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New York Times
19-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League: Analysing the major rule changes to the game for the 2025-26 season
It's Fantasy Premier League, but perhaps not as you know it. On Friday, the makers of everyone's favourite Premier League companion game announced two pretty major changes to the rules for the 2025-26 season, which will almost certainly affect strategies across the board. The first is that outfield players can now be rewarded with two FPL points for 'defensive contributions'. Advertisement Defenders who reach a combined total of 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (known as CBIT) in a single match will score two points, as will midfielders and forwards who reach 12 CBIT points – but in addition, they can also rack these up via 'ball recoveries'. The second major change is that FPL users will now have access to two super-powered sets of chips: the Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost. The initial four chips must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline on December 30, 2025, and cannot be carried over into the second half of the season. Here, our FPL experts Holly Shand and Abdul Rehman explore how these rule changes may impact the game and how you can take advantage of the new status quo. Holly: Doubling the number of chips for the season has definitely caught my eye and left me feeling excited about the season ahead. As an engaged manager, in the past I have often felt restricted by having to save chips for the second half of the season, where we typically see more blanks and double gameweeks — these have traditionally been the best time to use these chips 'on paper'. This time around, we will have an opportunity to use the our chips in the first half of the season, with the freedom to go on instinct and gut feeling, and without being punished in the second half of the campaign. Since the introduction of the chips in 2015-16, they have been the most exciting part of the game, with the power to make or break your season, and so to have those opportunities doubled provides plenty of hope. I think it will also encourage a greater variety of strategies and team differences, which is only a good thing in my eyes. Abdul: The double set of chips for sure. I am all for any changes that make the game more fun but at the same time, don't change the core scoring in the game. Having more chips means we don't need to wait until the second half of the season to use them around doubles and blanks. We can have a bit of fun using them in single weeks and chase upside. It also means more varied strategies which is a great thing. Advertisement Of course, we were free to use the chips in the first half of the season before but you would have to get quite lucky to outscore those managers using it around double and blank gameweeks. I think this will also keep more FPL managers engaged for longer, which is probably why they have introduced the change. Holly: We often see players new to the game using chips in the opening gameweeks of the season without realising their worth later in the campaign, and then being punished for this lack of knowledge. These changes will allow them to remain on an even keel with more experienced managers in the long term, instead of dropping off. As a content creator in FPL, a strong start is definitely helpful and so I'm absolutely open to using the chips early, too. Bench Boost has plenty of constraints on your team and could be something best played in Gameweek 1 or shortly after your first Wildcard. I'll personally be waiting to gather information on the worst defences in the league before committing to using a Triple Captain chip in the first half of the season, but it will likely be used on one of the big premium players like Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah. Free Hit can be used as a 'get out of jail free card' if injuries or suspensions leave your team in bad shape, or alternatively could be used to attack a gameweek with alternative picks when you have lots of players facing each other in your main squad. Abdul: I don't think it will change much for the second half of the season as it will still be optimal to use them around blanks and doubles — but it will mean planning more meticulously in the first half of the season now. A Bench Boost in Gameweek 1 becomes much more viable as you can set your team up for an early wildcard afterwards and get that chip 'out of the way'. You are effectively wildcarding in Gameweek 1, so it's not a bad time to play it at all now that we have another available to us. Advertisement Triple Captain and Free Hit can be used on a whim for as and when your team needs, and there will be less need for long-term strategy as we are not planning for doubles and blanks. The Free Hit might come in really handy actually, with so many teams competing in Europe and with the extra games. Having two sets of chips might even encourage FPL managers to be a bit more maverick with their first ones. Chasing differentials