New to Fantasy Premier League aka FPL and confused about selecting your team? No issues we have got covered with “Ultimate FPL Beginner’s Rules Guide” which covers everything you need to get started with this interesting game.
If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.
Link to all our 2023/24 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, differentials, players to target, budget enablers and more. Completely free to access as well!
What is Fantasy Premier League (FPL)?
Fantasy Premier League or FPL is a fantasy football game played by over 11 million football fans worldwide. The goal is to assemble a competitive team comprising 15 players currently playing in the Premier League under a budget of 100m. The contributions/performances of these players in real-time win fantasy points for the manager and let them compete with other managers in the game.
(Click on the image below to claim the offer)
FPL Rules for squad selection
- Each team must comprise a total of 15 players. These 15 players should include two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three attackers. Some popular FPL formations are 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, and 4-3-3.
- All 15 players must be selected under a budget constraint of 100m.
- Each week 11 players must be selected out of 15 to be in the starting XI. Each starting XI must, at all times have a minimum of one goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders, and one attacker on the team.
- Every team is given a free transfer every week wherein, a player in the team can be replaced by another that is not on the team currently.
- An unused free transfer may be carried over to the next week but a total of three free transfers can not be accumulated.
- A manager may take a points hit of 4 points per transfer to exceed the number of free transfers.
- One may also select a captain every game week. The points tally of every captain is doubled.
- Alongside a captain, a vice-captain should be selected by the manager. In case the captain does not play the points of the vice-captain are doubled instead.
FPL Rules -Team Name
You can have any team name of your choice with a character limit of maximum 20 characters. Have trouble picking a name for your team? We have some interesting team names here.
FPL Points scoring rules explained
| Event. | Points. |
| Play for 60 minutes. | 1 point. |
| Play more than 60 minutes. | 2 Points. |
| Goal by a goalkeeper or a defender. | 6 Points. |
| Goal by a midfielder. | 5 Points. |
| Goal by an attacker. | 4 Points. |
| Assist by a player. | 3 Points. |
| Clean Sheet by goalkeeper or defender. | 4 Points. |
| Clean Sheet by a midfielder. | 1 Point. |
| Three saves by a goalkeeper. | 1 Point. |
| The penalty saves by a goalkeeper. | 5 Points. |
| Penalty missed. | -2 Points. |
| Every 2 goals are conceded by a goalkeeper or a defender. | -1 Point. |
| Yellow card. | -1 Point. |
| Own goal. | -2 Points. |
| Red card. | -3 Points. |
Other than this the top three players in every game shall be awarded bonus points ranging from one point to three points based on their BPS score which takes into account a variety of statistics like goals, assists, clean sheets, passing accuracy, etc.
Further Read: Everything about Bonus Points- Calculation, Scoring and FAQs
FPL Points Scoring and other FAQs
In case a player in the starting XI does not play in the game week, the first substitution on your bench is auto-subbed in place of that player.
This is one of the most asked questions by beginners in the initial weeks. As the rules for squad selection clearly state that there must be three defenders in the starting XI at all times, the first substitution is skipped and the second sub, a defender is auto-subbed instead.
Unfortunately, after a transfer is confirmed, there is no going back. So use your transfers wisely and later in the week, fellas.
Usually, the most popular captains in the game play every game week unless they are unfit or suspended before the commencement of a game week, but in some cases, this does happen. In such a case, your vice-captain has their points doubled while the captain is auto-subbed out.
Again, this is a very uncommon event. although such a case did occur last season when many FPL managers, including yours, truly captained the Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis and he delivered a points tally of -1. Points of a captain are doubled irrespective of whether or not the points are positive or negative. FPL managers had 2 deducted from their game week score for captaining Dennis.
Bonus points are confirmed after about an hour after the last match of the day has ended.
If there is a tie for first place, Players 1 & 2 will receive 3 points each, and Player 3 will receive 1 point.
If there is a tie for second place, Player 1 will receive 3 points, and Players 2 and 3 will receive 2 points each.
If there is a tie for third place, Player 1 will receive 3 points, Player 2 will receive 2 points and Players 3 & 4 will receive 1 point each.
Getting started with FPL
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) can be intimidating at first but once you get the hang of it, good decision-making, knowledge and a bit of luck are all it takes to finish at a respectable rank. In this guide, we will equip you with the knowledge part of this recipe and the rest is up to you. If you are an FPL beginner, looking to smoke your pals in the mini-league, or a regular FPL manager looking for tips to boost your rank, then this guide is all you need.
Some FPL Terminology
Before we get started with budget allocation, chip strategies, and more of the fun stuff, let’s get you acquainted with some FPL terms that you will come across at some point to better understand the rest of the article.
