Who will benefit from changes to points-scoring in FPL?

The Scout is analysing the key changes that are being made in Fantasy Premier League for the 2024/25 season.

Fantasy managers should be on alert for some points changes ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Most of the tweaks affect the Bonus Points System (BPS) but there is also an alteration to the number of points a goalkeeper gets for scoring a goal.

What are bonus points?

The three best performing players in each match will be awarded bonus points. Three points will be awarded to the highest-scoring player, two to the second best and one to the third through their performance on the BPS.

How are bonus points changing?

Ever wondered how players end up with bonus points in FPL? 
It all comes down to scores on the BPS.

A range of statistics, from chances created to tackles, are used to create a BPS score for every player. 

For example, Micky van de Ven, Arijanet Muric, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Pedro Porro (£5.5m) were the top BPS performers in Tottenham Hotspur's Gameweek 37 win over Burnley, with 33, 25, 24 and 24 respectively. They were accordingly awarded three, two, one and one FPL bonus points respectively.

Examples of how bonus point ties will be resolved are as follows:

• If there is a tie for first place, Players 1 & 2 will receive 3 points each and Player 3 will receive 1 point.
• If there is a tie for second place, Player 1 will receive 3 points and Players 2 and 3 will receive 2 points each.
• If there is a tie for third place, Player 1 will receive 3 points, Player 2 will receive 2 points and Players 3 & 4 will receive 1 point each.

See: How the Bonus Points System works

Those are the basics. Now here are the minor tweaks for this season, including players being rewarded or penalised for four additional actions which weren't factored into the BPS last campaign.

Changes in BPS for 2024/25

Goalkeepers may lose out a little with these top two BPS score changes above.

For instance, Alphonse Areola saved a penalty in a 3-1 win over Chelsea in Gameweek 2 last season, but he would have lost both of his two bonus points if these new rules had been in place at the time.

Don’t feel too sorry for goalkeepers, though: they still get five actual FPL points for every penalty save.

When it comes to goalline clearances, no player made more than three last season, so this isn’t too common an occurrence.

Seven players who will appear in 2024/25 FPL recorded three such clearances last season, all of them defenders.

They were Dan Burn (£4.5m), Diogo Dalot, Issa Diop, Lewis Dunk (£4.5m), Toti Gomes, Max Kilman (£4.5m) and Murillo (£4.5m).

Extra rewards for attackers

The extra BPS points being awarded for winning fouls and shots on target should benefit attackers.

Foden and Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) were the only two players to feature in the top 15 for both fouls won and shots on target in 2023/24.

Both of these England internationals scored well over 200 FPL points last season, so they could be set for further joy this campaign.

Foden and Saka stats 2023/24

Changes to points-scoring

Did you own Alisson for his dramatic late headed winner against West Bromwich Albion in 2021? Or Asmir Begovic for his long-distance goal for Stoke City against Southampton in 2013/14?

A goalkeeper getting on the scoresheet is a memorable occurrence and something that only six shot-stoppers have managed in Premier League history.

Tim Howard, Paul Robinson, Brad Friedel and Peter Schmeichel are the other custodians in question.

An event so unforgettable should be fittingly rewarded in the FPL scoring system - and that's why goalkeepers will now get 10 points for scoring a goal, rather than six.

Automatically you're looking at a double-digit haul if that happens, with a MASSIVE score assured if clean sheet, save and/or bonus points are also banked.

Also in this series