and unconventional times to use the chip is a lot easier when you know you have another set to use in the second half of the season. Holly: The removal of the Assistant Manager chip is another major positive for me, as the introduction of this chip in the 2024-25 season felt flawed on a number of levels. For starters, it felt far too complicated for casual managers to understand and the one-chip-per-gameweek rule will have caught many out. In addition, the chip had too much power in the game, with massive swings of 50-plus points if activated to perfection, which could cause a huge swing in overall rank and mini leagues come the end of the season. It was also frustrating to spend half the season looking at a 'Mystery Chip' with no idea of what it was or what it would do, and how that could impact strategy later in the season and so avoiding that eventuality is another positive in my book. Abdul: I enjoyed the Assistant Manager chip from a selfish point of view, simply because I gained around 45 points from it. But from a game-state perspective, I think it was the right decision to remove it from the game as it was too powerful. I also feel it was maybe a bit too complicated for the average manager to take advantage of it. It really advantaged the hardcore managers who were able to research the best time to use it. Advertisement There should be a nice balance of luck and skill in FPL, and at the moment, I think they have it right, even with the two sets of chips. The Assistant Manager chip tipped it too much into the luck category due to how the scoring was structured. You could literally come away with zero points while others were getting near 50. Holly: The introduction of defensive contribution points brings FPL in line with other popular fantasy games that we've seen from alternative providers, and those from major international tournaments. I'm not surprised of its inclusion given that it's been something well discussed in the FPL community for many years. I'm a little sceptical of the form in which it's been introduced, with a variety of actions all being pooled together in one metric known as clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (CBIT) for defenders, and then ball recoveries also for attacking players — it might have been neater to have those actions counting individually. It will change the way FPL managers watch games and scout players, and there will almost certainly be some frustrations along the way of exactly which actions are credited towards the tally of 10 or 12 respectively to activate the two point bonus. Brand new for the 2025/26 season 🤩 Introducing defensive contribution points 🛡️#FPL — Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2025 Abdul: I am not a big fan of the points for defensive contributions. There is only an extra two points on offer per game and player, so it's not overpowered and won't cause a huge shift in the viable player pool. However, the reason I love FPL is due to its simplicity and this change is leading towards taking that out of the game. I am not totally against it though, and I'm willing to see how it goes this season. Also, there is already at least one controversy per gameweek as to what counts as an assist according to the game's rules, which can cause frustrating changes to points scored. Advertisement It feels like this is going to cause similar issues in terms of what constitutes as a block, clearance, tackle etc. It's fun watching your FPL players and cheering them to score or assist. I am not sure I want to be sitting there counting how many tackles or interceptions they have made. Holly: Without the context of player prices, it's hard to categorically say how the new defensive contribution points will impact team construction. If player prices stay widely similar to the past, then I don't think it will have a big impact in terms of team construction, but it will give certain players more utility. Traditionally, we've always targeted attacking full-backs in FPL but centre-backs will now carry more appeal. We've also tried to avoid defenders from newly promoted teams or against tough opposition, but both of these situations invite pressure on defences which could allow centre-backs to rack up CBIT actions more frequently. We may also choose a fifth midfielder differently, with holding midfield players also rewarded in this system. Abdul: I think it will impact our defence a lot more than the attack. The likes of James Tarkowski and other similar cheaper centre-backs will become more popular. Choosing players who play 90 minutes will be even more important now, with full-backs getting subbed off much more often than centre-backs. They also generally make more blocks, interceptions and tackles, although there definitely will be some full-backs who will breach the threshold regularly but that will become more apparent once the season kicks off. For the attack, I reckon it only really makes a difference to our fifth or possibly fourth midfielder. We are still going to pick the likes of Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka