After a summer filled with excitement from Euro 2020 and the Olympics, the Premier League returns on Friday and so does fantasy football.
Players of both the popular Fantasy Premier League and Sky Sports Fantasy Football games will be planning out their transfers and analysing the fixtures list to get the maximum possible return in their quest for the top.
For many, the overall ranking is one thing but position in mini-leagues takes priority with the competitive nature of much smaller competitions. This is where risky transfers but brave moves could pay off in a big way.
Ahead of the new season, Tom Carnduff talks strategy, tactics, transfers and more.
How many transfers do I have on FPL?
After the season kicks off, FPL allows players to have one free transfer per week, while a maximum of two can be accumulated if a free transfer isn't used.
Any transfers beyond the free allocation come at a cost of -4 points per move.
It would be a good move to keep some money behind in the bank for future transfers. Whether that be the potential arrival of a big-name striker to the Premier League or to allow for more flexibility down the line.
Many will look to cheaper defenders but having a few million spare means that minimal movement needs to made if a more expensive option was required.
How many transfers do I have on Sky Sports Fantasy Football?
Sky Sports Fantasy Football players are given 40 transfers for the entire season, with a maximum of five available to use on any one gameweek.
The difference with the Sky game is that you can make transfers during a gameweek and it will keep the points of the player transferred out.
For example, if Mohamed Salah plays and scores on a Saturday and on Sunday morning, you take Salah out to bring in Harry Kane who is playing that day, you will keep the points accumulated by Salah and then earn any points scored by Kane in his game.
What are the chips available on FPL?
Bench Boost: This will count the points scored by players on your bench alongside those in your starting XI.
Triple Captain: This will see your captain score triple points for that gameweek rather than double.
Free Hit: You can make an unlimited amount of changes to your squad for one gameweek only. After that gameweek, your squad reverts to how it was previously.
Wildcard: Make unlimited transfers to your squad within the £100m budget. Once confirmed, your team will remain like this until you make further changes.
When is the best time to use chips on FPL?
Keeping an eye out for double gameweeks will maximise the potential. Currently, there are none scheduled for this season but they could change as we approach the second-half. Keep BENCH BOOST and TRIPLE CAPTAIN available for these double gameweeks.
FREE HIT is worth using on a week where either not many teams are playing or certain teams have two games. As we reach the latter stages of the FA Cup, teams will start seeing games postponed and then tagged on to current gameweeks. Having a chip available for these occasions could prove to be crucial at the end of the season.
The temptation may be to go early with the WILDCARD but it's worth keeping for a few weeks as the Premier League begins to take shape. Another of these will be available for the second-half of the season.
When is the Overhaul on Sky Sports Fantasy Football?
The first Overhaul of the Sky Sports Fantasy Football season will take place after the completion of Gameweek 3. There will be another at some stage in 2022.
These early Overhaul is key because it should greatly influence pre-season picks going into the new season. Rather than selecting players for the season, it's worth picking those who have good-looking fixtures for the first three.
Brighton (Burnley A, Watford H, Everton H), West Ham (Newcastle A, Leicester H, Crystal Palace H) and Liverpool (Norwich A, Burnley H, Chelsea H) look good teams to target for players ahead of the Overhaul.
Who are the best big hitters to include on fantasy football?
While the hunt for the bargain player of the season is an exciting one, the majority of points are earned by players who carry a big price tag. It takes up a significant part of the budget but with good reason - they will be the ones who make the difference in mini-leagues and overall rankings.
It's about picking the right one though. Certain players carry price tags based on reputation rather than results and they will be the ones who hold back any potential progress.
Just because a player is hitting double figures with their price tag doesn't mean they will produce. It's about finding the right one to take the team forward - a number of contenders tick that box.
Mohamed Salah
- Position: MID/FWD
- FPL price: £12.5m
- Sky price: £11.9m
A popular selection across both fantasy football games and with good reason. Mohamed Salah has regularly posted points and justified the expensive price tag that he brings.
A bonus is that FPL has him down as a midfielder so his goals bring extra points. It's hardly a surprise to see that 49.8% of players already have him ahead of Liverpool's opening game of the season against Norwich.
Salah's average FPL points return across the past four seasons has been 256.5 and there's every chance he is around the same range in the quest for the Premier League's Golden Boot accolade.
It's no fluke either as that has been a consistent return area through his time at Anfield. In fact, it's best indicated in the fact that his average Expected Fantasy Premier League Points (xFPL) tally is 246.02 - that's Fantasy Football Fix's metric which takes in performances relating to fantasy football to create an expected tally across the course of a season.