- DGW: DGW stands for ‘Double Gameweek’. A team plays twice in a double game week which means DOUBLE THE POINTS!
- BGW: BGW stands for ‘Blank Gameweek’. A game week in which all teams don’t play is called a blank game week.
- TC: TC stands for ‘Triple Captain’ which is a chip in FPL. We will see more about it below.
- Hit: When you take a -4 for the additional transfer.
- Blank: When a player fails to score a goal, assist, or keep a clean sheet.
- Roll over: When an unused free transfer is carried over to the next game week.
- Returns: When a player gives more than 2 points.
- Budget Enabler: Players that are in the team to free up money for other players.
- Budget Pick: A player that costs less and gives decent returns for the price. Budget Premium Picks: Players that are more expensive than Budget players.
- Upper Premium Picks: Players that are less expensive than Premium players
- Premium Picks: The most expensive players in the game.
- Ownership: The percentage of managers that own a particular player.
- Effective Ownership: Effective ownership combines the ownership of a player with the percentage of captains and triple captains. Should be helpful before making a transfer.
Further Read- Effective Ownership- Explained in detail - ICT Index: The ICT index is a football statistic index used to generate a single score for a player based on three key areas, Influence, Threat, and Creativity.
- BPS: Used to allocate bonus points to the top three players in a game. A range of statistics by Opta is used to reward bonus points.
Further Read- Calculation of BPS and Bonus Points - Differential: A player owned by less than 10% of the FPL managers in the game.
- The FPL Bandwagon: When a lot of managers transfer in a particular player in the same GW.
- Team Value: Player prices chnage throughout the season depending on how they perform. These changes in price directly affect the overall team value.
How to play FPL weekly?
To play FPL weekly there are three things you should be able to do: First, make your transfers, second, choose your playing XI, and third over think about those two decisions until you are past the deadline. If you can do that, you are in great shape to continue.
How to make changes in FPL every week?
To keep winning at FPL you have to keep tinkering with your squad every week. To make transfers in FPL, head to the transfer option in your game. After which you will see your 15-player squad on the screen. Click on the player or players you want to transfer out. Now you shall be presented with two options: Remove and Replace. Select Replace and choose the player you wish to transfer in. Now search for the confirm button, click on it, and Voila, you’re done.
How will I know if a player is injured/ruled out/suspended?
It could be a challenging task to keep up track of injuries and suspensions of an entire league. Lucky for us FPL helps in doing that. Players are “flagged” in case they are doubtful or ineligible to play in a particular game week. There are three types of flags: Yellow for when there is a small chance of a player not playing., Orange for when there is a 50% or 25% chance that a player is not playing, and finally the Red flag for when there is no chance a player is playing either because of an injury or suspension.
How many transfers can I make in a game week?
You’re allowed to make a maximum of 20 transfers in a week if you’re not playing the Wildcard, Free hit chip. This rule is to avoid hacking issues. This rule does not apply when all managers will have unlimited transfers during the international break.
What are FPL Price Changes?
Every player in your squad comes with a price. Although there is no guarantee of that player being priced the same at the end of the season. Depending on how the player performs, their price may increase or decrease. As a rule of thumb, try to have more players that may increase in price and fewer of the ones that might decrease in price. Wanna read more about price changes, team value, and their importance?
Read this for a Detailed Guide on price changes and team value.
FAQs on FPL Price Changes
Tracking the price changes of hundreds of players in the game can be a daunting task. Luckily for us, some tools can help FPL managers keep track of any potential price changes.
A particular can only rise or fall in price by 0.3m per game week.
Prices change once a day. 1:30 AM BST/ 7:00 AM IST. Although price changes don’t need to occur every day.
Position Wise FPL Budget Allocation
To win points consistently you need good players but the key to gaining points at FPL is to have a balanced team that delivers points consistently.
FPL Goalkeepers (9.0m-10.0m)
What should you look for in a goalkeeper?
While selecting goalkeepers in FPL, you must judge the goalkeepers based on two aspects of their game. Firstly, the amount of saves they make, and secondly, the number of clean sheets his team keeps. Always remember, premium goalkeepers, are likely to keep more clean sheets while Budget keepers are likely to accumulate more save points (you get a point for every three saves your goalkeeper makes) and some occasional bonus points.
Possible combination of goalkeepers:
- 1x Premium Goalkeeper (5.5m-6.0m) and 1x Budget Enabler Goalkeeper (4.0m)
- 2x Budget Goalkeepers (4.5m-5.0m)
Note: Do not spend more than 10m on goalkeepers.
