Fantasy Premier League (FPL) continues to grow every year, and with over 11,000,000 players playing last season, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure consistent green arrows. The game has evolved.
With the start of the 23/24 season right around the corner, I have put together some tips to assist less experienced players navigate the long, often grueling season, and some best practices to help focus on what should be the most important aspect of any game – enjoyment.
This blog is written by Dan, aka @FPL_BlackWolf, co-host of @FPLUSAPressPlay and the founder of #FPLUSA. He also runs the 4-Tier @FPLUSALeagues. Dan has contributed a lot towards making FPL fun, and has brought in a sense of community and togetherness amongst FPL players, especially for the ones based in the USA.
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!
FPL Tips & Best Practices for the 2023/24 Season
- Create and Follow a Decision-Making Process That Works for You
My professional background is in UX design and research, and I like to adapt the decision-making principles and methodologies that I utilize every day while developing products, when I am playing FPL.
At its basic core, FPL is similar to UX, in that your chances of success increase if you can effectively analyze, develop, and evaluate solutions to problems. Of course, there is a huge additional luck factor in FPL which is out of our control but following a clearly thought-out process for the parts we can control, is helpful.
Below is the process I follow and that I find works for me, but everyone is different. It is important that you pick the method that enhances your enjoyment, and since enjoyment is subjective, that will change depending on the player. There is no right or wrong.
(Click on the image above to claim the offer).
- Identify and Define the Problem
It is essential that you clearly define any problem before attempting to solve it. So, in FPL, first focus on identifying the key issues within your team, whether that be suspensions, injuries, harsh fixture swings etc. and do not make rash, emotional decisions.
Knee-jerk decisions can cause a plethora of new issues that you didn’t have opportunity to plan for, which can cause anxiety and a chain reaction of bad decisions. In FPL, there are almost always attacking moves that can be made that simultaneously solve an issue, so take the time to find them.
- Gather and Analyze Information
The more information you gather, the more likely you will be able to reach a satisfactory decision. However, accurate information is critical to the success of that decision.
There is a fine line between ensuring you gather enough information vs. gathering too much information, which makes you susceptible to information overload. There is a vast amount of content available to us these days, and while a lot of it valuable, try to avoid any content that is misinformed. Limit your intake of content to a select few that resonate best with you, and use the information gathered to inform your own decisions.
- Develop Alternative Solutions
It is always very tempting to go with your gut or to make a decision quickly, as soon as solution that you believe is a good one comes to mind.
In FPL, if a player that you don’t own returns a double-digit haul in a gameweek for example, or if one of your players gets injured or has a terrible game and blanks for the third consecutive game, it’s all too easy to make a hasty decision to immediately fix what you naturally perceive in the heat of the moment to be your biggest issue.
Many of us experience a cognitive optimism bias, where we unrealistically believe that future gameweeks are going to be plain sailing without any of these negative events reoccurring, and therefore it is ok to make that knee-jerk decision. While all this could end up being true, it is often better to wait, evaluate the situation, and develop alternative solutions, even if you think they are not needed.
When developing your alternative solutions, always plan ahead and focus on fixture swings. Where possible, make transfer plans that coincide with a turn in fixture difficulty.
FPL planners are essential, and there are various tools available such as livefpl.net and fpl.team/plan/.
- Choose the Best Alternative
There are usually numerous ways to solve a problem and each option can have both pros and cons that need evaluating.
Are you one of those FPL managers who has a lengthy list of draft screenshots in your phone or an Excel file with multiple color-coded tabs? It is recommended to first narrow down the choices into a small number of easily digestible alternatives.
Take the time upfront to analyze which of them best aligns with your mid to long-term plans and strategy in terms of not just the beforementioned fixture swings, but also budget, team structure, chip usage, and flexibility.
Then, based on that analysis, you are well-equipped to choose the best alternative.
- Take Action
You have identified the problem areas, gathered all the information, developed a concise number of alternative solutions, and made a well-informed decision.
Now it is time to make your FPL team changes and lock in your squad for the gameweek.
