Fantasy Premier League: What is FPL?
As a new visitor to somewhere deep in Fantasy Premier League content, you simply have one question: what is FPL?
Here is a very brief introduction to points-scoring, picking a team and making transfers.
WHAT IS FPL?
FPL is one of the world’s most popular online games. It’s free, fun to play and very addictive.
- READ MORE: A beginner’s guide to FPL
In simple terms, each FPL manager has a budget of £100 million to select a squad of 15 players, before picking a first 11 for every round of matches (called Gameweeks).
The team then receives points based on Premier League match events. Using the current overall score, every manager is then ranked on a worldwide leaderboard and can compete against friends, family and colleagues in mini-leagues.
HOW TO SCORE FPL POINTS
On a basic level, points are awarded for goals, assists, clean sheets and appearances. But a midfielder’s goal will earn five points, compared to a forward’s four and a defender’s six.
While attacking players rack up most of their points via goals and assists, defenders and goalkeepers can collect clean sheets if they feature for at least 60 minutes without conceding. Those between the sticks are also recognised for making saves and stopping penalties.
However, players can lose points too. Own goals, penalty misses, leaky defences, yellow cards and sendings off are punished.
At least three individuals in each match will then receive bonus points, based on the BPS (Bonus Points System) algorithm. Such a calculation adds either three, two or one to their tally.
HOW TO PICK A TEAM + CAPTAIN
The 15-man squad must contain two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. Additionally, it’s only possible to pick a maximum of three players from each Premier League team.
Every player has a price, which ranges from around £4.0m to £15.0m. It’s done in a way that makes it difficult to own all of the best players, given that some have a premium tag.
- READ MORE: FPL 2025/26 Essential Guide
From the completed squad, each Gameweek sees FPL managers choose a first 11 and select a captain, who scores double points. If the captain doesn’t participate at all, an assigned vice steps in to grab the armband.
A variety of different formations can be used, as long as there is a goalkeeper, three defenders, two midfielders and one forward. Examples include 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and 5-2-3.
Managers must finalise their teams before each Gameweek deadline, occurring 90 minutes before its first fixture kicks off. Once passed, nothing can be altered for that round of matches.
But ignore the four substitutes at your peril. When one of the starting 11 doesn’t take part, an ‘autosub’ comes in. Based on the chosen bench order, it will be the first player who allows those ‘per position’ rules to be satisfied.
MAKING TRANSFERS
Until Gameweek 1 gets underway, an unlimited amount of tweaking can be made, as we seek perfection with our initial 15-man squads.
Once the first FPL deadline passes, managers can begin to make transfers. Each will receive one free purchase per Gameweek, although up to five can be collected for a future splurge.
This means a player can be sold for anyone else in his same position, as long as it’s within budget.
Managers can decide not to use the latest one given to them, and ‘rolling a transfer’ means it gets added to the next Gameweek’s, meaning there’ll now be two free moves to make. This can continue being done until a maximum of five free transfers is reached.
You’re able to make even more transfers outside of the free ones, but each extra one will incur a four-point deduction for the following Gameweek. These are risky.
WHAT ARE FPL CHIPS?
A long time ago, FPL introduced some chips for every manager, making the game more interesting and strategic.
- Wildcard (x2) – Transform your squad with unlimited free transfers.
- Free Hit – Unlimited free transfers to form a squad for one Gameweek only.
- Bench Boost – Includes the points of your four substitutes in the Gameweek total.
- Triple Captain – Multiplies the chosen captain’s points by three rather than the usual two.
An extra one was experimented with in 2024/25: the Assistant Manager. That allowed three consecutive Gameweeks of a real-life manager scoring points, in addition to the starting 11.
Only one chip can be used per Gameweek, activated before the deadline. Furthermore, using a Wildcard or Free Hit will not delete any saved-up free transfers.
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