FPL Defenders (24.0m-26.0m)
Unlike goalkeepers, defenders do not accumulate points for the tackles they make. So while selecting defenders you must keep two aspects of their game in mind. Firstly, clean sheets (DUH!). Secondly, goal threat or assist potential either from open play or from set-pieces. Give higher priority to fullbacks while selecting defenders as they carry a bigger goal threat and assist potential. If you are getting in center-backs make sure they are consistently keeping clean sheets and get goals from set-pieces. Also, be on the lookout for defenders who are registered as defenders but play higher up the pitch. For example, Stuart Dallas (2020-21) and John Lundstram (2019-20).
Possible combination of defenders:
- 2x Premium defenders (5.5m-7.5m) and 3x Budget defenders (4.0m-4.5m)
- 1x Premium defender (5.5m-7.5m), 2x Budget Premium (5.0m-5.5m) defenders and 2x Budget (4.5m-5.0m) or Budget Enabler(4.0m) defenders
Note: Do not go above the budget while picking defenders. Most FPL beginners start by picking defenders first and go overboard with it and compensate for it by picking more affordable midfielders (who fetch you more points than any other positions). Remember that two of your defenders are gonna be on the bench for most weeks.
FPL Midfielders (35m-40m)
Midfielders are the most important part of any FPL team. Midfielders in FPL are equivalent to a Queen in a game of chess. They can make all the difference. While selecting midfielders look out for one thing only – Goal contributions. The primary way of scoring points for a midfielder in FPL is through goals and assists. So make sure to get in midfielders from offensive teams. Doesn’t harm to get in players that are on set-pieces too. Have wingers and attacking midfielders on a higher priority. Be on the lookout for players registered as midfielders but play as attackers. For example, The FPL Lord aka Mohamed Salah.
Possible combination of midfielders:
- 2x Premium (9.0m+) midfielders, 2x Budget Premium (5.5m-7.0m) or Upper Premium (7.5m-9.0m) midfielders and 1x Budget (4.5m-5.5m) midfielders.
- 3x Premium (9.0m+) midfielders, 1x Budget Premium (5.5m-7.0m) midfielder and 1x Budget (4.5m-5.5m) midfielder. (Only do this when you don’t have an expensive attacker lineup)
Note: Do not get in defensive midfielders at any cost. Also, ensure to have at least one budget midfielder as you will be benching one midfielder most of the time.
FPL Forwards (23.0m-28.0m)
The only way of getting points for attackers is through goal contributions and bonus points. Every forward you select should either play for an offensive team that racks goals at a prolific rate or should be someone who is clinical and can outperform their expected goals tally. An attacker on penalty duty is a must-have especially in the first few weeks as we’ve seen more penalties conceded in the first few weeks of the PL as the defenders are still trying to attain match fitness after a break.
Possible combination of attackers:
- 2x Premium forwards (10.0m+) and 1x Budget (4.5m-6.5m) forwards
- 1x Premium (10.0m+) forward, 2x Budget Premium (7.0m-9.0m) forwards
- 1x Premium (10.0m+) forward, 1x Budget Premium (7.0m-9.0m) forward and 1x Budget (4.5m-6.5m) forward
Note: Avoid attackers from defensive teams that don’t register many shots in a game.
FPL Leagues
What are FPL mini-leagues?
Now that we have our teams set up, we move on to join mini-leagues. As the name suggests mini-leagues are leagues where you can compete with other FPL managers. You may join or create FPL mini-leagues. Mini leagues are basically for competing against your friends at FPL and some good old banter. Just create a mini-league, copy the link or a unique code and send them out to your friends. You may also compete in Global Leagues that you are automatically enrolled into.
What is the FPL Cup?
There is also a thing called the FPL Cup. In the FPL Cup, managers are drawn against each other halfway through the season. These managers go head to head for a game week and the winner progresses while the loser is knocked out.
Read more about the FPL Cup here.
FAQs
In the event of a tie between two or more FPL managers, the manager that has made the least amount of transfers will rank higher.
In case of a tie in the points between two teams in the FPL Cup, the team that has scored the most goals and conceded the least goals progresses.
Well, one can join only up to 5 public leagues. Although there is no limit on the number of mini-leagues, an FPL manager can join.
What are Chips in FPL?
Chips are tools available to FPL managers that can be used throughout the season. They are boosts that help FPL managers either score more points or reshuffle their team and position themselves in a better rank. There are four chips in the game: Free Hit, Triple Captain, Bench Boost, and Wildcard. FPL managers get just one Bench Boost, Triple Captain, and Free Hit throughout the season. Although there are two Wildcards: one in the first half of the season and one in the second half of the season. It is worth noting that due to multiple postponements of fixtures during last season, FPL did award the FPL managers an additional free hit, but that is not usually the case. Multiple chips cannot be used in the same game week.
