Question 1

How Does Fantasy Premier League Work?

Accepted Answer

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is the official fantasy football game for the English Premier League, with over 10 million managers competing each season. You build a squad of 15 real Premier League players within a £100m budget — 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders, and 3 forwards — then pick 11 starters each gameweek. Players earn points based on real match performances: goals, assists, clean sheets, saves, and more. Your squad competes in public global rankings and private mini-leagues against friends. Chips like the Wildcard, Triple Captain, Free Hit, and Bench Boost give you tactical flexibility to react to injuries, blank gameweeks, and double gameweeks throughout the season.

Question 2

How Are Points Calculated in FPL?

Accepted Answer

FPL points are awarded based on how selected players perform in real Premier League matches. Outfield players earn 6 points for a goal and 3 for an assist; goalkeepers and defenders earn 6 points for a clean sheet. Minutes played matter too — 1 point for 1–59 minutes, 2 points for 60 or more. Bonus points (1–3 per match) are awarded to the top three performers in each fixture based on the BPS algorithm, which tracks key passes, tackles, saves, and other in-game actions. Deductions apply for yellow cards (−1), red cards (−3), and goals conceded (−1 per 2 goals for goalkeepers and defenders). Captaining a player doubles all their points for the gameweek.

Question 3

When Should You Use Your Wildcard in FPL?

Accepted Answer

Each manager gets two Wildcards per season — one valid in the first half and one in the second — allowing a complete free squad overhaul. The best time to use one is when your squad has multiple injuries, suspensions, or price falls that leave it uncompetitive for the next run of fixtures. The second Wildcard is most valuable around Gameweeks 25–30, once Double Gameweek fixtures are announced, allowing you to stack players with two matches in one week. Avoid using your Wildcard reactively after a bad gameweek. Always plan at least four to five gameweeks ahead and target players from teams with a favorable upcoming fixture run.

Question 4

How Do FPL Price Changes Work?

Accepted Answer

Player prices in FPL change daily based on net transfer activity. If more managers buy a player than sell him, his price rises by £0.1m; if net transfers are negative, the price falls. The price change algorithm uses the ratio of transfers in to transfers out from the previous day. Players can rise up to £3m above their starting price and fall as far as £3m below it. When you sell a player who has risen in price, you only receive 50% of the profit above your original purchase price — so buying risers early maximises squad value. Tracking imminent price changes is one of the most effective ways to gain a squad-value edge over your rivals.

Question 5

How Do FPL Bonus Points Work?

Accepted Answer

At the end of each Premier League fixture, bonus points (1–3) are awarded to the three players with the highest BPS (Bonus Points System) scores in that match. The BPS algorithm tracks goals, assists, key passes, successful dribbles, clearances, and saves — each action weighted differently by position. The highest BPS scorer earns 3 bonus points, second earns 2, and third earns 1. Ties are broken by the higher BPS total; if still tied, both players receive the same bonus points. Bonus points are provisionally applied mid-gameweek and can change as match statistics are finalised, sometimes causing significant live rank swings in the hours after matches end.

Question 6

What Are xG and xA in Fantasy Premier League?

Accepted Answer

xG (Expected Goals) measures the probability that a shot results in a goal, based on historical data for shot location, angle, body part used, and type of chance. A value of 1.0 means a shot from that position would be expected to score 100% of the time. xA (Expected Assists) measures the quality of the pass that created a shot opportunity, reflecting how likely that delivery was to produce a goal. FPL managers use xG and xA to identify underperformers — players creating high-quality chances but not converting yet — and overperformers likely to regress. A striker with strong xG but few actual goals is typically expected to start scoring soon, making him a strong transfer target before his price rises.

Question 7

How to Choose the Best FPL Captain?

Accepted Answer

Your captain earns double points for the gameweek, making it one of the highest-leverage decisions every week. The ideal captain has a favorable home fixture, strong recent form, high xG and threat stats, and a record of returning consistently against most opponents. Popular template captains (like Salah, Haaland, or Palmer) are the 'safe' choice — when they return, you score with the crowd. Differentials can win weeks but carry risk if they blank. Always check injury news, penalty-taking status, and whether the player is on set pieces. Avoid captaining players in tough away fixtures or where rotation is possible — the downside of a blank from your doubled player is one of the fastest ways to lose ground in your mini-leagues.

Question 8

How to Compare FPL Players Side by Side?

