The brand new 2020/2021 Premier League is in full swing, and with it, the new Fantasy Premier League. In this article, you will learn the five golden rules you need to abide by to become successful as an FPL manager. As extra tips, did you know that top betting exchanges sites (betopin.com/betting-exchanges) such as matchbook betting exchange have much better odds than traditional fixed odds bookies?
1. Construct a Good Mixture of Premium Players
As per usual in Gameweek 1, the entire action revolves around the premium players. With such a strong base of talented and experienced players, it isn’t easy to make your pick, especially because you can’t have them all. So, the most important thing here is to achieve the right balance.
What makes things even more complicated is that the first Gameweek is blank since the duel between Manchester United and Burnley, as well as the one between Manchester City and Aston Villa, have been postponed due to the clubs’ involvement in the European club championships.
Therefore, we need to look for premium players among the squads of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Leicester City. However, if you get the premium players from all these top clubs, it could hurt the overall shape of your team.
Moreover, we can’t leave the talk of the team’s captaincy out of this discussion, can we? Also, you need a clear strategy and plan in place before you get to Gameweek 3 when the players from Man City and Man United become available. So, the best thing to do here is to switch between the premium options from the aforementioned top clubs.
It is worth noting that the players like Mohammed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are going to be all the rage from Gameweek 1, given the fact that they are facing promoted sides Leeds United and Fulham respectively. You should have at least one of those players on your team.
2. Refrain from Using Points Hits and Making Early Transfers
With an excellent start to the season, there is probably no need for taking points hits, and after all, if you have a season clogged with points hits for using more than one free transfer you get per Gameweek, you will plummet in the rankings.
The reasoning behind this is that many managers tend to switch between premium players in the early weeks of the FPL that might lead to some points hits, especially if the Gameweek 1 squad has not been selected the right way.
If you can’t avoid it, it is better to take those hits early on in the season and save the free transfers for later.
Early transfers in the FPL have never been my thing since nothing is more infuriating than to see a player you have transferred for picks up an injury before the next Gameweek. Fitness is key to a successful FPL season since there are plenty of Gameweeks to be played.
Of course, there will be instances where early transfers will represent a calculated risk and a worthy gamble. If you have the funds to make the deals you want, take the opportunity and close the deals before the prices fluctuate. Everything is much easier if you have an extra bank transfer to play with. Also, the prices change more dramatically early on in the season, so if the price is right, it is better to make a deal then.
3. Flexibility is Key
Players should consider showing more flexibility in their approach to the new FPL season due to a couple of factors. First, there’s the blank Gameweek 1, the opening of the transfer window until after Gameweek 4, and the fact that the coronavirus is still present in our lives.
There’s no knowing what will come in the following weeks and months of the Premier League and how those events might influence the FPL. Having the flexibility in the fantasy squad is essential, and it will give you, the manager, enough berth to navigate through unplanned events without the need for chips or big transfers.
This new season seems ideal for testing the concept of price points. This concept means that having a mix of players at different price points from Gameweek 1 will give you the necessary flexibility to alternate between players at similar prices.
With flexibility in mind, you might want to adhere to a more dovish spending policy and save some of that £100 million fantasy budget for later.
4. Be Mindful of the Bench Players
The bench players are often overlooked early on as most managers like to spend a pretty penny for the starting XI, thus not leaving enough for a good bench that could cover the unplanned events, namely some players might have to be in quarantine and miss games. With that said, it is good to have at least four players on your bench who play at least 90 minutes per week, so that they can be in good shape and earn you some extra points throughout the season. Of course, this might be easier said than done since we tend to spend the entire budget on players who will be guaranteed regular playing time.
5. Hold on to Your Chips
It is usual to see sides that have played their Bench Boost chips or Triple Captain to head the top 10k standings early on in the season. However, if you use up all your chips, you will limit the progress that you can make later on, especially when double and blank Gameweeks come around. We already know of four teams that will have a double Gameweek given their first blank Gameweek.
It is also common to use your first wildcard early in the season. Most players tend to use their wildcard before the International Break, in early October. This season, the temptation might be even more significant due to the lack of Manchester United and Manchester City assets.
However, it might be best to try and hold on to your first wildcard for as long as possible, which will give you an opportunity to act on the unplanned events. For example, you can hold Bruno Fernandes on your bench in Gameweek 1 and with a hit or two before Gameweek 5 you will still hold on to the most valuable chip you can use later in the season.
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