etc. However, when it comes to the cheaper mids at £5.0m and below, defensive contributions will become a lot more important. Advertisement Holly: My thoughts immediately went to attack-minded forwards and midfielders who press for their team and get involved in defensive actions too, with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes immediately on my radar. I think he could be set for a deeper role this season, especially with the expected arrival of Bryan Mbeumo in the summer transfer window to follow that of Matheus Cunha. I'll also be keeping a close eye on the prices of Arsenal's Declan Rice and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, who are no strangers to attacking returns and have some set-piece involvement, while also providing plenty of defensive contributions. Backing assets who play 90 minutes regularly could be an important consideration. When it comes to defenders, centre-backs from defences who typically don't have plenty of possession fit the bill — we know that Everton's Tarkowski was the top performer in this metric last season. There may also be merit to picking central defenders from those sides who keep consistent clean sheets, like Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Arsenal's Gabriel. Abdul: The official FPL X page put out a graphic showing the defenders and midfielders who would have picked up the most points from the defensive contributions last season. Tarkowski, Jan Bednarek and Dean Huijsen (all centre-backs) led the way, so the Everton man is definitely on my radar. David Moyes' team are a solid defensive side and will pick up a fair few clean sheets. Tarkowski is nailed to start, plays 90 minutes and has a bit of goal threat too. James Tarkowski tops the charts 📊 No defender would have picked up as many defensive contribution points as the Everton defender if they were available in FPL last season 🔵#FPL — Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2025 Moses Caicedo would have picked up the most defensive contribution points among midfielders, followed by Elliot Andersen and Joao Gomes. Moises Caicedo would have picked up the most defensive contribution points among midfielders last season 👊 With the new defensive contributions points coming in 2025/26, will any of these players be in your squad? 👀#FPL — Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2025 Caicedo picked up an extra 42 points, which is quite significant, so his price is something I will be keeping an eye on. Also, defensive midfielders like Rice, Rodri, Bruno Guimaraes and Fernandez might be interesting, too. They all have a fair bit of attacking threat. Manchester United's Fernandes could be the one who benefits the most from this. We all know he's one of the most nailed players in the league and on penalties, but he's also really involved and played deep quite a lot last season. Overall though, a fair bit of research is still needed pre-season to try and find those gems before the pack.
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League season review: Sensational Salah, the joy of Beto and looking at Leeds for 2025-26
If you're missing Fantasy Premier League already, then fear not — there are just 78 days to go until everyone's favourite Premier League companion game gets under way once again. But there are few things more important than a well-earned rest, so following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season last weekend, this is the perfect time to reflect on a testing season full of twists and turns. Holly Shand and Abdul Rehman have taken a look back at their fantasy heroes of the past nine months, as well as the lessons they've learned and what they think will be the key players to own when FPL returns to dominate the agenda next August. Holly Shand: I can't look beyond Mohamed Salah and his remarkable achievements this season. He was overlooked by many as the premium to buy for Gameweek 1 in favour of Erling Haaland, but early backers were richly rewarded, especially for those who consistently captained him. Eighteen double-digit hauls in one season is simply sensational and to break the record for the most FPL points in a single season at this stage of his career is very impressive. Advertisement We've never had a fantasy asset provide this level of consistency in the game before and he can be forgiven for his notable drop-off during the end-of-season run-in. This does pose the question of whether he will be the key premium to buy for Gameweek 1 of the 2025-26 season, where early fixtures for Liverpool could be key to making a decision. Abdul Rehman: It has to be Mohamed Salah. Not only did he beat the FPL points record (344 points) but it was his own benchmark of 303 points he surpassed, which he achieved in the 2017-18 season. He ended up on 29 goals and 18 assists (47 goal contributions), which meant he also matched the goal involvements record that he now shares with Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. It's worth noting though that Salah did it in fewer games. He's been such a reliable and consistent