Fantasy Premier League

FPL basics explained: How to pick a squad

By The Scout 1 Jul 2024

We explain how to choose 15 players for your team in Fantasy Premier League

Once managers in Fantasy Premier League have completed the registration process, they can begin picking their squad.

Picking a squad: The basics

Managers are given an initial budget of £100.0m to spend on a squad of 15 players, who have each been allocated prices.

That squad must comprise of:

2 goalkeepers
5 defenders
5 midfielders
3 forwards

A maximum of three players can be chosen from any one Premier League club.

To select a player for your squad, you can pick his club using the dropdown filter on the Transfers tab. This is shown in the red rectangle in the below image.

You then have access to the club's player list, which is sorted by position. Clicking on the player and selecting "Add Player" will place him in your squad.

Alternatively, you can type the player's surname into the menu search function to find them. This is shown below.

If you are short of time or need some assistance, you can use the "Auto Pick" function, which will build a squad for you. After clicking "Auto Pick", click on "Make Transfers" and then "Confirm Transfers".

Picking a squad: Top tips

So, which players should you pick? Here are four top tips for compiling a squad.

1. Balance

Try and put together a squad that is strong across all four positions. While it's tempting to fill your team with all of the best attacking players, you don't want to be left short of funds in defence.

That being said, £4.5m goalkeepers have excelled in recent seasons. There was also a big drop in the number of clean sheets in 2023/24, down to 157 from 207 in the previous campaign.

In short, you don't want to be spending too much on your defence based on recent evidence.

Handily for managers in 2024/25, there appears to be a host of £4.0m-priced defenders among the promoted clubs who are regular starters.

2. Beware of ownership

At the start of a season, it's not a bad idea to follow the herd so you don't get left behind.

In the "Player Selection" box, click on the "Sorted by" menu and choose "Team selected by %". This sorts players by their ownership.

Many of the most-owned players are widely selected for a reason. These are often the proven performers who have delivered in the past.

If you go without a lot of these players, and they then make a strong start to the season, you'll already be playing catch-up and it may feel demoralising. So, if you're not sure who to pick, there's often some wisdom in the crowd. You can always increase your appetite for risk during the season.

3. Fixtures

Good fixtures can breed good form. While selecting your squad, make sure to check out the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) for the weeks and months ahead.

The FDR is based on a complex algorithm developed by FPL experts. A set of formulas generate a rank for the perceived difficulty of each Gameweek opponent, ranking from one (easy) to five (hard).

It is designed to help FPL managers plan their transfer and team selection strategy. It is reviewed on a weekly basis and updated as the season progresses.

Liverpool, for example, do not have a match with an FDR rating higher than three in the first eight Gameweeks. As a result, many Fantasy managers will be selecting two or three Liverpool players in their opening squad.

4. Leave money in the bank

Gameweek 1 always throws up a few surprises, and Premier League players who hit the ground running can quickly become attractive transfer targets in Fantasy.

When the season starts, players' FPL prices will go up and down depending on whether they're being bought or sold by the masses.

So, it's advisable to leave a bit of money in the bank when picking your initial squad. Having £0.5m or £1.0m left over may mean that you can more easily transfer in someone who catches your eye in the first few Gameweeks.