On Friday August 16, when Manchester United host Fulham, the Premier League returns for another season, which means Fantasy Premier League (FPL) planning for more than 10 million players as the ultimate companion to their enjoyment of the league.
A busy summer for many of the domestic top flight’s best players, such as England stars Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, has been disrupting preparations ahead of the FPL Gameweek 1 deadline. Add to this that a fundamental strategy of the game has changed for this campaign, with fantasy managers now permitted to bank up to five free transfers, a significant increase on the two that have been standard in previous seasons.
Here is how you get started playing FPL.
How to select players
Fantasy managers are given a budget of £100 million to spend on a squad of 15 players. Fantasy favourite Erling Haaland, the Manchester City frontman, comes in at £15 million – so selecting him leaves just £85 million for the remaining 14 players in the squad, which must comprise two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards.
There are multiple valid formations permitted in the game, as long as managers field one keeper, at least three defenders, at least two midfielders and at least one forward.
In each gameweek, managers need to select 11 players from their 15-man squad, plus a captain who is awarded double points.
Managers are limited to selecting a maximum of three players per club. All managers will receive one free transfer going into Gameweek 2, and can accumulate an additional one free transfer per gameweek, with the ability to hold up to a maximum of five transfers. Using more transfers than those available incurs a four-point deduction.
How to score points
Players score one point for an appearance, with an additional point for playing 60 minutes or more. Forwards receive four points for a goal, midfielders five, defenders six, and goalkeepers 10 – which is a new addition for this campaign.
Players are also rewarded for their creativity, with three points for an assist. Midfielders earn one point for a clean sheet, with keepers and defenders earning four points, provided they play at least 60 minutes.
Goalkeepers additionally win one point for every three saves and five points for saving a penalty. Defensive players will lose one point for every two goals conceded.
There are other actions to avoid that incur points deductions. Three points are lost for a red card, two points for an own goal or missing a penalty, and one point for every yellow card.
Bonus points are awarded for the three best-performing players in each match, using a bonus point system score. Three points are awarded to the highest player, two to the second best and one to the third.
How do the chips work?
Fantasy managers have six chips to use over the course of the season, with the ability to play one chip per gameweek. Traditionally, these are best saved until the latter stages of the campaign, where we have blank and double gameweeks altering the standard slate of 10 fixtures.
What is a wildcard?
Managers receive two wildcard chips, one for each half of the season, where unlimited changes can be made to your side. This is regarded as the most powerful chip in the game.
What is a free hit?
The free hit chip is similar to the wildcard, allowing unlimited changes for a single gameweek, but then your side reverts to how it was before.
What is a bench boost?
The bench boost chip means that points scored by all 15 players in the squad are counted for that gameweek.
What is a triple captain?
When playing the triple captain chip, your captain points are tripled instead of doubled.
What is the mystery chip?
This season there is also a brand new mystery chip, which will be revealed in January.
Top FPL strategy tips
There are a handful of paid services out there to help you navigate the 24/25 FPL season, such as Fantasy Football Hub, giving managers access to AI and FPL experts to inform decision-making. Some of the tools are free to use — others require a subscription — and are built with proven algorithms that pull on all of the data that Opta has to offer to analyse your teams and suggest transfers. You can also follow fantasy football tipsters on social media and take note of their expert group-think content, giving you the best chance to make educated decisions before each transfer deadline.
Spend big
In general, it is attacking players who have the most potential in FPL and so managers should look to set up in a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation.
The big question for this campaign surrounds the two most expensive players in the game, Haaland (£15 million) and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£12.5 million). Managers are wondering whether to go with just one, both or neither.
Captaincy is a huge element of the game, and given that this pair top the AI points predictions over each of the opening four gameweeks, aiming for at least one is the best preparation for the first weekend.
Stick to proven performers
At the start of the season, following the herd can help you keep pace with other managers. The most-owned players have been picked for a reason and so their inclusion in your squad is well justified.
Differentials and punts rarely pay off, so it is best to pick proven Premier League players. There is often a temptation to be a maverick for ultimate bragging rights but patience is key in FPL.
Keep an eye on budget
Player prices can change throughout the season depending on their popularity, which is worth keeping an eye on once the campaign is under way.
Keeping some money in the bank for your Gameweek 1 squad can provide flexibility in the early weeks of the season, when there is the most volatility.
Penalty-takers stand out
Targeting attacking players who also take penalties is a smart play in FPL, showcased by the success of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£10.5 million) last season, whose nine spot-kick conversions helped him to be the top-performing player in the game.
Key duo Haaland and Salah are on penalties for their clubs, while Arsenal’s Saka (£10 million) and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£8.5 million) are also key considerations here – and they are a little friendlier on the budget.
Out-of-position players add value
Out-of-position players have the potential to be real cheat codes in FPL – think of midfielders playing as strikers and defenders playing in midfield.
Tottenham talisman Heung-min Son (£10 million) spent time last season as the central striker, but remains a midfielder in the game this campaign. Keep a close eye on Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7 million) too, who could play at full-back, wing-back or in midfield.
Be careful, however: out-of-position options can also be a negative. If a forward plays in midfield or a midfielder operates in defence, so be sure to keep an eye on line-ups in pre-season friendlies.
Find the emerging talent
Palmer was the underpriced gem of the 2023-24 FPL season, producing fantastic value from his initial starting price. The key will be finding the breakout star this term.
Chelsea team-mate Christopher Nkunku (£6.5 million) could be the one to watch, as injury hampered his debut campaign for the Blues. Aston Villa winger Morgan Rogers (£5 million) is another player attracting plenty of attention in the FPL community.
Go for set-piece experts
Defenders who take set-pieces are excellent options in FPL, as their ability to acquire goals and assists as well as clean-sheet points can massively increase their ceiling.
Spurs’ Pedro Porro (£5.5 million) managed 11 goal involvements last season and Liverpool full-backs Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson (£6 million) were prolific on set-pieces under previous boss Jurgen Klopp. FPL managers will be hoping this continues with new Anfield chief Arne Slot.
Keep an eye on Ipswich Town’s Leif Davis (£4.5 million), who takes corners, and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Valentin Barco (£4 million), who has been taking corners in pre-season and is expected to start the campaign at left-back. He comes in at the cheapest price point in the game.
Frisk the fixtures
Liverpool have the best matches to start the term, facing the promoted Ipswich in Gameweek 1. They also host Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth at Anfield before the end of September.
Fulham, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa also have relatively kind fixtures for the first six gameweeks, but Wolves and West Ham United face tough starts.
Telegraph Fantasy Football
Did you know that the Telegraph still operates its own fantasy football game? It has been running for more than 30 years and is one of, if not the, original fantasy football competitions.
Unlike the 10 million players of the official Premier League game, you can expect to face upwards of 50,000 opponents in Telegraph Fantasy Football (TFF). This is a more tight-knit community of core like-minded players that enjoy playing a game where you only pick 11 players, but can make transfers up until every kick-off – so you do not have to guess who will be in a starting line-up.
- Here is everything you need to know about Telegraph Fantasy Football, or begin registering below