The result of all that effort may not turn out to be what you had hoped, especially in FPL where the additional luck factor plays such a significant role. However, at this point, it is all hindsight. The fact is, you know that you did your due diligence and made a sound, well-informed decision, regardless of the outcome. A popular phrase in the FPL Community is “Good decision, bad outcome” and that can certainly be the case.
More often than not, though, you will be rewarded.
- Evaluate the Decision
Do not beat yourself up if a decision does not go as planned. Review your decisions and keep learning. Adjust your plans, if necessary, as it is important to be able to adapt to any situation that impacts your team beyond your control, and it will happen in FPL.
FPL can be random, punishing, and full of variance, so above all try to remember that and not hold on to any negative feelings if you can.
- Gameweek 1 is Arguably the Most Important Gameweek
Choosing a gameweek 1 squad that is well set up to get you through to the first Wildcard as smoothly as possible is vital if you want to stay with the leading pack. While you cannot get even close to winning FPL in the first half of the season, it is quite easy to fall behind quickly. You will find yourself facing a difficult uphill battle, along with an increased temptation to take unnecessary risks.
Since teams will not have played any games yet, we will be missing a substantial amount of valuable information that we would normally use to inform our decisions throughout the season. However, that does not mean that gameweek 1 squads should be built using only players we want, or “vibe” picks. It is essential to pick a squad that has an adaptable team structure, both in terms of formation and player price points.
This means that you should put time into analyzing all the different price points, and then choosing your players based on those price points. There will be players you want, but that will not fit into your structure, and that is ok. What is more important, is that you give yourself the flexibility to bring in players who start the season with a bang without the need to rip apart your team structure.
The word “template” has become more prominent in the FPL community in recent seasons, but do not sway from the template in gameweek 1 just for the sake of being different. There is always a template for a reason. Risks are ok, but especially in gameweek 1, they should be taken sparingly. The core of your squad should consist of proven, established, and guaranteed starters.
- Picking the Correct Captain is Essential
Over the course of the season, the points scored by your captain alone make up a considerable percentage of your overall points total. Consistently picking the correct captain is the single-most influential factor that contributes towards achieving a top 1% rank and winning your mini-league. I personally wish that the captaincy decision was not so significant, but it most certainly is.
Therefore, going differential with your captaincy choice is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. I personally advise that you only really consider this later in the season during double and blank gameweeks; if you are far behind in your mini-league; if you are chasing overall rank; or if your FPL goals are not related to your rank. If rank is important to you, for the most part, do not try to be too clever. Go with the ‘safe’ picks, especially early on.
- Minimize Hits – But No Need to Avoid Them Entirely
The general perception is that hits in FPL are bad. While an excessive number of not well-thought-out hits will do more harm than good, a minimal amount of strategic hits that are timed well, may not just be beneficial, they may sometimes be the optimal play.
There are many scenarios and situations during an FPL season where you can increase your expected points with hits, including during double or blank gameweeks to gain extra fixtures; to bring in a player to captain them; to use three transfers for a -4 after you have rolled one to restructure your team before fixture swings etc.
Avoid unnecessary hits but use them to your advantage when the timing is right.
- Pay Attention to Price Changes
Throughout the course of the season, player prices fluctuate, and it is particularly volatile when a player is mass-bought or mass-sold.
FPL managers are frequently caught out by price changes that cause them to miss out on planned transfers. We have all experienced the “-0.1m” issue at some point in time!
Transfer planning in relation to price changes is a balancing act. Beating price rises early in the season increases your team value, and the greater your team value, the more flexibility you have when using your Wildcard and Free Hit chips.
On the flip side, it is not a good idea to make early transfers, particularly when midweek games are still to be played, you never know what can happen. Readjusting your transfer plans because of lost value is much better than completely wasting a transfer.
Always try to leave some money in the bank spare to cover unexpected price changes when making your transfer plans. Planning to bring in a player in four gameweeks’ time with 0.0m in the bank will probably not be possible by the time you get there.
- Ignore Team Allegiances
Try to leave all team biases behind when choosing your FPL squad and choose the assets that you believe will deliver you the most points, regardless of the team they play for or play against. Emotionally investing yourself in players will potentially negatively impact your points scored.
I have admittedly gotten hurt by this in the past when choosing not to captain the obviously best asset because they play against my own team that gameweek. If your goal is rank-based, avoid that kind of allegiance.