What is FPL Wildcard?
The Wildcard enables the user to make unlimited transfers for one game week without taking on any points hit. Although these transfers are to be made within the value of your team. Remember that once you wildcard the roll-over transfer is reset.
- The Wildcard chip can be used twice a season. The first wildcard will be available from the start of the season until 12 November 2022– GW16 deadline.
- After GW16, Premier League action will stop and the players will disperse for the World Cup.
- Premier League(GW17) will resume on 26th December 2022
- The second wildcard will be available after 26 December 2022 in readiness for the January transfer window opening and remain available until the end of the season(GW38).
Check out the Detailed Wildcard Guide for more info.
What is the Free Hit?
The Free hit enables the user to make unlimited transfers in one game week without taking on any points hit. Although unlike in the case of the Wildcard, these transfers are reversed at the end of the game week.
Check out the Detailed Free Hit Guide for more info
What is the Bench Boost?
As the name suggests this particular chip has something to do with your bench. By using this chip you have 15 players that score you points instead of the usual 11 players. This means, your bench also actively scores you points.
Check out the Detailed Bench Boost Guide for more info.
What is the Triple Captain?
This one is pretty self-explanatory. By using this chip, the FPL manager can triple the points their captain scores instead of just doubling it.
Check out the Detailed Triple Captain Guide for more info.
There it is, the Ultimate Beginners Guide to Fantasy Premier League for the 2022-23 season. Welcome to the game and hope you have a fun time. Remember to play FPL with caution and may your arrows always be Green!
If you like our content do consider supporting us by contributing to the website. ALLABOUTFPL is run by the community and for the community. All our content is and will always remain free.
Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2023/24 FPL Season
Pre-Season Friendlies Updates & Fixtures
2023/24 FPL Pre Season: All Clubs Friendlies Fixtures & Updates
2023/24 Pre Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL GW1 Must Read Articles:
FPL GW1 Scout Picks Based On Stats, Analysis, And Matchups
2023/24 Season: Predicted GW1 Lineups of All 20 PL Teams
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks To Consider Ahead Of GW1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL GW1 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas
FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 1 To 6
Drafts for FPL GW1:
FPL Gameweek 1 Drafts with Haaland + Salah and Trent Trio
FPL GW1 Drafts with 3-4-3 Formation | 2023/24 FPL Season
Initial GW1 Drafts for the 2023/24 Season with Pros and Cons
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW1 Deadline
Four Players Who Have Never Left My FPL GW1 Draft
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL Goalkeepers Analysis:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Goalkeepers at Each Price Point for the 2023/24 Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
2023/24 FPL Season Positional Analysis:
Defenders:
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5-£5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
Midfielders:
£4.5 Million FPL Midfielders Watchlist for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5 & £5.5 Million FPL Midfielders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £6.0 -£7.5 Million FPL Midfielders | 2023/24 Season
Mbeumo vs Mitoma vs Eze vs Diaby- 6.5. FPL Midfielders Comparison and Verdict
Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 -£12.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Forwards:
Best Mid-Priced FPL Forwards (£7.0 – £8.0m) | 2023/24 Season
Best FPL Forwards in The £6.0 & £6.5M Price Bracket
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £5.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Ultimate Guide & FPL Calendar:
Ultimate FPL Pre-Season Guide & Tips for the 2023/24 Season
2023/24 FPL Season Schedule: Key Dates, Information & Timeline
Fixture Analysis:
FPL Fixture Analysis For The 2023/24 FPL Season | PL Fixtures
General FPL Blogs:
FPL Team Structure Guide- 6 Different Team Structures with Drafts, Pros and Cons
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2023/24 PL Season
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Differentials- Players To Watch Ahead Of The 2023/24 Season
FPL Budget Enablers(Top Budget Picks Position wise)
Under Priced FPL Assets from Big 6 Teams
Best Differential FPL Team For The 2023-2024 Season
Players to Avoid in FPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 1
Initial Reaction to FPL Player Price Reveals for the 2023/24 FPL Season
List of Free to Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues Ahead of 23/24 Season
FPL Tips and Best Practices to Have an Enjoyable FPL Season
FPL Team ID- What is it? How to get a Low Team ID for 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Team Names for the 2023/24 FPL Season
If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.
Link to all our 2023/24 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!
Thanks for reading the “FPL Rules, Tips, and Beginners Guide” blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 120000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates.
What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2023/24 FPL Season?
We’ll be covering team previews for all 20 teams, FPL team structures, must-own players, player comparisons, differential picks, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, multiple FPL drafts with pros and cons, chip strategy, rules guide, beginners guide, FPL tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.
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Udit Damle
Latest posts by Udit Damle (see all)
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