A new Premier League season is right around the corner and it presents the perfect opportunity for beginners to venture into the world of FPL in 2023/24.
FPL continues to grow in popularity, from global leagues with huge prize pools to a mini-league with your friends, and is the best way to become fully integrated with the rigors of a Premier League season.
With hundreds of players to choose from, a budget to manage, injuries and suspensions to consider, and five chips to use over the course of the season, it can be offputting to new players, but it shouldn’t be.
We’re here to help with our beginner’s guide to how to play FPL in 2023/24
A beginner’s guide to Fantasy Premier League
Selecting a team
Every player in FPL needs to select a squad consisting of 15 total players, with 11 of those then selected as the starting XI for individual gameweeks.
A budget of £100 million is provided to each player, where you must select two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three forwards.
You cannot go over your budget and must remember that a maximum of three players can be chosen from any one Premier League club.
When selecting a line-up, any formation can be chosen as long as the selection of 11 players includes a goalkeeper, at least three defenders, at least two midfielders, and at least one forward.
The deadline for selecting your line-up is 90 minutes before the kick-off time for the first match of the gameweek.
Making transfers
While real Premier League teams are restricted to just two transfer windows a year, managers in FPL can make changes after each gameweek, though there are restrictions.
After each gameweek, each manager receives one free transfer, which enables you to swap a new player in for a member of your 15-man squad, as long as the change remains within your budget.
Additional transfers can be made after each gameweek, though four points will be lost for each additional transfer.
Related: How to change your FPL team name
Player prices
Player prices were revealed well in advance of the first gameweek of the 2023/24 Premier League season, though they will fluctuate over the course of a campaign depending on their popularity.
Managers can receive transfer profit if they purchased a player for a lower price than they are currently rated at, though you must pay a sell-on fee of 50 percent, rounded down to the nearest £0.1 million.
For example, if a player rose by £0.5 million in the season and was sold, managers who transferred them out would receive a profit of £0.2 million.
Scoring points
Players in FPL are awarded points for scoring goals, providing assists, making saves, and keeping clean sheets. Additional points are awarded if a player is among the top performers in a match, based on the Bonus Points System (BPS).
A team will receive points for the players that were in their starting line-up but, if a selected player does not feature for their team, the first player on the bench will automatically be selected instead.
This process is repeated if two or three starting players fail to appear, so you must rank your substitutes in order of preference.
A captain and a vice-captain also need to be selected. A captain will see their score for the gameweek doubled, with the vice-captain stepping up into the captain role if the selected captain does not feature for their team.
Joining a league
Managers in FPL can compete in a variety of different leagues, with each team able to compete in up to five public leagues and up to 25 invitational leagues.
Public leagues are exactly as they sound and are open to all, while invitational leagues are by invite only and you must use the unique code to join the league. This is where your leagues with friends and co-workers will be.
There is no limit to the number of teams in a league.
Related: How to check your FPL Team ID
Using Chips
Managers receive five chips to use over the course of a season that provides boosts to their team. They are as follows:
- Wildcard: Completely change your team without forfeiting points (useable twice).
- Triple Captain: Get three times your points total for your captain.
- Bench Boost: Earn points from your non-playing substitutes.
- Free Hit: Reset your team for one week only before it reverts.
Of these chips, the Wildcard is the most important because it allows you to make as many transfers as possible, which is particularly useful if you find your squad ravaged by injuries or suspension.
But you need to remember that only one chip can be played in a gameweek, so you need to be tactical with your choices.