Accepted Answer

Fantastic FPL's Compare Players tool lets you place any two Premier League players side by side across every key FPL metric — total points, goals, assists, clean sheets, bonus points, form, xG, xA, and upcoming fixture difficulty. Navigate to the Compare Players page, search for the two players you want to evaluate, and immediately see a head-to-head breakdown. This is especially useful when deciding between two similarly priced midfielders or weighing a premium option against a differential. The comparison updates live throughout the season as each new gameweek's data is processed, so the numbers you see always reflect the current state of the season.

Question 9

How to Track FPL Price Changes Before They Happen?

Accepted Answer

The Price Changes page tracks real-time transfer activity to predict which players are about to rise or fall in price before the official FPL update is confirmed. You can see each player's net transfer direction, estimated change probability, and projected new price all in one view. Buying a player before his price rises by £0.1m saves squad value and compounds over a full season. Selling before a fall protects your budget for better investments elsewhere. The page refreshes throughout the day as new transfer data comes in — checking it once in the morning and once in the evening keeps you ahead of the majority of managers.

Question 10

How to Check Live FPL Bonus Points Mid-Gameweek?

Accepted Answer

During an active gameweek, bonus points are provisional and change as matches finish. The Live Bonus Points page shows real-time BPS standings for every fixture currently being played, so you can see which players are on track for 1, 2, or 3 bonus points right now. This is critical for understanding your live rank before the gameweek is finalised. A 3-point bonus swing on a captain or differential can move your rank by thousands of places in the final minutes after a match ends. The page also highlights potential rank-changing swings, flagging situations where a rival's captain is picking up or losing bonus points that could affect your mini-league standings.

Question 11

How to Use the FPL AI Assistant for Transfer Advice?

Accepted Answer

The AI Chat feature on Fantastic FPL is powered by a large language model with deep FPL knowledge, current season data, and strategic frameworks built in. You can ask it anything from 'who should I captain this gameweek?' to 'should I take a hit to bring in Salah?' and receive data-driven, context-aware advice. The AI considers upcoming fixtures, recent form, chip timing, and transfer value when answering your questions. It's particularly useful for stress-testing decisions you're unsure about before committing a transfer. Treat it as a second opinion — combine its suggestions with your own knowledge of your squad and mini-league situation for the best results.

Question 12

How to Analyze Your FPL Season Statistics?

Accepted Answer

The Season Stats page provides a comprehensive breakdown of every player's performance across the current season — total FPL points, goals, assists, clean sheets, bonus points, minutes played, and advanced metrics like xG and xA. Filter by position, price range, or team, and sort by any column to quickly identify value picks and spot form trends. It's particularly useful for finding defenders from teams with strong defensive records, or midfielders who consistently earn bonus points. Use it as your main research hub before making transfers, setting your wildcard squad, or deciding on your captain for the week.

Question 13

How to Use Fixture Difficulty Ratings for FPL Transfers?

Accepted Answer

The Fixtures page displays colour-coded Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) for every Premier League team across the next 10+ gameweeks. Green represents an easy fixture, red a tough one — making it simple to spot teams with a favorable run coming up. When planning transfers, target players from teams with three or four consecutive green fixtures ahead. This strategy, known as 'chasing fixtures', is one of the most reliable and consistent ways to accumulate points in FPL. The page also clearly marks Double Gameweeks — the ideal time to deploy your Triple Captain or Bench Boost chip — so you can plan your chip strategy well in advance.

Question 14

How to Track and Compare Favorite FPL Managers?

Accepted Answer

The Favorite Managers page lets you add any FPL manager by their team ID and follow their season in detail — overall rank, gameweek scores, chips used, latest transfers, and captain picks, all updated each gameweek. This is invaluable for keeping tabs on your mini-league rivals: see what they're doing with their chips before they play them and anticipate transfer moves that could affect your head-to-head standings. You can also use it to track top-ranked global managers or well-known FPL analysts, comparing their strategies against your own to learn new approaches throughout the season.

Question 15

How to Add Your FPL Team ID?

Accepted Answer

Your FPL Team ID is the unique number that identifies your squad on the official Fantasy Premier League website. To find it, log in at fantasy.premierleague.com, click 'Points' or 'Pick Team', and look at the URL — it will contain a number in the format /entry/XXXXXXX/. That number is your Team ID. To add it to Fantastic FPL Analytics, open the Settings page and paste your Team ID into the 'FPL Team ID' field. Once saved, the app unlocks personalised features like My Team Stats, which shows detailed analytics for your own squad. Your Team ID is public information — it only allows read access to your FPL data and does not require your FPL password.

FPL FAQ

Fantasy Premier League Basics

Using Fantastic FPL Analytics