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FPL Top 50 Tips: Team Setup

Fantasy Football Fix 21 July 2024

Budget Distribution Strategies for Successful Fantasy Premier League Teams

Ever wonder how the top 50 Fantasy Premier League managers dominate the competition? The FPL Top 50 Tips series cracks the code on their strategies, exploring formation choices, budget allocation, team setups, chip usage, player rotation, captaincy picks, transfer tactics, and Wildcard deployment. Learn from the best and take your FPL game to the next level!


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In this blog, we examine the budget distribution for the most successful Fantasy Premier League (FPL) teams, aiming to determine the optimal team setup.

Fantasy Premier League average cost per position graphs

Fantasy Premier League average cost per position graphs for Gameweek 1

Goalkeepers

Top Fantasy Premier League managers, including the ‘All Time Top 50’ and ‘Top 50’ user groups, typically opt for budget options as their primary goalkeeper, with an average spend of just £4.6M. The ‘All FPL’ user group spends slightly more, averaging £4.9M for their primary keeper, favouring options like Onana and Martinez over Pickford, who was the top-scoring goalkeeper.

For their second goalkeeper, the ‘All Time Top 50’ and ‘Top 50’ groups spent an average of £4.2M. This season, £4.0M starting keepers such as Areola and Dubravka (when Pope was injured) were popular choices.

Defenders

In Gameweek 1, the ‘All Time Top 50’ and ‘Top 50’ groups spent less on their first defender (£5.5M and £5.6M, respectively) compared to £7.5M in the 2022/23 season. This shift away from premium defenders like Alexander-Arnold reflects a broader trend. However, the average investment in defenders by the ‘Top 50’ (£6.3M) and ‘All Time Top 50’ (£6.1M) increased over the season. This was likely due to investments in players like White, who ended the season as the top-scoring defender with 182 points and was the 5th highest-owned defender among the top 100k managers, with 32.1% ownership.

Midfielders

Top FPL managers allocate a significant portion of their budget to their first midfield position, often investing in players like Son, Salah, or De Bruyne. The second-highest midfield position also sees substantial investment. Spending on the second midfield slot is consistent across the three groups, with options in the £8.5M - £9.0M bracket, including Saka, Ødegaard, Foden, and B. Fernandes. Similar spending patterns are seen in the third midfield option (£8.1M - £8.6M) and the fourth (£6.5M - £6.8M), indicating a strong “template team” among both top managers and across FPL.

Forwards

As expected, most managers owned Haaland for the majority of the season, explaining the £14.0M investment in the first forward slot for Gameweek 1 by the ‘Top 50’ and ‘All Time Top 50’ user groups. These managers started the season with similar investment in the forward line (£25.7M - £25.3M) and maintained comparable investment throughout the season (£26.4M - £26.1M). As team values increased, the third forward was often upgraded from a budget option (£4.6M - £4.8M) to one with a higher likelihood of returning points (£5.7M - £5.8M). Players like Mateta, Cunha, or João Pedro were popular upgrades depending on the stage of the season.

Conclusion

By analysing the budget strategies of top FPL managers, you can optimise your own team’s budget allocation and enhance your chances of success in the Fantasy Premier League. Keep these insights in mind as you plan your transfers and team selection throughout the season.


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