Premier League Preview for Fantasy Football (2019-2020)

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The 2019-2020 season of Fantasy Football is upon us, putting true football knowledge to the test! While fans may get excited about the actual football, nothing matches the rush of forming, managing, and leading your own star lineup to glory.

The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) deadline for Gameweek 1 is set for tonight (Friday, August 9) at exactly an hour before Liverpool play Norwich City. We're here to give you a helping hand in recruiting your stars.

How to Play Fantasy Premier League (& Win!)

First you need to head to the official FPL website and create an account . Then you'll need to select 15 players in total*:

● 2 Goalkeepers ● 5 Defenders ● 5 Midfielders ● 3 Forwards *You can have a maximum number of three players from one club.

You'll be given a budget of 100m to form your team, composed of English football's finest. Once the first ball is kicked tonight at 9pm, your players will start earning you points based on real-life results and performances each week in the Premier League - putting you at the heart of the action every week!

The better your players do, the more points you gain and the closer to the top of the ranks you'll rise. Each gameweek, you'll select 11 active team members from your squad of 15 to do the job. However, just remember that your substitutes will not gain points for your team (unless they're drafted in if one of your starting 11 doesn't play), so choose carefully!

You can also make transfers before each gameweek starts. You're given one free transfer per week, which carries over to a maximum of two free transfers if you don't use one. You must have your trades confirmed before the first match of the gameweek.

One important thing to consider is your team captain. These players earn double every week, so it's imperative to think about who's in the best position to earn points before the gameweek starts. You can change captain each week if you wish, while you are also required to choose a vice-captain in case the skipper doesn't play.

Remember Fantasy Premier League Double Gameweek 19-20!

Team managers should pay special attention to Double Gameweeks in the FPL 2019-2020 season.

Double Gameweeks are when a team plays two (or more) matches in the same gameweek - and therefore present the perfect opportunity for savvy managers to rack up more points. Make sure to keep an eye out for these occasions, as your rivals won't hesitate to spring an advantage.

Double Gameweeks haven't been confirmed for the 19-20 season yet. However, once the backlog of games builds up between February and April due to other cup competitions, you'll start to see these Double Gameweeks appearing on the schedule.

Fantasy Football Chips

Now, it's essential to know the little advantages you can give yourself over the course of the season, with each player getting 4 different bonus "Chips" in fantasy football. These work in a similar way to bonus chips at a casino in the sense that they give you something extra that you wouldn't otherwise have.

You can only play one FPL chip per week - and here's how they work: ● Bench Boost (1 per season): Play your entire squad of 15 players to maximise your points tally. ● Triple Captain (1 per season): For one gameweek, your selected captain will earn triple rather than double. If he doesn't play (and your vice-captain doesn't either), you'll lose this benefit! ● Free Hit Chip (1 per season): A free hit chip in Fantasy Football (FPL) allows you to swap your entire team just for that gameweek. ● Wildcard Chip (2 per season): Go one step further and swap your entire team permanently (more below).

Use Your Wildcard(s) Carefully!

A Fantasy Premier League Wildcard allows you to change your entire team without incurring any penalty points. You're given two opportunities to do this - one before Saturday, December 28 2019 at 3pm and another after this time.

Time spent doing work today:

17 minutes.

Time spent on my Fantasy Football team:

7 hours.

Using my wildcard:

First thing Monday morning.

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 9, 2019

Try not to be that player on Monday!

You can change formation in Fantasy Premier League purely by selecting new players. The site will automatically adopt the correct formation based on who you select. However, you must have a certain number of players for each position:

● 1 Goalkeeper ● 3-5 Defenders ● 2-5 Midfielders ● 1-3 Forwards

Get Regular Fantasy Football Tips and Tricks

Getting started in FPL can be daunting at first but fortunately there is a large community to help welcome new members get started.

Reddit is great for FPL tips and has a large community of enthusiastic members ready to discuss strategies, players, and offer advice about any aspect.

The official FPL Twitter is also a useful place to keep up to date of any announcements that might affect you.

THERE IS SO MUCH CHOICE 😎

Our #FPL experts pick out the best forwards on offer pic.twitter.com/ZEEvnSWqWE

— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 9, 2019

Fantasy Premier League Prizes

Although it's free to play and create your own team, there are chances to win Fantasy football prizes for performing well on the official site:

● Manager of the Year: Mass collection of prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and the 2019-2020 FPL Cup winner. You'll get gadgets, a copy of FIFA 20, FPL merch and in some cases a hospitality ticket to a match the following season. ● Manager of the Month: Whoever gets the most points each month will get a tablet computer, bluetooth speaker, FIFA 20, and Nike football gear. ● Manager of the Week: Whoever gets the most points each week will get FIFA 20, Nike match ball, and FPL merch.

If you do want to play for money, it's very common for friends, teammates, and/or work colleagues to pool together for a prize pot - often shared between the winner and runner-up. Just how serious it is often depends on the buy-in. Small amounts generally mean more casual affairs, while bigger entry requirements may well mean late-night scouting sessions!