I've played Fantasy Premier League every year since 2013/14, and this will be my 14th season. These are the most important things I've learned along the way.
My record
A bit of background before we start — 7 seasons finishing in the world's top 1% since 13/14:
| Season | Points | Overall rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 2,523 | 78,712 | 0.7% |
| 2022/23 | 2,509 | 145,909 | 1% |
| 2021/22 | 2,514 | 87,683 | 1.0% |
| 2019/20 | 2,362 | 9,264 | 0.1% |
| 2017/18 | 2,231 | 71,515 | 1% |
| 2015/16 | 2,208 | 35,106 | 0.9% |
| 2014/15 | 2,147 | 24,784 | 0.7% |
1. Play the fixtures
Mark the gameweeks where certain clubs start an easy or a difficult run, and act accordingly. It helps you plan transfers ahead and line up the best captain options for the weeks to come.
2. Plan transfers ahead
Use tools that let you look forward, see how your squad will look in the coming gameweeks — and suddenly the whole thing gets a lot simpler.
3. Don't rotate goalkeepers
More often than not it wastes money, creates needless headaches, and ends in heartbreak. In my experience it's better to pick one first-choice keeper and stick with him.
4. Spend your transfers wisely
Imagine every transfer you're considering — even a free one — costs 4 points. It quickly tells you whether it's actually necessary. And other than in special cases, remember that hits usually aren't worth it.
5. Stay flexible
Every season is different. Leave yourself room to adapt to the new trends that emerge — both in how you think, and in picking players from price brackets that keep other options open.
6. Make your transfers late
The information that comes in during the week — injuries, press conferences, leaked line-ups — matters more than the 0.1 or 0.2 you'll lose to a price change.
Just as important: don't leave it too late either 😉
7. Don't chase points that have already been scored
If a player has just scored a hat-trick, before you rush him in, ask yourself whether you genuinely expect that to continue or whether it was a one-off.
Past points aren't future points.
8. Don't lose your head after a bad gameweek
Even the manager who finishes first will have mediocre weeks. Focus on working out whether your squad genuinely needs changing — and if you still believe in your players, the right move is usually to give them more time to repay that faith.
9. Use your chips wisely
The best time to play them is usually in blank and double gameweeks, which mostly fall in the second half of the season.
Since chips come in two sets — one per half — that rule still holds for the second half, but you can't forget the first-half set along the way. A chip you haven't used by Gameweek 19 is simply gone.
10. Remember to enjoy it
Fantasy is a game, and a game is supposed to be fun. Do what feels right to you, even if that means ignoring every tip I've written and triple-captaining Calvert-Lewin in Gameweek 1.