asset, which is exactly what you want in an FPL option. I was late in buying Salah — I did not start the season with him and got him in Gameweek 11. However, after a poor start, it was no coincidence that my season started to take a turn for the better once I got the Egyptian in. Holly: It has to be Cole Palmer, who showed so much promise in his debut Chelsea season in 2023-24 but failed to live up to those high standards in this campaign. I purchased him on my Gameweek 6 wildcard and was generously rewarded with that famous 25-point haul against Brighton, but then I held him through his barren spell at the turn of 2025, with his expensive price tag meaning compromises elsewhere — like not owning Bryan Mbeumo, who remained incredibly consistent throughout. Palmer stayed until my Gameweek 35 wildcard, with just three assists and a penalty miss to show from Gameweek 22 onwards. He then trolled me by converting from the penalty spot that very week, wiping out my Liverpool defender clean-sheet points. He was on course for a spectacular season in the game and so it was disappointing to see the returns fizzle out, although hitting double digits for goals and assists in consecutive seasons is no mean feat. Advertisement Abdul: For my own team, Ismaila Sarr was the player that frustrated me the most. I owned him for 14 gameweeks in total and didn't get a single goal from him. He scored eight goals in total and only seemed to do it right after I sold him. I owned him from Gameweek 18 to 24, where he only got me one assist. I sold him in Gameweek 25 and he scored three goals in Gameweek 27 to 28. I then got him again on my second wildcard in Gamweeek 30 instead of Eberechi Eze. He again continued to blank while Eze racked up the points. The final straw was selling Sarr on the final day only for him to score against Liverpool. Holly: It has to be Jacob Murphy for me. I bought him in Gameweek 20 and he's remained in my side ever since, providing 12 goal involvements in this time. Being doubled up on the Newcastle United attack has been differential, with Alexander Isak a firm template player for the majority of the campaign. Since Gameweek 20, Murphy has been the sixth highest scoring player in the game, just four points behind Isak over the same period. Despite this, his ownership didn't creep over the 10 per cent mark until the period around Newcastle's Double Gameweek 32, with his brace against Leicester City in Gameweek 31 a particular highlight for my season, providing my biggest rank jump of the run-in. It's unlikely Murphy will feature in my team for 2025-26, with Newcastle in the market to strengthen their winger positions ahead of a busy campaign that is once again set to feature Champions League football Abdul: Without a doubt, buying Beto was my favourite moment of the season. I got him in Double Gameweek 24 where he immediately scored me three goals and 21 points in Everton's double against Leicester City (H) and Liverpool (H). He was an ultra differential. Beto scored five goals from Gameweek 24 to 26 (35 points) and he was a big factor in helping me turn my season around after my worst start in 18 seasons playing. There is no better feeling in FPL when you go against the herd and it pays off. It was a sad day when I had to sell him and he ended up having quite a decent season overall. He scored eight goals in only 15 starts and ended his campaign as Everton's first choice No 9. Holly: I had my concerns during Gameweek 9, where I was ranked around one million, despite having a better start than some of my rivals. However, good captaincy choices saw me climb to 20k in the world in Gameweek 25, filling me with hope of a third to-10k finish in the game. Choosing to Free Hit in Blank Gameweek 29 against the template proved costly though, with significant rank-drops against the Gameweek 30 wildcard template and then again in Gameweek 36 seeing me finish at 77k to end the season. This has been my best finish in the game in three seasons and my seventh top-100k finish in the game, so there are plenty of positives to takeaway from this performance, but I have been left feeling that it could have been so much more. Abdul: My season was quite something. I had my worst ever start in 18 years of playing FPL. In Gameweek 9, I was ranked at 4 million. I ended the season at 70k and only got five red arrows from Gameweek 9 to the end of the season. It's probably the best run I have ever had. I always aim for the top 10k at the start of the season and usually, I would be quite disappointed with a 70k finish. However, as it was, I was extremely happy with it and it ended up being one of my most enjoyable seasons. Clawing back rank from the abyss was a new challenge and I was relieved to have managed another top-100k rank. Advertisement I didn't play any differently from Gameweek 9 onwards — just kept making the best moves for my team, captaining the obvious picks most weeks and I didn't take any hits either. It just goes to show that you shouldn't panic after a bad start and it's always possible to pull it back without doing