You start off with £100.0m and you’re supposed to build a 15-man squad. What kind of manager will you become? You’re only limited to players in the English Premier League and you can’t have more than three players from the same team. Sorry, you won’t be able to copy your club’s strategy. In your squad, you’ll have three forwards, two goalkeepers, 5 mids and 5 defenders. You must decide on your starting XI before the game week begins. You won’t be able to alter your squad one hour before the frist match kicks off.
Creating an account
Sign up at https://fantasy.premierleague.com/
The registration process is lengthy but straightforward process as you have to provide personal details, email preferences and choose clubs. I prefer accessing the fantasy league through their Android app is it has a simpler interface.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3
The Sign-up process is easier through the app too.
How do you earn points?
You’ll gain points when players in your squad (the starting XI) make saves, score goals, make assists and when your goalkeeper keeps a clean sheet (does not concede any goals). When a player in your starting team fails to play in the game week, they’ll automatically be substituted by the first player on your bench. Think through when arranging subs. Keep your favorite one first, just in case. You get to choose a captain for your team too and captains earn double points. Capitalise on this by making your top performer a captain. The vice-captain’s points are doubled instead when the captain fails to play.
Joining/creating Fantasy Premier leagues
Compete with friends and family by creating/joining private leagues. You can only be in a maximum of 20 private leagues at any given time. You’ll be given a code you could use to invite other players to your league. You can invite as many as you want to your league.
Once you create a team, you’re automatically enrolled into 3 leagues made up of players across the globe. These public leagues comprise of 20 teams, just like the premier league.
Fantasy premier league chips
These are perks (bonuses) that let you get more points per event. The Wildcard is the preferred chip of choice by most players as it lets you make free transfers. I use this at the beginning of the season when I need to do a team overhaul. This is best used with tact when you want to enrol multiple players. New players join the EPL each season and you should enrol them before their prices soar.
Pro Tip: There’s a high probability that Messi will sign with Manchester city. Rumours have it that he’ll be worth £13M. Consider purchasing him (if you can afford) as he’ll definitely earn you more points than Salah who’s currently the most expensive player in the Fantasy League.
You’re only given one free transfer each week and any additional transfer results in a four point loss. Each week’s unused transfer is rolled onto the next week (max two free transfers).
The Bench Boost chip lets you earn points for all the subs on your bench for a game week. The triple captain chip gives your captain a 3x multiplier for each point earned instead of the usual 2x multiplier.
Bonus points are given for each action with goals carrying the most points. There are negative bonus points for shunned events such as being tackled, getting booked, missing a penalty, scoring an own goal and events like those. Here’s a full list of actions and the bonus points you earn.
My fantasy football squad
Next season begins in two weeks and I’m finalising my squad. Chelsea have just signed Ziyech and Timo Werner; I have high hopes in these players and they’ll feature in my team. Last season was great for Man City and even though they did not win, I will still retain Kevin de Bruine as my captain. I love Liverpool’s impenetrable defence. This back line is fantastic. I will go for their two full backs and for their central defender.
Goalkeepers don’t usually fetch high points and I won’t be investing up a sizeable amount on them. Al-Habsi is a bargain and I’ll go with him. Clean sheets are rewarded with bonus points in the fantasy premier league. I’ll go With Hangeland from Fulham and if I won’t be able to afford him, David Luiz will be my second choice. Dempsey was last season’s midfielder of choice but is highly priced. I’ll go with Park Ji-Sung.
Salah and Mane both earned high points in last season but there’s no value in purchasing them this season as they’re too expensive. I will get around this by buying multiple players instead who’ll be compensating their absence. I have my eyes on Doherty, Trent and Robbo. Either way, it’s easier selling high value players than buying them and if you plan on having them on your team, do so early in the season.
Mastering fantasy premier league
Be mindful of how you use your chips and don’t blow them all at the start of the season. A time will come when you’ll badly need them for bonus points. They’re only redeemable once in each season and you should capitalise on them when you’ll reap the most benefit. I only use my chips when I have more than three players in my squad playing multiple games in the same game week.
PRO TIP: Use the triple captain chip on a game week when your captain is playing multiple matches.
Also, follow soccer matches and plan ahead. Look at the upcoming games of the players you’re about to transfer in. If there are multiple “easy” matches ahead and you think they’ll score, buy them. If a player in your squad isn’t performing well and there are great fixtures ahead. Don’t sell them yet.
Never second guess yourself either. If you brought in a player and he isn’t scoring points; give him sometime before considering a transfer out. This goes for betting too.
The midfield is where the most action occurs, invest more here. Each goal gives you 5 points and a clean sheet means that you’ll be reaping from the game too. 3-4-3 is my favorite formation. EPL coaches love it and that’s because it works. Defenders won’t be giving you more points than forwards, there’s no real benefit in having more than three. 3-4-3 is my go to formation. I try out 3-5-3 occasionally too.
I’m Kanyi Muturi and am from Tabuga, a small village in Nakuru. I have been following all sports since I was a kid and have been interested in the gambling side of sports since I was in high school. It took me a little while to get a grasp on all of the different gambling terminology and understand how confusing and complicated it can all seem when you first start.
Are you a professional gambler?
I am a successful gambler. But make no mistake about it: I’m a long-time recreational sports bettor. I’m not a professional gambler. I’m not claiming to be a professional gambler. I’ve never, to my recollection, even been acquainted with a professional gambler. And far be it from me to make the preposterous claim that following my advice will turn you into a professional gambler. It ain’t about that. Not here it ain’t. I just want to teach you a new form of recreation, a fun new pastime in what can sometimes be an unfun life.
