Fantasy Premier League, or FPL, is the official fantasy game of the Premier League. You pick a squad of 15 real players within a £100m budget, and they score points based on what they do in real matches. Goals, assists, clean sheets and bonus points add up. Conceded goals, missed penalties and cards take points away.
How scoring works
- Goal: 4 points for a midfielder or forward, 6 for a defender or goalkeeper.
- Assist: 3 points.
- Clean sheet: 4 points for defenders and goalkeepers, 1 for midfielders.
- Bonus: up to 3 extra points for the best players in each match.
- Saves: goalkeepers earn 1 point per 3 saves, plus 5 for a penalty save.
- Cards: yellow is minus 1, red is minus 3.
Each gameweek you pick 11 starters and a captain. Your captain scores double, so the captaincy choice is the single biggest decision you make each week.
Picking your first squad
- Spend on the pitch, not the bench. Your bench players rarely play. Put most of the budget into your starting 11.
- Two cheap goalkeepers. Rotate them based on fixtures. Spending big on a keeper rarely pays off.
- Midfielders are gold. They get 5 points per goal (4 plus a clean sheet point) and the best ones take penalties and set pieces. Premium midfielders are usually the best captain options.
- Check the fixtures. A mid table player with easy fixtures often outscores a star with a brutal run. Look at the next four to six gameweeks, not just the next one.
- Own the template. Early on, most top managers own the same core of players. Going without them is a risk you do not need to take in your first season.
Chips and transfers
You get one free transfer each gameweek, and extra transfers cost 4 points each. You also get chips: a Wildcard (unlimited free transfers), Bench Boost, Triple Captain and Free Hit. Save the Wildcard for when your squad needs a rebuild, often around gameweek 8 to 12 when the early season surprises have settled.
Mistakes every beginner makes
- Chasing last week's points. A player who scored 15 last week is now expensive and popular. Ask whether the performance was repeatable before buying.
- Ignoring price changes. Player prices move with transfers in and out. Waiting a day can cost you 0.1m, which adds up.
- Knee jerk transfers. One bad gameweek is not a reason to sell. Three bad ones might be.
- Forgetting the deadline. Transfers lock at the gameweek deadline, usually 90 minutes before the first kick off. Set a reminder.
Where the Lab helps
The Lab's Fantasy section pulls live FPL data: player form, fixture difficulty, price changes and projections for the coming gameweeks. It flags captain candidates and differentials, so instead of guessing you can see which players the numbers like. Create a free account and link your FPL team ID to get projections for your own squad.