Fantasy Football Top 6 tips!

With the FPL live millions of fans around the world are about to pick 15 players who will ultimately define who is crowned the be  'football genius' in each and every social group... until next season. Before the first match, Hull vs Leicester, on Saturday 13th August, we offer 5 tips on how to set up and excel at Fantasy Football before the first ball has been kicked!

1) Use the official Fantasy Premier League site

There are many different websites offering Fantasy Football, the Telegraph, Sun and the Mirror all give users the chance to select players for one's squad. However we recommend the official Fantasy Premier League site since it is the largest, neatest and most in depth of all which will give you the best experience. There are very few limitations on this site, unlike the Mirror version you can join multiple leagues which is useful for different social groups. Furthermore one use only features such as a 'wildcard' and 'triple captain' add an exciting element to the game which diversifies it from other formats.

2) Get a good team name 

To become a true Fantasy Football legend one must come up with a team name which is original and witty in equal measure. The best team names integrate a player's name into the mix, one of the most common names being: Michu at De Gea bar. Try and avoid names like 'Tom's team', 'Will's winners' or 'Sam's squad' which are boring and forgettable. Some good names in the past, for inspiration not copy and pasting are:

• Wanyamas in pajamas
• 50 Shades of O'Shea
• Who ate all Depay 
• Bacuna matata

3) Set up a League with your friends

The best part about Fantasy Football is arriving to school/work on a Monday morning having seen your captain, Joe Allen, score a hat trick to send you to the top of a 7 man leaderboard. To ensure you feel this jubilation set up a League well in advance, you can share this League on social media alongside an entry pin to allow as many of your mates to enter as possible. We reinforce to set it up ASAP since a League is not the same if someone joins in September, 100 points off 2nd from bottom with no hope of catching up despite using all possible bonuses. 

Click here to set up a League! 

4) Watch out for fixture clashes! 

For example say you rate Thibaut Courtouis and Gary Cahil, you think they are some of the best defensive players in the game and many will struggle to get past them. Further forwards you saw Payet at the Euros for France and that free kick against Crystal Palace that you watched on Facebook over and over is in the back of your mind, so you draft him in. You go one step further and make him your captain, West Ham are your second favourite team after all! However this is an all too common mistake, you have already limited yourself as if Payet scores then Cahil and Courtois can't keep a clean sheet and vise versa. To gain maximum points ensure teams aren't clashing, however this isn't as essential with two offensive players on opposite teams (Costa and Payet) as they aren't affected by clean sheets. 

5) Have a clear understanding of how points work

Players are seperated into 4 positions : 

• Goalkeepers
• Defenders
• Midfielders
• Forwards

Each position receives a different number of points for contribution (goal,assist, clean sheet) as shown below: 

Contributions such as tackling and heading don't result in additional points as a result a defensive player like Wanyama will be uncommon in teams whereas someone further like Eriksen will be much more common as he is more likely to be involved in a goal. Whilst Wanyama is more likely to contribute to whether Tottenham receive a clean sheet he will receive the same number of points (1) as Eriksen if they do, as a result I would suggest avoiding defensively minded midfielders like Matic, Kante, Dier, Schneiderlin, Wanyama etc. as they won't be involved further forwards.

Be aware that players can only be classed as a position once (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or forward) and this can't be changed halfway through the season. This could either be a hindrance or a benefit, for example: 

Daley Blind: 2015/2016 

Blind was classed as a midfielder however was more commonly deployed as a centre back. As a result he had less chance further forwards yetc would only be awarded 1 point for a clean sheet despite playing in defence whereas Smalling would receive 4 points. Hindrance. 

Alberto Moreno: 2015/2016

Moreno was originally classed as a left back however under Klopp he played further forwards as a left midfielder (because his defensive incompetence was showing!) This was a benefit for those with Moreno in their squad as further forwards he was more likely to score and would receive 6 points for doing so whereas say Coutinho would receive 5 as he's classed as a midfielder. 

For further explanation click here! 

6) Check your team closer to the date (12th August) 

It's all very well picking your team in July however given the open transfer window and some teams reckless and wild approach any move is possible which could affect your whole squad. For example: 

Javier Hernandez: 2015/16

The former Manchester United striker left the club on the 31st of August 2015 to Bayer Leverkusen for £7 million. As a result those unlucky few who had selected him prior to the move had wasted a valuable position in their 15 man squad since the Mexican could earn them no points at all. 

Anthony Martial: 2015/2016

Martial was a surprise deadline day move last season and after 11 league goals he was Manchester United's most influential outfield player. Some will be tempted to add new players as they come in to give them the advantage over dozing competitors. 

Bear in mind that the first match is the 13th August so transfers can come thick and fast before then (Paul Pogba perhaps?) We recommend checking your team the day before for both transfers in and out and also injuries, an icon next to players will notify you whether they are out of contention, a doubt or fully fit. Further along the line you must be wary of suspensions.