anything fancy. Holly: The importance of analysing form and fixtures has been particularly important for me this season, and something I need to continue to do going into 2025-26. I find that when making FPL predictions, forecasting team performance is intrinsically linked to player performance and this shouldn't be overlooked. The challenge will be to measure this methodically when it comes to blank and double gameweek periods, where I am easily lured by the prospect of maximising the minutes game. I have gone different on the template chip strategy in the last few seasons with mixed results and I think I will be more conservative in my approach going into 2025-26, and back the template set by the wider playing pool. I feel that fatigue in my own gameplay definitely has an impact over the run-in and again is something I need to address going forward to get that all-important strong finish to push for the best ranks. Abdul: This is probably something I already knew but actually put it into practice this season: not panicking then things are going wrong. I have had bad starts and bad periods before, but this was by far the worst. It might be tempting to start doing things differently and taking punts but, ultimately, the best way to make a comeback is just play as optimally as possible. Most of the time, this means picking the template players, captaining the obvious option and letting others make the mistakes. We have more time than we think and, really, the time for risks, if you are lagging, is in the final four to five gameweeks. When things are going really badly, it might seem like it can't get much worse, but it really can. Going against good picks and differential captains might work for a few weeks but over the long term, it's very unlikely. Pick your battles when it comes to chasing or going different. Advertisement Holly: I'll be honest that I was very skeptical of its inclusion when it was announced given the power it carries and especially since we didn't have the information surrounding its worth until midway through the season. However, having backed David Moyes for 22 points and then Arne Slot for 13 points in Gameweek 24 and Gameweek 25 respectively, securing back-to-back big green arrows, I was quickly converted and have enjoyed its inclusion in the game. Given that it was initially marketed as a mystery chip, the game-makers have the opportunity to change the chip to be something entirely different for the next campaign. I think it proved too complex for more casual managers and so I would welcome a more simplistic chip to be introduced instead to ultimately aid engagement in the game. Abdul: From a selfish point of view, I actually really liked it. I was quite skeptical when it first came out but ultimately, it favours the more engaged managers, so I feel it gave me a big advantage over the more 'casual' players. It was grossly overpowered, so if you didn't plan for it quite meticulously, you likely never got the full benefits of it. I don't think it's a fair chip in that sense and doesn't really appeal to the masses. Therefore I would be very surprised if we see it again next season. There seemed to be a lot more hate for it overall. I do think that FPL will introduce some more changes to freshen things up. The fact they introduced this chip and the new Fantasy Challenge game indicates they are perhaps looking to make some changes. Maybe they will introduce a new chip or make some subtle changes to the scoring system. Holly: Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo was among the highest-scoring players in the game over the run-in, with four goals and two assists from his final nine games, and should be a key player to start the next campaign. The Cherries have had an important transitional season under Andoni Iraola since the departure of Dominic Solanke, which Semenyo has served as an important part of. I'll be intrigued to see his starting price and the ease of his opening fixtures, with Bournemouth a side capable of beating any team in the Premier League at their very best. Eighteen goal involvements for the campaign is a sound tally, but not spectacular, which should see his price tag remain at £7.0 million or below. Advertisement Abdul: I won't mention any of the premium players but I think Yoane Wissa might be in a lot of teams next season. He cemented himself as one of the first names on Thomas Frank's team sheet this term with 19 goals in the league and all from open play (only Mohamed Salah managed more). If Bryan Mbeumo ends up leaving, which he is strongly rumoured to do, then Wissa might add penalties to his arsenal too. The 28-year-old started the season at £6.0m, so I don't think FPL will price him more than £8.0m. If he ends up as the penalty taker, which I think is likely, then he will be a fantastic option. Holly: Leeds United were very impressive in 2024-25 on the way to the Championship title and are the team I'll be most likely to invest in for this campaign. I generally try to avoid the promoted teams in the early gameweeks of the season while they find