Common Mistakes to Avoid in FPL

Getting ready for the new season? Well you’re in the right place! Fantasy managers are always looking for ways to get ahead of the competition, so in this article, we take a look at some of the common mistakes to avoid in FPL.

This article isn’t just for experienced managers, but beginners too! Knowing these key things going into your first season could bring immediate success, so let’s jump in.

Early Transfers

Whilst chasing value can be important, most of the time information is more important. For example: You have transferred a player out after failing to pick up any points, for a player who performed well and is expected to rise in price.

The biggest issue with this is that there is still a week to go until the next deadline. During that time, the player you brought in could pick up an injury. In addition, the player you sold may have even been a good player to hold if you spent the days leading up to the next deadline deliberating the decision.

Patience is Key

Ever heard the term ‘Good things come to those who wait’? Well this applies here. You spent weeks looking at the data, or watching an asset play and you made the decision to bring him in. Two matches into owning your new signing and he is yet to return.

In most cases, the least experienced fantasy managers would sell out of frustration. But, remember, you made the decision to bring the player in for a reason. Holding onto him for several more weeks could prove hugely rewarding. If your new player is performing well but not getting returns, then it’s likely that those points will come.

Shiny New Toys

Shiny new toys is definitely a term that applies here. Whilst new signings or promoted side players are exciting, there are too many unknowns to put our trust in them.

Promoted players are a very good example in this case. Although proving their worth and excelling in the Championship, they are very unlikely to repeat their excellent performances in a much tougher league. Staying away from promoted players until they prove they can adapt to a new league could be a safer option.

New signings are also worth avoiding in most cases. It’s difficult to predict how a player will settle into a new team. It may not be clear where he’ll play or if he will play much gametime either. So again. monitoring new signings for the first several weeks could be the best move.

FPL managers can also check out the best £4m Defenders for the new season ahead!

Building a team for the early Gameweeks

You come to build your team and see great starting fixtures for several sides. So, you stack up on all of those teams. The problem is, all of those teams have difficult runs of fixtures after the first two Gameweeks.

The above could force you into taking hits or even using your Wildcard chip, when you may not have planned to. The solution to this is picking a team to weather a longer period ahead. This gives you time to evaluate the stats and collect transfers, to help act further down the line.

Missing the Deadline

Missing a deadline is a rarity, almost non existent for veteran fantasy managers. Missing a deadline can bring in a whole range of problems including: not playing a chip when you planned to, not making transfers when you wanted to, and not changing captain when you needed to.

All of the above could really damage your chances of success, competition is tough! Whilst it may appear easy to miss a deadline, it’s also very easy to stick to them! Simply planning your transfers and captain in advance, then setting an alarm to make changes in under a minute should be manageable for most!

Worst case scenario is that you can’t do the above and you make your transfers on the day or the night before, just a little bit early.

There are plenty of things to avoid in FPL, more of them include:

Taking hits – Sometimes hits are needed for injuries, or to attack a double Gameweek ahead, but outside of that taking -4 hits can impact your rank and mini league position negatively.

Rotation risks – Picking players who aren’t regularly starting for their sides will inevitably cause issues, and probably force a transfer. Bring in players you know will play.

Chasing points – This refers to buying a player who just picked up a big return. If the stats back them over a period of time then that’s ok, but if they picked up a big haul and aren’t usually consistent or producing good stats, then they could be worth avoiding.