0.2 in value.
Also flagged players have different thresholds for price drops based on the type of flag. When a player goes from a red flag to no flag they have an 8 day lock. During this period any transfers made don’t count.
This period can affect price change predictions and transfer plans so it’s important to stay up to date with player statuses and flag changes.
Checking FPL Price Changes
Checking price changes daily is key as player values change at midnight GMT. Timing your transfers before these changes will get you the most out of your squad and prevent losses. Tools like FPL Statistics, LiveFPL, Fantasy Football Hub and Fantasy Football Fix will give you insights into price change predictions and transfer trends.
Also checking players who are consistently going up in net transfers will help you find your top transfer targets. Transferring out underperforming players with odd profit margins will get you the most out of your squad.
Using a fixture planner to check the upcoming fixtures will help you make more informed decisions and get the best out of your team.
Transfer Tips for Success
Successful FPL managers know the importance of timing and planning when making transfers. Keeping up to date with Premier League news and player performances will give you informed decisions that will make a big difference to your team. Delaying transfers until the last minute will avoid unnecessary points hits and get you the latest information.
When to Transfer
The best time to transfer is usually Saturday just before the gameweek deadline. This gives you time to check mid-week matches and make decisions based on the latest player updates and press conferences. Waiting until closer to the deadline will avoid unnecessary points hits and injuries.
Checking the upcoming fixtures is key to timing your transfers. By looking at the difficulty of the fixtures you can plan your transfers and choose your captain. This will ensure your transfers are well timed and aligned with your team’s overall objectives.
Top Transfer Targets
When it comes to top transfer targets, checking player performances and transfer trends is key. Players like Salah, Palmer and Saka have been in good form this season and are popular among FPL managers. Looking at both popular player performances and recent transfer trends will help you make better decisions and get the most out of your transfers.
Wildcards and Chips
Wildcards and Chips are powerful tools in the FPL arsenal, you can use them to make strategic moves that will have a big impact on your team. Using them at the right time will give you an edge especially during unexpected injuries or fixture changes and also how you play.
Plan ahead and think about both short and long term.
When to Wildcard in Fantasy Premier League
There are two wildcards available - one from GW1 which expires GW19, then the second becomes available GW20 onwards.
Many FPL managers use their first Wildcard early in the season to get in on the players in form. The best time to Wildcard depends on player form, injuries and upcoming fixtures. Wildcarding before price rises will get you the in demand players early.
Waiting for the optimal opportunity rather than using chips straight away will get you the most out of them.
Getting the most out of Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain
The Triple Captain chip will get you a lot of points if used during a double gameweek when players have two matches. This chip multiplies the captain points by 3 instead of 2, it’s a powerful tool to get the most out of your scoring potential. Patience is key when using chips like Triple Captain, waiting for the optimal moment will get you more benefits.
The Bench Boost chip includes points scored by players on the bench, towards the total score for that Gameweek. Using Bench Boost during Double Gameweeks is common as it allows points from benched players to contribute to the total score.
Use your chips around fixtures and player availability to get the most out of them.
Building a winning team
A solid Gameweek 1 team is key, setting the tone for your whole FPL season. A good team should have 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders and 3 forwards.
Top managers balance the team by having a mix of premium and budget players and overall team dynamics.
Budgeting
Budgeting is key to building a competitive FPL team. Having a £4.5m starting goalkeeper and a £4.0m bench goalkeeper will help you maximise your budget. Top managers allocate around 8.6% to 8.7% of their budget on goalkeepers, they opt for cost effective options that can still get them a lot of points.
The average spend on midfielders is around £40.6M as they score more points due to the FPL scoring system that rewards goals and clean sheets.
Picking the players
When picking players, focus on the player rather than the team they play for, as some cheaper players will get you more value. Researching player form, set piece responsibility and coaching changes will give you an edge in picking the impact players. Picking players who are key to their teams attack, like high scoring midfielders, is vital for consistent points throughout the season.
Top managers also consider players who have had a poor recent run but have good fixtures coming up when making transfers. Low ownership players or ‘differentials’ are targeted by top managers for their unique scoring advantage. Historical data and current trends will help you forecast player performance and make better decisions.
FPL Mini Leagues
Competing in FPL mini leagues adds an extra layer of fun and competition to the Fantasy Premier League. Success in mini leagues is about being consistent throughout the season not just strong starts or finishes.
Consistency is key as both poor starts and weak finishes will hurt your mini league position.
