You’re ready to earn some bragging rights with your Fantasy Premier League performance.
However, you need better strategies than wearing the same unwashed jersey on game day and picking out a really cool FPL team name.
Don’t worry, we have you covered.
In this guide, we will give you a rundown of the best fantasy football tactics to make this season your best yet.
Table of Contents
- What is the Fantasy Premier League?
- How Do You Play Fantasy Premier League?
- 5 of the Best Fantasy Football Tactics
- Tip #1: Fantasy Football Premier League Draft Tip — Plan Like a Pro
- Tip #2: Build Your Team With Starting Players
- Tip #3: Purchase Players With Your Budget in Mind
- Tip #4: Know How To Spend Your Cash
- Tip #5 Budget Your Chips
- Tip #6: Time Your Transfers
- Best FPL Strategy Bonus Tip: Avoid Useless Hits
- ZenSports: Take It to The Next Level With Real Online Football Betting
What is the Fantasy Premier League?
You hear about it constantly in the workroom. Your brother who is a football fanatic is embarrassed that you don’t know.
Yet you find yourself asking, what is the Fantasy Premier League?
The Fantasy Premier League offers football fans a way to get in on the action and bet on the performance of their favorite football players.
When players perform well in real life, you earn points in your fantasy premier league. Fantasy Premier League is free to play, and you can win prizes if you become a top contender.
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How Do You Play Fantasy Premier League?
Playing Fantasy Premier League is different from standard online football betting.
To play FPL, you need to curate a team of fifteen players, consisting of:
- Two goalkeepers
- Four defenders
- Five midfielders
- Three forwards
All players must currently be playing in the Premier League. In addition, you can only select up to 3 players from the same football club.
To build your team, you have to “buy” players, using an allotted budget of £100m. The better the player, the more expensive they will be to purchase.
When your selected players perform well in real life, you earn points for your team.
For example, if your striker scores in real life, they will earn you points for your FPL team.
Out of the fifteen players you chose to be part of your team, you’ll need to choose three players to sit the bench each week. These players will not earn you points unless you use a one-time Bench Boost chip.
Now that you have a basic understanding of Fantasy Premier League, you’re ready to talk strategy. For more in-depth information, check out the game rules on the official Premier League website.
5 of the Best Fantasy Football Tactics (UK)
Whether you’re a hardcore Premier League fan or football newbie, it’s hard not to get into FPL.
However, playing Fantasy Premier League successfully requires a lot of strategy. It can also become highly competitive and addictive.
Let’s discuss some of the best fantasy football tactics so you can have ultimate bragging rights in your work break room.
Tip #1: Fantasy Football Premier League Draft Tip — Plan Like a Pro
Like a game of chess, FPL requires a lot of planned moves and strategy.
If you want to be a successful FPL manager, you can’t just pick your favorite players and hope for the best.
Your goal is to accumulate as many points as possible, so focus on picking players that are more likely to score points via:
- Goals
- Assists
- Clean sheets
- Goalkeeper saves
- Etc.
To help you make smarter player picks and transfers, you’ll need to plan ahead. A good FPL strategy doesn’t just happen overnight.
Pay attention to which teams have the best fixtures over a few-months time before choosing players.
This will help you assess how consistent a player performs vs. reacting to just the recent performances. You can easily view which teams have the best and worst fixtures over periods of time by using a fixture ticker.
Tip #2: Build Your Team With Starting Players
One of the best Fantasy Premier League tactics is to fill your team with players that are almost certain to start.
This strategy pays off because:
- A player can win you points for every 60 minutes of gameplay.
- More playing time equals more opportunities for players to perform and earn points for your team.
Players that are sitting on the bench in real life are worthless to your FPL strategy.
Tip #3: Purchase Players With Your Budget in Mind
When it comes to purchasing players, remember that you are spending on a budget.
The better a player performs, the more a player costs. So it makes sense to stack your team full of high-priced players, right?
