Everything you wanted to know about Fantasy Premier League, but were afraid to ask
FPL: The Premier League is back, and so is its extremely popular Fantasy Premier League game.
It’s that time of year again when Premier League fans start to obsess about their Premier League Fantasy Football Team.
Fans will be looking through the comings and goings in each of the 20 clubs looking for that one bargain new signing that will be the ‘differential’. That one player from the promoted clubs who plays every game but only costs 4.0.
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has grown exponentially since its inception. For the 2007/08 season there were under 2 million players. By the end of the 2021/22 season that figure had risen to over 9 million.
The fact that it is free to play is a huge factor. All you need to play is an email address. The prizes on offer are tasty too. This season’s overall winner will get a 7-night break in the UK including VIP hospitality at two 2023/24 Premier League matches. A week’s worth of experiences at popular tourist attractions courtesy of Visit Britain. Includes travel and 7 nights’ accommodation.
They will also receive a Hublot connected watch, a copy of FIFA 23, a laptop computer or sim-free smartphone, noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones (in-ear or on-ear), Nike manager jacket, and an FPL goody bag consisting of a rucksack, t-shirt, mug, water bottle, stress ball, pen, pad and key ring.
It is not only the winner that will receive a prize. The runner-up, and those who finish in places 3rd to 5th also receive prizes. There are also regular monthly and weekly prize winners.
Everything you need to know about #FPL, including...
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 13, 2022
👕 Picking a squad
🔢 The many ways points are scored
💰 How players' values change
✨ The Bonus Points System
🍟 Your Chips and how they work
🏆 Creating and entering mini-leagues
Well once you have signed up you will be asked to select your squad. This is made up of two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three attackers.
Much like in real life you will pick your first 11 in whatever formation you choose. The best advice is to fill your bench with four cheap but consistent performers. A player who won’t cost you much money but is always picked for his team.
You will be given a budget of 100 to play around with and every real life player will be given a value commensurate with their anticipated value. Mo Salah, a perennial FPL favourite, is the most expensive player in the game this season at 13.0.
And before you think you will just fill your team with Manchester City and Liverpool players, there is a maximum of three players allowed per club.
Well, goalkeepers earn points for keeping clean sheets, as well as making saves and saving penalties.
Defenders also earn points by keeping clean sheets and can score heavily by scoring goals. Any FPL aficionado will remember the goldmine that was John Lundstram in this regard a few seasons ago.
Midfielders earn points by scoring, keeping clean sheets, and creating assists. While strikers get fewer points for scoring goals but do tend to get a lot of them. They also score points by assisting but not for clean sheets.
Any player who misses a penalty, gets a yellow or red card, or scores an own goal will be docked points.
And every week you select a captain and a vice-captain. Your captain scores double points - so choose wisely.
Okay, We’ll give you one tip for each position but then you’re on your own.
Goalkeeper: Ireland’s Gavin Bazunu has recently moved to Southampton from Manchester City. He is in direct competition with Alex McCarthy for the number 1 jersey. The smart money is on Bazunu and he is very cheap for a potential starter at 4.5.
Defender: Defenders who play in midfield are gold dust in FPL. Like Lundstram above. Arsenal have signed Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City this summer. He played as a left back for City last season but plies his trade as a midfielder for Ukraine. He can be acquired for 5.0. Suggestions are Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sees him as a midfielder. FPL have set him as a defender for the season so he could be good value.
Midfielder: You have the obvious candidates like Salah and Son but they won’t come cheap. A better value player may be Liverpool’s Luis Díaz at 8.0. The Colombian made a brilliant start to his Liverpool career after arriving in January. He carries a goal threat and looked on form in the Community Shield win over Manchester City.
Forward: West Ham United have spent €35million to bring Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca in from Sassuolo. The Italian international scored 16 goals in 35 Serie A games last season. At just 7.0 in FPL he could turn out to be a bargain.
Well, that’s where the can help. You can join our mini-league. We will be giving away monthly prizes for the highest scorer for that month.
And we will have an overall prize for the player with the most points in the Examiner Sport mini league at the end of the season.
The code to join is w3l8h4. Get studying and best of luck!
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