Maybe it's a budget thing, but you can imagine that the 50.2% of players without Salah will quickly be searching for ways to include him. Even with potential incomings who will carry big price tags, the Liverpool forward is a must-have.
Bruno Fernandes
- Position: MID
- FPL price: £12.0m
- Sky price: £11.8m
For many, it's a case of one or the other when it comes to taking Bruno Fernandes or Salah. Both leaves you limited in other areas considering they take up nearly a quarter of the overall budget combined but it can be done if significant cut backs are made elsewhere.
Fernandes has been a hit since arriving at Manchester United. He managed 117 points in just half a season during 2019/20 and then followed that up with an impressive 244 as they finished runners-up in 2020/21.
FPL's metrics for measuring players makes Fernandes the top fantasy football asset. Combining Influence, Creativity and Threat puts the midfielder top of the ICT Index and that will persuade many to include him - he's already in 47.1% of teams.
However, it comes down to opinions on the Fernandes/Salah debate and the realistic situation is that you can only include one. Both are penalty takers while Salah is more of the goalscorer and Bruno the provider. Whichever route you go down, you won't necessarily be missing out by going one over the other.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £7.5m
- Sky price: £10.5m
The temptation is often to spend big on midfield and attack with the aim of trying to find reliable, cheap defenders to balance it out. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold is worth the big fee at the top of the defenders list.
Even if the right-back isn't in the starting squad, it's worth holding back some budget so that it's a possibility to bring him in without having to create a transfer chain to make it happen. Norwich (A), Burnley (H), Crystal Palace (A) and Brentford (A) are in Liverpool's first six fixtures while the reverse of those games comes during a six-week run in January and February.
Alexander-Arnold has smashed the triple figure mark for three consecutive seasons now with 160 FPL points in 2020/21, 210 in 2019/20 and 185 in 2018/19. It would be reasonable to expect him to be around the 180 mark again this time around.
He should have beaten that with Fantasy Football Fix's xFPL metric having him on 190.15 points last season. The large majority of his income is from assists and clean sheets but he has shown that he is capable of contributing with goals of his own. The bonus points system has also benefitted his performances - an average of 25 extra points per season across his last three.
Who are the best bargain players to include on fantasy football?
While the big-hitters will often deliver points to go with their eye-catching price tags, we see players star at bargain prices every single season and the 2021/22 campaign should be no different.
Caglar Soyuncu and Stuart Dallas were the stars of the past two seasons with both providing great returns from a low price in defence. There have been others elsewhere though with Patrick Bamford hitting 194 points during Leeds' return to the top-flight after netting 17 last season.
Every team should have a few low-priced options to balance out the big prices that come with the more 'established' fantasy football assets. There is a slight gamble that comes with this and team news should always be monitored, but there are players who can enjoy great seasons.
Joe Willock
- Position: MID
- FPL price: £6.0m
- Sky price: £7.8m
A price that is particularly appealing to FPL players. While still an Arsenal player, reports emerged on Monday morning that Willock was set to join Newcastle on a permanent basis after a great second-half of the season on-loan at the club. That makes him a solid fantasy football pick for 2021/22.
His eight goals helped him to 79 FPL points while at St. James' Park - almost double that of the 41 from the season before - and replication of that across a full season should see him floating around the 150 mark.
The initial £6.0m FPL price won't last if he picks up where he left off but the bonus for Sky players is that that tag won't change - it's a case of getting in ahead of the curve with that selection.
Even going at his xFPL rate (65.56 in 20/21) would put Willock around 130 points which remains a great return for a midfielder as cheap as he is. For context of that price, £6.0m also gets you Xherdan Shaqiri or Donny van de Beek - the combined points from those two failed to match that of Willock during 2020/21.
Raphinha
- Position: MID
- FPL price: £6.5m
- Sky price: £8.3m
Those who set the prices at FPL headquarters must have been half asleep when they decided that Leeds star Raphinha could go in at £6.5m this season. He scored 133 points during his debut season at the club.
It looks an even more remarkable price when we factor in that they rank him 15th out of 492 on the ICT Index. The player judged to be the 15th best option on the game is priced at an incredibly low price - it's probably impacted by the fact that he sits 10th among midfielders on the same scale.
Having a season settling into the division should mean even better returns this time around and we can expect more than 16 direct goal involvements (goals + assists) as Leeds aim for an outside push at the European places.