Wrong.
Spending too much money at the beginning of the season can end up costing you later down the road.
One of the biggest FPL strategy mistakes is to break the bank on premium goalies.
Sure, a high-performing goalie will undoubtedly bring in some points for your team, but that extra expense can take away from other valuable positions.
As a rule of thumb, it’s best to look for shot-stoppers priced around £5m when building out your team.
Tip #4 Budget Your Chips
Sometimes, your FPL strategy is just not going the way you want it to. It happens to everyone.
One saving grace bestowed by the game itself is the use of chips. With a one-time use (except for the wildcard), these chips can act as sort of a “power-up”.
There are 4 different kinds of FPL chips that you can use:
- Wildcard: This chip acts as a reset button. You can completely redo your team from scratch without incurring any penalties. Unlike other chips in the game, you can utilize the wildcard chip twice in a season.
- Triple Captain: This chip will multiply your captain’s performance points by three rather than two for one week only.
- Bench Boost: When you utilize this chip, all of your bench players become active and can earn you points for the week.
- Free Hit: This chip allows you to completely overhaul your team and select new players for one week only. Once the week is over, your team will revert back to your originally selected players.
When to Use a Wildcard Chip
You get one Wildcard during the autumn period and one during the spring period.
In autumn, your Wildcard can come in handy if you just made some poor choices and your team is not performing well.
Most managers will use their autumn Wildcard after 3-5 rounds of less-than-desirable team performance.
When it comes to using your spring Wildcard, you’ll without a doubt want to use it during double-fixture rounds.
When to Use Your Triple Captain Chip
When it comes to utilizing your Triple Captain chip, there are a couple of scenarios that could turn out in your favor:
- During a home match against one of the weakest teams
- During a time where no important Champions League match or international match is played before using your Free Hit chip, in hopes that your captain will have optimal performance
When to Use Your Bench Boost Chip
Utilizing the Bench Boost chip to your best advantage can be difficult, as you can’t necessarily predict when the best time would arise to use it.
Each week, you must determine if it would be your best shot to use this chip. Studying expected goals and clean sheet probabilities may help you determine the best time to pull the trigger.
When to Use Your Free Hit Chip
When you get hit with short-term injuries and/or suspensions, this is the time to pull out your Free Hit.
Keep in mind that this strategy only works for short-term circumstances, since your team will revert back to your old players after a week.
Tip #5: Time Your Transfers
One of the most under-utilized Fantasy Premier League tactics is to make transfers later in the week.
The nagging feeling to “beat the bandwagon” is a common anxiety in FPL. A lot of players feel the need to make their transfers before everyone else.
This risky tactic can sometimes pay off. However, there is value in waiting to pull the trigger on your team transfers.
For example, say Harry Kane from the Spurs has an incredible game week and scores for his team.
Eagerly, you decide to transfer at the beginning of the week so you can add him to your team… and then he promptly sustains an injury that puts him on the bench.
This is one of the many scenarios you can avoid by making a transfer later in the week. By waiting to transfer, you can see if Kane makes a quick recovery, or if you need to choose a different player in his place.
Before you hit that transfer button, be sure to observe and collect as much information as possible so you can make the most informed choice when it comes to choosing players.
Best FPL Strategy Bonus Tip: Avoid Useless Hits
When your team isn’t performing as well as you’d like it to, that transfer button can seem pretty attractive.
Resist the urge to make multiple transfers per week. The penalty hits you incur rarely pay off.
Not only are you losing valuable points, but a player that you transfer can turn around and improve their performance, only adding insult to injury.
Remember, FPL is about strategy. Choose your players wisely and stick to your weekly transfer limit.
If you really find yourself in the hole with poor team performance, this is where you need to consider utilizing your chips.
ZenSports: Take It to The Next Level With Real Online Football Betting
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However, there are very few winners in FPL, and you can’t win any cash prizes.
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