Joining and Creating FPL Mini Leagues
To create a mini league, create a team and use the ‘join mini league’ feature by entering a name and password. To join a mini league you need an existing team and the league’s Pin Code and password which can be obtained from the league creator or by an invitation.
This can be done through the FPL app by entering the code provided by the league creator.
How to win mini leagues
Joining existing leagues gives you a competitive environment to measure yourself against other managers. Creating your own mini league allows you to customise the rules and invite friends to make it more competitive. Using differential players – players not owned by many others – will give you an edge in mini leagues. Monitoring fixtures and player form regularly will help you make timely transfers to give you an edge.
Looking at the teams in your mini league will give you an idea of the strategies and help you with your player picks. Engaging with FPL content creators will give you insights and strategies to stay competitive. Monitoring the fixtures is key; using Fixture Difficulty Ratings will help you pick the best players for the upcoming matches.
Data-Driven Approaches
Data-driven approaches will give you a big edge in FPL. Looking at player trends, current form, upcoming fixtures and historical performance will help you build a better team. Check out our tools directory for all the top tools & apps available to enhance your success, and follow our content creators leaderboard for tips on how to best use this data when deciding on team changes.
Using data to predict player performance
Data is key to predicting player performance in FPL. By looking at transfer data after each gameweek you can see if they were wildcard transfers and adjust your previous predictions. This will help you understand player value fluctuations and make better player picks.
The likes of Fantasy Football Scout and Fantasy Premier Tools are comprehensive tools, leveraging data and AI to help track and predict player performance. Data-driven forecasts will give you better overall team performance.
Looking at transfer patterns and player stats will help you make better decisions to make your squad more competitive. Using historical data and current trends will help you predict player performance, optimise your transfer strategy and be more successful throughout the season.
Machine Learning in FPL
Machine learning algorithms have changed the way FPL managers predict player performances and price changes. These algorithms look at historical data, look at incoming transfer data and predict the carryover of transfers from one gameweek to the next. By giving you detailed analysis of multiple metrics machine learning will give you predictive insights to help you make better decisions in FPL.
Fantasy Football Hub for example uses AI to recommend transfer options based on underlying player stats and pricing etc - a practical application of machine learning in FPL. These advanced tools will help you stay ahead by giving you accurate and timely predictions so your team stays competitive throughout the season.
Premier League News
Keeping up to date with Premier League news is key to making timely and informed decisions in FPL. By tracking player updates, fixtures and matchups you can plan your transfers and captaincy picks and stay competitive throughout the season.
Up to date information is key to navigating the ever changing FPL landscape and being successful.
Injury Reports and Player Updates
Checking reliable sources such as Premier Injuries for injury updates regularly is key to making informed decisions on your player picks in fantasy leagues. Injury updates can affect a player’s availability and performance so you need to monitor them regularly.
The FPL team news article is also updated weekly and collates press conference information to let you know about player injuries and suspensions. Using the team news ticker on the FPL website will help you track player fitness and availability throughout the season.
Fixtures and Matchups
Looking at the fixture schedule can make a big difference in your points. Players generally score more when they play against weaker teams so fixture analysis is key to making transfer decisions.
Use fixture analysis to decide your captaincy picks for maximum points and make sure your team is ready for each gameweek. Tools like the Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) will help you target players with good fixtures and optimise your team.
Conclusion
FPL is a combination of strategy, timely decisions and continuous learning. From understanding price changes and transfer times to using Wildcards and Chips effectively, every aspect is important to building a winning team. Stay up to date with Premier League news and use data driven approaches and you will stay ahead all season. Follow these tips, stay informed and watch your fantasy team fly!
FAQs
What are the main factors that affect FPL price changes?
The main factors that affect FPL price changes are the net transfers in and out for players! More managers buy a player and their price goes up, less and their price drops!
When should I use a Wildcard in FPL?
Best time to use a Wildcard in FPL is early in the season when you can get high performing players and adapt to the form and fitness of your squad! Don’t wait too long, make those transfers!
How do I track FPL price changes?
To track FPL price changes use tools like FPL Statistics and LiveFPL for real time information and price change predictions. Be ahead of the curve and supercharge your team’s value!
What are the top tips for FPL mini leagues?
To win in FPL mini leagues focus on differential players to stand out, keep an eye on fixtures and player form and tap into FPL content creators for new ideas. Consistency is key to staying ahead!
Can data and machine learning help me with FPL?
Yes! Using data and machine learning will supercharge your FPL by giving you insights into player performance and price movements so you can make the right decisions to win! Ready to level up?
