What Is Fantasy Football — And How Do You Actually Play It?

Over 11 million people worldwide play Fantasy Premier League. If you've been wondering what all the noise is about — this is the only guide you need. No jargon. No fluff. Just everything you need to get started.

The Basics

Fantasy Premier League — FPL for short — is a free-to-play game created by the Premier League itself. You become a manager (the fantasy kind), and your job is to build a squad of real Premier League players using a budget of £100 million in virtual money. Every week those players earn points based on their actual on-pitch performance. Whoever has the most points at the end of the 38-gameweek season wins.

Simple enough on the surface. But there's a catch — you can only pick a maximum of three players from any single club. So even if you're a die-hard Arsenal fan, you can't field 11 Gunners. Your full squad contains 15 players: 11 starters and four on the bench.

It's Not About the Best Players — It's About the Best Scorers

This is the most important thing to understand, and it's where most beginners go wrong. When one of the hosts first started playing, he immediately put Claude Makelele in his team — arguably one of the best defensive midfielders of all time. Makelele got nothing. Because the game rewards goals, assists, clean sheets, and saves — not defensive intelligence.

The players who dominate FPL are the ones racking up attacking returns week after week. Think Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard in earlier eras. Today, someone like Erling Haaland is the obvious premium striker — he scores goals, and that's exactly what you need from that position.

The Points System, Explained

Every action on the pitch translates into points in your FPL team. Here's how it works:

Notice that goals score more points the further from goal the player is. A keeper who finds the net gets 10 points — a striker only gets four. This is why "out of position" players are gold dust in FPL. Gareth Bale at Spurs was officially registered as a fullback (6 points per goal) while playing as a winger. That gap matters.

Captain, Vice Captain

Every gameweek you pick one player as captain — their points are doubled. Pick a vice captain as backup, because if your captain doesn't play, the armband automatically passes to your vice.

A few seasons ago, Liverpool vs Everton was postponed due to a storm. Everyone who had captained Salah lost their double points. Those with a decent vice — Cole Palmer that week scored 14 points, meaning 28 as captain — barely noticed. Always pick a captain and a vice who both have guaranteed starts in different fixtures.

Transfers: Think Before You Click

You get one free transfer per gameweek. Every additional transfer beyond that costs you four points, deducted from your score. That's a real punishment, and it adds up fast.

If you sit on your free transfer for multiple weeks, it rolls over — up to a maximum of five banked transfers. Patience is underrated in this game.

Your Weapons: The Chips

Each season you're given a set of special chips that can swing your score dramatically. Use them wisely — you can only play one at a time.

Choosing Your Goalkeeper

New players almost always think Alisson or Ederson must be the best FPL keepers. Wrong. The best FPL keeper is the one who faces the most shots and keeps the most clean sheets — and that's often a stopper at a mid-table defensive side who's busy every single week. Jordan Pickford at Everton has been among the best-performing keepers in FPL for years because Everton are compact defensively and he makes plenty of saves.

Look for shot-stoppers, penalty savers, and keepers behind organised defences. Don't chase the glamour name.

Leagues: Where the Real Fun Is

When you set up your team, you're automatically placed in the global league with all 11 million+ managers. But the real entertainment is in mini-leagues — private competitions with friends, colleagues, or communities. We run one here at 38WKS2GO with real managers, real drama, and standings that follow the countdown from week 38 down to the final.

You can join up to 30 mini-leagues. There are also head-to-head leagues (you're matched against one opponent per week — transfer hits count against you in those matchups) and cup competitions that kick off around December with random knockout draws.

How to Build a Winning Team

1. 01
   Start with the obvious picks. There are always a handful of players who are must-haves — Salah in his historic seasons was non-negotiable. Start there, then use the remaining budget wisely on differentials.
2. 02
   Value over names. A £7.5m midfielder who gets goals and assists every week beats a £12m striker who fires blanks. Think about points per million.
3. 03
   Watch the fixtures. FPL has a Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) built into the site. Rotate your captain to whoever has the easiest run of games.
4. 04
   Hunt out-of-position players. A winger registered as a defender who scores? Six points a goal instead of five. That asymmetry is pure profit.
5. 05
   Don't let emotions lead. Your favourite club's players are not necessarily your best FPL assets. The game rewards form and fixtures, not loyalty.
6. 06
   Midfield is king. In the 2020s, a five-midfielder setup has consistently outperformed three-striker formations. Midfielders score five points per goal, get assist points, and benefit from clean sheets. Strikers don't.
7. 07
   Use the site's stats. Total points, round points, ownership percentage, minutes played, bonus points — it's all there. Use it. There are also podcasts, YouTube channels, and analytics tools built entirely around helping you make better decisions.

Why Play at All?

Honestly? Because it makes the Premier League more interesting than you thought possible. When you have a £6.5m right back from Bournemouth in your team, suddenly you're watching that game with serious attention. You'll start knowing players you'd never have heard of. You'll care about results you'd have previously ignored.

It generates genuine banter — the kind that keeps group chats alive across a whole season. And if you win your league, there's a decent chance you'll earn something for it too.

Fantasy Premier League is 38 gameweeks of strategy, patience, and the occasional miracle haul. Take it one week at a time — and we'll see you in the league table.