their feet, but Leeds have been regulars in the Premier League over the last few years, with some of their assets already proven at this level. However, recruitment for all of these sides will be crucial in the summer transfer window and so it will be difficult to predict their starting line-ups until we get into September. Personnel, starting form and fixtures will all need to align for me to consider investment after the first international break. Abdul: Leeds United look the strongest out of the three promoted sides. Joel Piroe and Manor Solomon seem like the best picks from their attack but the latter has been on loan from Spurs, so there's no guarantee he moves to the West Yorkshire club permanently. Piroe looks the one to watch for me — he scored an impressive 19 goals and seven assists. and if he comes in at £5.5m or less, then he can be a handy third forward option. Josh Brownhill from Burnley has plenty of Premier League experience and registered 18 goals and six assists. He is also their first-choice penalty taker. I am very interested to see how the Burnley defence get on. They only conceded a quite unbelievable 16 goals and kept 30 clean sheets which was, of course, a record for the Championship. Maybe their goalkeeper, James Trafford, could be a shout as he's likely to be priced at £4.5m. Holly: My bold prediction is that Bukayo Saka becomes the star man for the 2025-26 season, beating Salah and Haaland to be the top-performing player in the game. His 2024-25 season was hampered by injury but up until Gameweek 16, he only trailed Salah and Palmer for fantasy points. The summer off and a full pre-season will be beneficial for him, something that proved key for Salah last time out. I think Salah will drop off from his ridiculously high standards of this season, while Haaland will struggle with the departure of Kevin De Bruyne and the competition of minutes with Omar Marmoush providing alternative options for Pep Guardiola. Saka has his 20-plus goal involvements in three consecutive seasons now for Arsenal and should be moving towards the peak of his career if he can stay fit. Advertisement Abdul: My bold prediction is that Cole Palmer gets a price drop to £9.5m and he ends the season as the top-scoring player overall. Due to his form in the second half of the season, there is a good chance FPL drop him in price. I predict Chelsea to improve and have full faith that Palmer will return to the level of his first season at Chelsea. He is only 23, will continue to be the talisman for a good attacking side and he's also on penalties. It's more likely that he improves than regresses at his age and talent. Just looking at his last two seasons for Chelsea in isolation, he has 37 goals and 23 assists. It's still elite-level output, even with the barren run he went through. For comparison purposes, Saka scored 30 goals and 24 assists over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 season. I won't compare this season as the Arsenal star was injured for a large chunk of the campaign.
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How to succeed in Fantasy Premier League's first double gameweek of the season
The first double gameweek of the season in Fantasy Premier League is finally here. But how do you actually get the most out of it? With Liverpool and Everton both playing twice in Gameweek 24, which gets under way on Saturday (deadline 11am GMT; 6am ET), this is the ideal time to load up on double-gameweek players and play a super-powered chip. But which ones? Sadly, there's no foolproof strategy for how to set your team up before Saturday's deadline, so Holly Shand and Abdul Rehman have taken it upon themselves to debate the pros and cons of every major move that you could make in arguably the most important FPL gameweek of the season so far. Holly Shand: Engaged FPL managers live for double gameweeks in the game due to the higher ceiling for Fantasy points. This first one is exciting as it involves the best team in the league this season, Liverpool. A month ago, managers wouldn't have cared for Everton's involvement in this double gameweek but with David Moyes now in charge and an upturn in form, there's potential there for significant fantasy returns too. And, significantly, we have the final Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park. Advertisement Double Gameweek 24 provides the first major opportunity of the campaign to deploy one of the five available Fantasy chips. Abdul Rehman: Using your triple captain chip is always fun but I am more excited to see how my Everton players get on. Mohamed Salah (£13.7million) will be very highly captained and I reckon the majority of managers who have their triple captain left will play it this week on the Egyptian. So the real gains will be from my double Everton defence and I would actually prefer them to haul more than Salah as their lower ownership will mean they will climb me higher up the ranks. I am quietly confident for their first match against Leicester City at home and although I don't expect much from them against Liverpool, if