They may face Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool in their first four games, but no opponent goes above 3 on the Fixture Difficulty Rating in their next six fixtures after that. We can expect his points tally to be decent after Leeds play their first ten.
Robert Sanchez
- Position: GK
- FPL price: £4.5m
- Sky price: £6.5m
Goalkeeper is the one position where you can go cheaper to open up funds elsewhere and Robert Sanchez is a great value selection at a tiny £4.5m on FPL and £6.5m on Sky.
Sanchez has established himself as the number one option for Brighton and his Sky price makes him cheaper than Alphonse Areola (£6.6m) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (£6.7m) who won't be starting figures at their clubs.
The same applies to FPL, with £4.5m also getting you Burnley duo Will Norris and Wayne Hennessey, Liverpool's Adrian and Manchester City's Zack Steffen - all of those will be sitting on the bench while Sanchez is in goal for the Seagulls.
It's a huge surprise to see that only 22.9% of FPL players have Sanchez in their squad - alongside an incredibly low 2.62% of Sky players - the price is too low considering his role and that has seemingly made him one overlooked by the majority of players.
Who could play for a low price on fantasy football?
This is an interesting one where we really have to guess how much involvement the player will have. It's particularly important on FPL with four bench slots to go alongside the starting XI - you want players that will free up the budget elsewhere but also ones that are going to feature.
The newly-promoted sides often provide value but there are players - particularly younger ones - who have developed to a point where they could be enjoying more regular football.
The same can also be said for teams who are experiencing injuries - that results in the full use of their squad and bringing in those who wouldn't usually get consistent first team opportunities.
Daniel Amartey
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £4.0m
- Sky price: £5.7m
Wesley Fofana had established himself as the best value selection before the season had got underway. However, an injury picked up in a pre-season game means he is facing a lengthy spell on the sideline and is guaranteed to miss the first-half of the new campaign.
What that does mean is Leicester using their squad though and Daniel Amartey could come into the side. If he can establish himself as a short-term regular, his £4.0m price tag will seem incredible value if the Foxes are battling among the top-four again.
The start of a new season leaves some guessing games regarding formations and starting line-ups, but Amartey got a spot in the XI for Leicester's Community Shield victory over Manchester City - he formed part of a back-three alongside Soyuncu and Wilfred Ndidi.
If that is the way Leicester are going to solve their defensive issues, Amartey is well worth having not only as a bench player but one who can provide points as a starter.
Ki-Jana Hoever
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £4.0m
- Sky price: £6.0m
He may have only secured 13 points last season, but a change in head coach could benefit Ki-Jana Hoever who has been heavily involved in Wolves' pre-season programme.
The defender has featured regularly - scoring against Las Palmas and playing the full 90 in a recent outing against Celta Vigo.
While he will be battling Nelson Semedo for the right-back position, the potential for Wolves to play a back-three with some injury issues could see Hoever involved from the start. He can slot in on the right side of that trio and solid performances may lead to him keeping the spot.
It's the fact he's seriously in contention which you don't often get for players priced at £4.0m on FPL. A bench player who should get opportunities throughout the season.
Andrew Omobamidele
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £4.0m
- Sky price: £5.5m
Some may be put off backing Norwich's defence if this Premier League season becomes anything like their last but Andrew Omobamidele looks a great bench option at a bargain £4.0m price.
It's a selection only worth making if you prefer the three-man defence, four at the most, with the 19-year-old playing the final eight games of the Canaries' successful Sky Bet Championship season.
He's enjoyed plenty of minutes in pre-season, playing the full 90 in their last outing against Newcastle, and he could feature in the early stages of the new campaign.
While he may not return plenty of points, Omobamidele looks a good value option that actually has a chance of featuring - the same can't be said for other £4.0m players.
Konstantinos Tsimikas
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £4.0m
- Sky price: £6.6m
One that provides more appeal in terms of pricing on FPL than Sky, Konstantinos Tsimikas could be an excellent value option if Andy Robertson is sidelined through injury for the beginning of the campaign.
The left-back went off in the pre-season friendly draw with Athletic Bilbao at the weekend and Tsimikas could be given an opportunity to play if that keeps Robertson out for a few weeks.
Tsimikas' chances have been limited but he's been a part of the pre-season set-up and seems the most natural replacement for the injured Robertson. The key to this one is keeping an eye on Jurgen Klopp's comments or news from Liverpool in the coming days.
