The Scout's panel of Fantasy Premier League experts discuss the main lessons they have learned from the season so far and how that impacts their plans moving forward.
Pranil Sheth (@lateriser12)
If you want to spend transfers on premium players and chase big points hauls when they have plum fixtures, make sure the cheaper players in your squad are reliable picks who are regular starters. A deeper squad will help.
Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
Historically, "upside-chasing" has been a good way to play the game and I have tried to do that this season, switching between the premium players with the most favourable matches to try to catch the biggest points hauls. However, this season, patience is key. A different star player is producing a big haul every week, so staying faithful seems likely to result in a better outcome.
Gianni Buttice (@GianniButtice)
Sure, Erling Haaland (£15.4m) is the best player in the game, but it's OK to bet against him with the captaincy. The last couple of Gameweeks saw Arsenal have the better fixtures but many managers, including myself, were too worried to back the likes of Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) or Kai Havertz (£8.3m) over the Norwegian.
Nick Harris (@WGTA_Nick)
At the start of the season, I chose too many players who weren't guaranteed starters for their clubs, such as Christopher Nkunku (£6.0m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£6.3m). This forced me into an early Wildcard. It is better to make sure your squad is full of players who are nailed-on starters.
Pras (@Pras_FPL)
Firstly, make sure you pick your premium players based on long blocks of kind fixtures. If you keep knee-jerking between them then the probability of it going very wrong is high, for example those that sold Saka for Cole Palmer (£10.8m) last week. Secondly, premium defenders are still worth the extra outlay - especially with the Bonus Points System (BPS) impact from goals conceded. Try to have two or three defenders from Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City for the foreseeable future.
Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
At the start of the season, I went with Dean Henderson (£4.5m) in goal, but actually the right answer was to invest a little more in this position. There haven't been many clean sheets this season, especially for the £4.5m goalkeepers. Finding the extra £1.0m for the likes of David Raya (£5.6m) and Alisson (£5.5m), prior to the Liverpool goalkeeper getting injured, would have paid off in these early weeks. Don't be afraid to pay a little more for a premium goalkeeper.
Ben Crabtree (@FC_CrabDogg)
Haaland isn't essential. There are big-hitters who can compete with his points tally and going without Haaland enables an extra premium player. Haaland isn't an immediate sell, but he shouldn't be treated as a must-have.
