Another Premier League Season Kicking Off - What’s in It for Fantasy Lovers
The Premier League season has kicked off again, and armchair managers around the country are able to put their opinions to the test by playing fantasy football. Obviously, there are massive differences between real management and fantasy football, even games like Football Manager differ significantly from the popular game that has friend groups and workplaces setting up leagues to test their skills.
One of the major benefits of playing FF is that it gives players a better understanding of what players contribute to a match, and helps them look at fixtures and all the variables that affect individual and team performances.
Not only can this give players a better understanding of the game and more interest in fixtures that don’t involve teams they support, but it can also be useful for bettors. UK betting sites offer a great selection of markets to bet on, and FF gives players a better insight into how players have been performing.
This is especially important at the start of a new season with new teams coming into the league and teams strengthening positions or losing key players. The Fantasy Football format gives managers a set amount of money to spend on a squad, with a free transfer every week to make changes based on injuries and favourable fixtures.
Players are now able to store free transfers for a few weeks or take a points hit to make more changes. As always, team captains earn double points, and other game chips can be used to improve scores.
Some changes have been made for the 2025/26 season that managers should be aware of, with defensive contributions seeing outfield players rewarded for making clearances, blocks, tackles, and interceptions. Defenders that reach a 10 combined from these stats will be awarded 2 points, while midfielders and forwards must reach 12 ball recoveries to earn 2 points.
This will make a big difference to the game, with players previously focusing purely on attacking qualities in the hopes that more defensive players might chip in with goals or assists. Attacking contributions will still play a massive part in the game, but more defensive-minded players will enjoy greater rewards.
Another big change to the system this season is that the game chips will reset on December 30th, giving players two sets to play with. Previously, many managers would hold onto valuable chips for later in the season when fixtures would pile up and double game weeks would become more common.
This new rule will see the bench boost, triple captain, free hit, and wildcard chips being used earlier in the season. Chips that are not used by this deadline will be lost, as players cannot carry them forward.
Other changes that could impact results and team choices include the simplification of assists in the game, with points awarded to the player with the final touch (from the attacking team) before a goal is scored. Free transfers during the Africa Cup of Nations will be topped up, while players also have the opportunity to create their own team badge this year using Adobe Express’s Firefly AI tool.
The usual suspects of Palmer, Salah, and Haaland are already among the top picks among players, but some low-priced players that are set to feature a lot this season are also big choices, with Burnley’s Dubravka the most selected goalkeeper thanks to his chances of playing and price of £4m.
Other great value picks popular among players include Tottenham’s Ven de Ven, West Ham’s Wan-Bissaka, and Sunderland’s loan forward Marc Guiu.
Players will be able to test themselves in an overall league of all contestants, leagues based on the teams they support, the countries they are in, and invitational leagues that can be set up by individuals.
Image: Terrace Grain on Unsplash
