Okay, let me preface this blog by saying that I am by no means an expert. Since I have been tampering with my team for Game Week 1 for the millionth time this past month, I decided to share my perspective on some important things to consider when playing fantasy football in this upcoming season.
When invested, I promise this game will have you overthinking on a constant basis and as sad as it is to say, my points tally in a game week has way too much power over me. If I have a bad points tally, the rest of my week is immediately filled with regret and indecision. However in an effort to combat my overthinking, I aim to discuss things I observed that have worked for me in the past and also some mistakes that I can hopefully learn from. I hope these tips are useful to anyone who reads this as I appreciate everyone who takes time out of their day to read my blogs so much. Enough of my rambling. Let's get started!
My best FPL finish ever was 4th in Trinidad and Tobago.
I was first for almost 10 weeks but I bottled it coming down to the end.
What relevance does this have? None. I just had to throw in a subtle flex. No, but really. I guess I wanted to show that even though I'm not an expert, my tips do have some merit behind them.
#1. Formation
Picking your formation is critical before every game week. Ideally, you want to have one particular formation in mind when setting up your first team as it helps you budget better. (You only have $100 to work with from the beginning.)
Let's say you want a really deep midfield because the 5 points midfield players get from goals entice you in comparison to the 4 that strikers attain. Then the 3-5-2 formation would be the way to go. However, if you want to build your team around strikers, the 3-4-3 is definitely the way to go.
The budgets are so tight this season with everyone's price rising, so it's important to be decisive when picking players to build your team around. Personally, I hate spending money on premium defenders because I think attacking returns are more guaranteed with midfielders/strikers. So, I usually lean towards the 3-4-3 formation. However, a player such as Trent Alexander Arnold may be a 'must have' this season with the return of Virgil Van Dijk. Liverpool's defence may return to its solidity this season, meaning plenty clean sheets and also the possibility of plenty assists for TAA. You could also argue that we're not sure how fit Van Dijk will be upon his return, and Robertson got injured recently, and ... ughhh, I'm overthinking again. Okay for me, 3-4-3, is the way to go.
#2. Use Your Chips Wisely
I can't tell you how many times I've seen people use their Triple Captain or Bench Boost inappropriately. With the hectic fixture schedule that the Premier League "top 6" teams have, it's almost a foregone conclusion that at some point during the season, they are going to have a double game week. Please, please wait. The chances of receiving high points over the course of two games rather than one are far greater.
Now, I'm saying this when my Triple Captain last year, Harry Kane, had one assist over two games and it absolutely destroyed me. However, I still hold firm that the best time to use your chips are when there are double game weeks. For the Bench Boost make sure and stock up on players in that week. Finally for your Free Hit, only use this if there are premium targets that have a fixture you consider to be guaranteed points in that particular game week.
#3. Use Your First Wildcard Early
With your first Wildcard you have to be ruthless. Usually by 4/5 game weeks you already notice players that have a high trajectory of returns for the season. If you don't have them in your team, you want to get them in as soon as possible. This is because their prices are going to start rising, making your underperforming assets price plummet simultaneously. With an already tight budget you're going to want to be as financially flexible as possible throughout the course of the season. This of course varies though,
If you got out the gates quickly and you are satisfied with your teams performance, then by all means, hold onto your Wildcard. However, no one usually gets it right with their initial team, which is why I would give it a couple weeks before trying to adjust to the inform players.
#4. Captain Salah
Haha Okay. I'm kidding! Or am I? Your captaincy choice will ruin you every week. Trust me. But usually when selecting a captain I tend to go with guys who are playing at home but with Mo Salah it really does not matter. The man is an absolute FPL God.
Playing in midfield, he scores as many goals as a lot of premium level strikers and he's on spot kicks. Salah should be in poll position to be your captain most weeks. Honestly, I am OVER the overthinking nonsense. That nonsense eats at me all week. So, this season I'm just planning on playing it safe every week and captaining the guy who is most captained by FPL players around the world. This way, we can avoid too big of a hit within a game week, even if our captain does not perform.
#5. Make The Scout Your Best Friend
The Scout does all the hard work so you don't have to!!! With great statistical analysis, research and data, the FPL Scout page provides very insightful knowledge to help in your decision making.
This has personally helped me a lot. Reading the articles has helped me finalize a lot of my decision making when I was unsure of what to do.
#6. Be Authentic
I may be completing contradicting myself here. But, while using The Scout is great and all, you also don't want to give up on your own opinions entirely. It's important to remember that this is just a game after all and its about having fun with your mates. If you have a gut feeling about something, by all means, proceed and be prepared to live with the decision. I can tell you from experience there have been times where I felt I should make a player my captain, but ultimately played it safe, and then that player puts on a Master-Class. And trust me. It EATS at you. This is why if you have a good feeling about something, trust yourself man. If you look like an idiot afterwards, that's okay. We are all idiots anyways.
#7. Be Patient
I was watching Harry Potter for the first time in my life this week. Abysmal right? Anyways, I enjoyed it so much, I literally can't stop saying 'Avada Kedavra'. (Lmao). I can name so many more tips when it comes to FPL, but I'll settle with 7 to represent the 7 HP books. (Also, you're probably tired of me talking.)
Anyways, I can't implore this final point enough. Patience, Patience, Patience!!! Listen. There are going to be weeks where your team blanks. It's going to happen. But you could have a really good team and completely mess it up for a short term fix. The season is 38 weeks long. Trust the process and trust yourself.
I can recall one time I sold Harry Kane because he had a slow start to the season and he immediately punished me the following week netting a brace. I then brought him back in the following week only for him to blank the following 3 weeks. Devastating, I know.
My point here is this not a race for the swift, but for those who can endure to the end. Don't find yourself in situations where you're taking -4 hits on a regular basis just for a particular game week. Do your research. Look at that players upcoming fixtures. Are they favorable? Stay the course man. Far too often, a lot of players find themselves trying to fix their team in one week. It's okay to bank your transfers and hold your serve.
Conclusively, I'm really excited about this upcoming season and I'm probably not even going to follow my own advice. (Because aren't we all a little hypocritical?) Lmfao. But, we move. Everything looks great in hindsight but its all about implementing the discipline required when placed in the situation. I hope my tips were helpful and you found this article was insightful. I wish everyone the best this season, just as long as you don't beat me. I'm the best to ever do this shit man.
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