If Tsimikas is in, he simply has to be included in FPL sides before being transferred out when the starter returns. £4.0m for a starting Liverpool defender? Yes please.
Who will be the new players on fantasy football?
As ever, the season beginning before the transfer window concludes means that players will be added to the game after the first kick-off.
It's usually a number of smaller transfers that won't carry a significant fantasy football price tag. However, with the way the window is going and the reports flying around, we could see a couple of huge moves happen which will have a big impact on FPL and Sky teams.
Lionel Messi? That's the dream, and my word would it be worth doing every budget option possible to fit him in, but we have to accept that we probably won't see him in the Premier League. That doesn't mean there won't be other headline grabbing transfers though.
Romelu Lukaku
- Position: FWD
- FPL price: TBC
- Sky price: £11.3m (?)
A familiar face to Premier League fans and fantasy football players following spells at Everton, Manchester United, West Brom and Chelsea - and it appears like a return to the latter is happening with Thomas Tuchel keen on adding a striker to his squad.
It's a huge money move - rumoured around the £100m mark - to bring Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge but he hits 'must-have' territory when he hits the fantasy games. He'll bring the goals that Chelsea were missing last season.
Lukaku played a key part in Inter's Serie A success last season, scoring 24 times from chances equating to 22.40 expected goals (xG) for the Italian champions.
We could predict he'll come in around £10m-£11m on FPL and are led to believe that he will be around the £11.3m mark on the Sky game. It will use up a major part of the budget but in this case it's worth it.
Harry Kane
- Position: FWD
- FPL price: £12.5m
- Sky price: £12m
Harry Kane is already on both fantasy football games as a Tottenham player and he commands a high fee - it's justified considering he picked up the Golden Boot last season and also secured the most assists in the Premier League.
We're uncertain about Spurs' approach with Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm and how Kane will perform. However, the big question surrounds whether he will be at the club or if a rumoured move to Manchester City will happen.
Kane at City would be a mouth-watering fantasy football prospect. A proven goalscorer in England's top-flight being placed up front in one of Europe's most creative teams - he would justify every penny of the two £12m+ price tags.
If that move does happen, it's very likely to be after the season has started so it looks a smart play to keep some budget free just in case Kane becomes a City player. There will be significant points missed out on without him in your side.
Adam Armstrong
- Position: FWD
- FPL price: TBC
- Sky price: TBC
Kane has a huge price tag - as will Lukaku when he arrives - but Adam Armstrong may represent a value option if he does make the move to either Crystal Palace or Southampton - the latter has reportedly agreed a fee with his club Blackburn.
We can't expect his FPL price to go above £6.5m and it may look a steal if he can continue his 2020/21 form which saw him net 28 goals from an xG of 27.74 in 40 Sky Bet Championship games.
It does depend how Palace or Southampton perform this season and if they are good enough to be a serious threat in attack but Blackburn's 15th place finish shows that he can score in teams who aren't at the top-end of the table.
There's more of a gamble feel to this selection but it might be one that gets ahead of the curve if he performs as the season progresses.
My initial FPL squad
There are a number of suggestions made above and many of them have made it into what may well be my final FPL squad going into the new season - although that depends on potential moves for Kane and Lukaku.
I've tried to create a balance of players commanding a big price tag alongside those value players, while also keeping £5.5m in the bank so that moves for one big-name striker can be made if/when those transfers go through.
Two regular goalkeepers gives the option to rotate - a mistake I made last season was not having this - while a preferred 3-4-3/3-5-2 formation means less reliance on points coming from clean sheets with goalscorers and playmakers in the side.
GK: Robert Sanchez (BHA - £4.5m)
GK: Kasper Schmeichel (LEI - £5.0m)
DEF: Ben White (ARS - £4.5m)
DEF: Daniel Amartey (LEI - £4.0m)
DEF: Andrew Omobamidele (NOR - £4.0m)
DEF: Aaron Cresswell (WHU - £5.5m)
DEF: Ki-Jana Hoever (WOL - £4.0m)
MID: Joe Willock (ARS - £6.0m)
MID: Jack Grealish (MCI - £8.0m)
MID: Kai Havertz (CHE - £8.5m)
MID: Raphinha (LEE - £6.5m)
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV - £12.5m)
FWD: Richarlison (EVE - £7.5m)
FWD: Rodrigo (LEE - £6.5m)
FWD: Michail Antonio (WHU - £7.5m)
Money remaining: £5.5m