- Don’t Waste Your Chips – Use Them Intelligently
Having a solid chip strategy is a crucial aspect of playing FPL, and arguably the most difficult and time-consuming to plan. Playing the right chip at the right time can be invaluable and set you up for a huge score.
I will not go into the nuances of chip strategies here as that is a blog post on its own, but what I will say is that it is absolutely essential that you don’t waste chips or play them spontaneously.
In short, except for the first Wildcard, chips are usually best used later in the season when blank and double gameweeks come into play. The FPL season is long, and patience is key.
- Take Care of Your Mental Health
This one is extremely important to me. I feel that as a community, we need to do more to spread awareness of the impact that FPL can have on our mental wellbeing, and all open our hearts to show kindness and love to those who suffer from mental health problems.
According to the below survey results taken from the thesis of Surya from AllAboutFPL, when asked, a huge 63.6% of managers admitted that they find FPL stressful and overwhelming when their fantasy team does not do well. I would never downplay someone’s feelings, they are always valid, but we all need to look after our mental health and take whatever steps necessary to increase our enjoyment of the game.
Here are a few tips that I recommend following to support good mental health when playing FPL:
- Adapt your FPL goals and playstyle – If you are someone who really struggles with their mental health, aiming for that Top 10k finish and making that your only true goal is not the best approach. With the increase in the amount of easy-to-access content and number of players actively playing the game, Top 10k is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. So, consider adapting how you play and changing your definition of a good season. Perhaps set yourself a more realistic end goal or break your goals into smaller chunks that can be achieved quicker; compete against yourself rather than comparing your outcomes to others who are overachieving their goals; Shift your focus from overall rank to week-by-week gameweek rank etc. There are many options.
- Limit your time and take breaks – You could argue that many of us are addicted to FPL. That addiction can negatively affect other areas of our lives. If you find that you are obsessively thinking about your transfers and making drafts for large periods of the day, for example, perhaps it is time to step away and use your time to do something else that involves the things or people that truly matter. Set limits and stick to them if you can.
- Avoid social media when you’re feeling low – You often hear people say “It is just a game”. However, not everyone sees it that way, and that is ok. If you are in a poor state mentally, particularly during or immediately after a gameweek, avoid putting yourself into a situation that can make it worse. Social media can be a toxic place, and naturally when it comes to FPL, people tend to talk more about their successes than failures, so if browsing the timeline and seeing inevitable toxicity sends you into a downward spiral, avoid it. Instead, talk with people you trust and who you can have positive interactions with, and celebrate the successes of those people. If you are someone who can laugh at the failures, great! But we need to respect those who do not have the capacity to do that.
- It is YOUR team. Play the game how you want to – When you play FPL, what brings you most enjoyment? Is it getting a good overall rank? Is it chasing differential hauls? Is it winning your work mini league? Is it picking players you like watching? Play the game how you want to play, not how others tell you to. I have presented tips in this article that will help you navigate the long season, but if you want to ignore that advice and instead, for example, take big hits every week because that is what you find enjoyable, then go for it! I have spoken to people who have finished in the Top 5k and who feel disappointed because they aimed for Top 1k, and I have spoken to people who were proud to have finished inside the Top 1m for the first time while competing only against themselves and not consuming any content. It is your team, so play however you want, especially if it brings you more joy.
- Get an adequate amount of sleep – This one applies to all areas of life. Prioritize getting a good amount of sleep over everything else. When you are feeling exhausted, every negative feeling will be amplified, and it makes a tough situation even worse. There is a reason you see this tip repeated everywhere – It truly helps.
Thank you for reading, everyone. Please send me a DM on Twitter at @FPL_BlackWolf any time if you would like to discuss anything I wrote about in this article. I hope you found it helpful, and wish you all a successful, healthy season!
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 Tips’ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs and updates. Also, follow our 110,000+ community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates throughout the pre-season.
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.
Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)
BlackWolf
Latest posts by BlackWolf (see all)
- FPL Tips and Best Practices to Have an Enjoyable FPL Season - July 4, 2023
- Best Wolves FPL Players | Wolves Preview | 2022/23 FPL Season - July 24, 2022
