Fantasy Premier League 20/21 Tips
To the relief of football fans everywhere, the Premier League is back – and so is Fantasy Premier League.
Struggle to make any kind of impression in your fantasy league last season?
Don’t worry just yet.
With the new season approaching, there’s plenty of time to reshuffle the pack before the first deadline to help you close the gap on your nearest rivals.
Here are our top tips to help you charge into contention….
How should I pick my captain each week?
In the world of Fantasy Premier League, your captain’s pick can be the making of you, with your skipper stacking up double points each week. One outright FPL champion accrued a remarkable 24 per cent of points from his captain’s choices alone in recent seasons. It therefore pays to think about your pick very carefully.
Aside from the usual suspects (Salah, Kane, Agüero, Sterling), if you’re out for a differential, look for when ‘flat-track bullies’ can excel on the fixture list. Seek out those players who ruthlessly prey on weaker opposition, even if they occasionally go missing in more high-profile games.
When should I play my triple captain?
Watch out for those double gameweeks – but avoid triggering your triple captain chip too late in the day.
Logic suggests the games will begin to stack up for the high point-scoring players by the final few weeks of the season, and that could prove costly.
Don’t be surprised if real-life managers suddenly become your own worse enemy as they rest key players.
That could leave your inspired triple-captain strategy lying in tatters if your main man starts from the bench.
In some seasons, it’s taken until Gameweek 25 for the first double gameweek. When it finally arrives, it’s best to make the most of it, as the longer you wait, the higher the risk of your captain being a gameweek no-show.
When should I play my Fantasy Premier League wildcard?
Provided you don’t opt for the ‘rip it up, start again’ strategy after the opening few weeks of the season, there is no ‘optimum’ time to play your wildcard.
However, being bold and going early could work in your favour. Bigger clubs have free reign to play their strongest squads at the start of the season, without any major cup or European distractions currently on their radar.
Remember, the fixtures will start to pile up by midwinter.
That that could ruin your best laid-plans if your wildcard replacements are constantly being chopped and changed as managers guard against fatigue and injury.
Alternatively, the opening few weeks of the season can be misleading when it comes to judging long-term value.
Early-season form players can easily go off the boil by mid-autumn.
Many a fantasy football manager has boxed themselves in once their 6.0m summer ‘bargain buy’ starts stinking the place out in November.
For that reason, if you opt to play the long game, wait until the late autumn to make wholesale changes once form starts to level out and injuries hit hard.
Before you commit, it’s also worth scanning the fixture list to spot potential red flags.
Do the bulk of your re-tooled squad have more games away from home?
Do you have too many players from one team playing only teams in the top half of the table?
Take that moment to pause before you press to confirm your wildcard.
It could be the best tactical decision you make all season.
Remember you only have two wildcards to use per season – one before and one after Christmas.
Make sure you use them wisely.
