The new season is almost here and FPL has made some real changes this time around. I went through all of them on the latest episode. Here's your cheat sheet — the stuff that will actually affect how you play.
We're Back.
Well — not exactly back. The season hasn't started yet. But this is the first episode of the new season and I'm genuinely excited. It almost feels like the World Cup ended yesterday and the Premier League is already upon us. That's not a complaint.
One big thing before we get into it: we now officially have a website. 38wks2go.com. Injuries, fixtures, our league table, a blog, a donation link, a WhatsApp channel — it's all there. Go explore it if you haven't already.
Now. The changes.
Position Changes That Matter
Every season a handful of players get re-classified and your assumptions from last season stop being true. This year there are some worth paying close attention to.
The one I was most hoping wouldn't happen — Dorgu. When Carrick put him in as a left winger he was racking up attacking returns while also picking up clean sheets as a defender. Basically a cheat code. That party is over. He's now been re-classified as a midfielder. Six points per goal instead of five. The maths still works, but the edge is gone.
“The greatest value in FPL is always a lower position played in a higher role. It works going up — never going down.
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Here's the full list of changes worth knowing:
- ↑Wieffer — MID → DEF. Watch this one. A midfielder reclassified as a defender means a clean sheet bonus on top of everything else. Could be a smart hold.
- ↑Junior Kroupi — FWD → MID. Forwards become midfielders rarely get worse for it. Five points per goal instead of four, and the potential for clean sheet bonuses.
- ↑Marmoush and Georginio Rutter — MID → FWD. Moving up means more pressure to return goals, but the price might reflect that too.
- ↓Miles Lewis-Skelly, Bogarde, Keane Lewis-Potter — DEF → MID. These lose the defender's clean sheet bonus structure. Their price should shift accordingly.
- ↓Dorgu — DEF → MID. Already mentioned but worth repeating. The cheat code has been patched.
- ~Cardines, Sessegnon, Moreira — MID → DEF. Moving into defensive slots. Only worth watching if they play high up the pitch for their clubs.
Bonus System Overhaul
This is the section with the most real impact. Pay attention.
Tackles No Longer Hurt You
Last season, every time a player got tackled they received a −1 BPS penalty. That sounds logical on the surface — but in practice it absolutely hammered wingers and attacking midfielders who are supposed to take people on. Nine out of the ten most tackled players were attacking midfielders.
Morgan Rogers was tackled 156 times last season. Doku and Semedo at Man City also suffered. Elliot Anderson was the only non-winger in the top ten.
That deduction has been completely removed. Players who drive at defenders — Rogers, Doku, Pedro Porro — should see their bonus point returns go up simply by no longer being punished for doing their job.
Other players who will benefit directly: Rogers, Ndiaye, Aaronson, Kudus, Bowen, and anyone who regularly carries the ball into pressure.
On the defensive side, the most tackled defenders last season — Kayode, Bueno, Bogle, Spence, O'Reilly, and Hall — could become interesting value picks as a result.
CBIS Points Reduced
Clearances, blocks, and interceptions — CBIS — are now worth 1 BPS per three instead of 1 BPS per two. Defenders who built their bonus totals on sheer defensive volume, like Gabriel, are slightly less dominant in the bonus race. It's not game-breaking, but it narrows the gap between attacking and defensive bonus earners.
Goalkeeper Bonus Rework
This one changes how you evaluate keepers.
Previously: 3 BPS for a save inside the box, 2 BPS for outside. Now: a flat 2 BPS for any save, plus an extra 1 BPS for saves inside the box. The outside-box bonus is gone entirely.
More importantly — a new big chance saved bonus has been added. Any time a goalkeeper makes a save in a situation where a goal was expected (including penalties), they earn an extra 1 BPS. That used to be worth 8 BPS for a penalty save. It's now 7 — but the big chance bonus applies to open-play moments too, which is new.
Pickford led the league last season with 28 big chances saved — only one of those was a penalty. Keller had 27 (three penalties). Dean Henderson had 26. Flekken 23, Leno 22. These are the names worth targeting if you want consistent bonus returns from your keeper.
New Features Worth Knowing
Squad Assistant (For the Newer Managers)
When you're setting up your initial squad this season, there'll be an optional assistant to help guide your selections — attack-heavy, defensive-focused, midfield-balanced. You get prompted; you can say yes or no. If you've been playing for a while, you probably won't need it. If someone in your league is new, tell them to try it.
Live Rankings
As games are happening, you'll now be able to see your rank update in real time. Haaland scores? You can see immediately whether that's moved you up or down the mini-league.
The advantage is obvious — you always know where you stand. The disadvantage is equally obvious: when a goal gets credited to the wrong player, or a late-minute concession wipes your defender's clean sheet, the live rank becomes briefly misleading. And nothing increases bitterness faster than watching your rank drop in the 92nd minute.
Price Change Predictor
You'll now be told every day by midnight UK time whether a player's price is likely to rise or fall. If you've ever been agonising over whether to get someone in before their price jumps — this is for you.
Squad View With FDR
On your pick team, points, and transfer pages you'll be able to switch to a new view that shows fixture difficulty ratings for all your players alongside their next opponent, form, and price change likelihood. Good for planning multiple transfers in advance.
Career History Comparison
If you've been playing for years, you can now see how your career averages compare with every other FPL manager in the world as a percentage. Either validating or deeply humbling, depending on where you land.
Rookie League
Every first-time manager this season is placed in a dedicated rookie league with prizes for the best finisher. It won't affect the rest of us, but it's a smart move to get new players invested early.
Later Score Lockdown
Scores are now finalised at 9am UK time the day after the last match of the gameweek. If you're in GMT+3, that's noon your time. It means a longer wait, but the bonus points and DEFCON data will be cleaner — less chance of a reversal catching you off guard after the fact.
Adobe Express Gameweek Recaps
Once a gameweek is finalised, you'll get a personalised recap image showing your performance and your top scorer. You can also create a custom team crest with generative AI. No Adobe account needed.
Chips: Still Two Sets
Same as last season — two sets of chips, split by December 31st. One wildcard and one set of standard chips for the first half, another set for the second. You can still save up to five free transfers. No extra AFCON transfers this time — that was a one-off.
What I'm Most Excited About
Honestly? The live rankings. Pure banter. Watching your mini-league move in real time after a Friday night game, feeling briefly like a genius before Saturday's blanks bring you back down — that's the FPL experience condensed into one feature.
The tackle change is the one with real gameplay consequences. If you were avoiding Morgan Rogers or Doku because of their bonus volatility last season, that reason is now gone.
GW1 is close. Build your teams, do your research, and I'll have a full preview episode out soon.
New season, new chance to top the table. Join our mini-league — the code is in the show notes and on the homepage. Sign-ups are open until December 31st.