there's a side that can pull off a 0-0 or 1-0 smash-and-grab against the league leaders, it's Everton. Abdul: I think you have to own three Liverpool players, otherwise you are very likely to get a red arrow and, of course, one of those three has to be Salah. I would also recommend at least one Everton player as that is how you will make the real gains if they do well. Most of the time, it's always best to buy a ticket if you want to win the raffle and, in this case, I think Everton's first game against Leicester merits inclusion for their players. I would say having four to five doublers is a good number. The more doublers you have, the more chance you have of hitting a big score. Of course, you also have to keep in mind that the players you buy aren't just for the double and be wary of who you are transferring out also. Holly: I like Abdul's analogy here of buying tickets for the double gameweek, although I know I've been too engaged in the past and tried to go all-in with six players, which has been detrimental to my side in the long term. Advertisement I have to agree that three Liverpool players are a must. When it comes to Everton assets, it depends on how many free transfers you have available; I think I'll just be going with the one defensive asset but I do only have three free transfers. I'd absolutely go for more if I had the maximum five free transfers ahead of this gameweek as you have greater flexibility to sell those Everton assets again if you cannot carry them on your bench in subsequent gameweeks. GO DEEPER FPL: What we learned from Gameweek 23 - Ndiaye flies and is it time to sell Wood? Holly: I've been tripled up on Liverpool assets for five of the last six gameweeks, and that's been a strategy which has served me well, halving my overall rank in this period. Right now, I'd lean to doubling up on the attack over the defence: they've scored nine goals in the last four gameweeks, keeping just one clean sheet. Salah is the highest-owned asset in the game, so giving him the armband here is also a key move. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m) is the most obvious defensive pick given his attacking threat, with seven goal involvements for the campaign and a leading number of key passes and big chances created among defenders. I've recently bought Cody Gakpo (£7.6m) as my third Liverpool player, with the forward a clear favourite under Arne Slot, starting all of the last 11 in the league. He's the top-performing Liverpool asset in the last four gameweeks. Abdul: I think so because not only do they have a double gameweek but they are by far the best team in the league. They are top of the league and boast the best metrics both going forward and in defence. They also have great fixtures in the long term. Salah, of course, has to be there as he is the best asset in the game and the best captaincy option by quite a distance. Alexander-Arnold would be my second pick. He has one goal and six assists this season, and has by far the highest xA (expected assists; 6.20) total among defenders. For context, Leif Davis (£4.4m) has the second-highest xA at 3.64. Advertisement The third pick is tricky and is really team-dependent — but, in isolation, I would say Gakpo. He has much more upside than a second Liverpool defender like Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m) or Ibrahima Konate (£5.2m). I'm not saying they are bad options: they do possess a bit of goal threat from set pieces and will keep plenty of clean sheets. However, Gakpo is in great form just now and is getting plenty of minutes playing in the front three in the best attacking team in the league. Holly: With double Gameweek 24 in mind, I believe Everton defensive players are the best buys. In the past, we've seen surprise scores from goalkeepers dominating the Team of the Gameweek for the double, which is why Jordan Pickford (£5.1m) is an appealing buy. Pickford is the second-highest scoring goalkeeper in the game behind Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels (£5.0m) and he's kept eight clean sheets, just one behind Liverpool and Forest on nine. If you don't want to make a goalkeeper transfer, I'd look to buy a defender instead, with Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.4m) the cheapest route into that defence and easy to carry on your bench long term. When it comes to attacking players, Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) is the most appealing with goals in consecutive games — but don't buy him at the expense of template forwards Alexander Isak (£9.5m) and Chris Wood (£7.1m), who are long-term holds. Abdul: Pickford and Mykolenko are my top two picks. Everton have scored the second-least goals (19) this season and also rank as the second-worst team for xG (expected goals; 21.9). However, in defence, they are much more reliable, only conceding 28 goals (sixth-least) with an xGC (expected goals conceded) of 29.7 (eighth-best). So I think they have more chances of defensive returns. Also, with Mykolenko, he is cheap so you can get him as your fourth or fifth defender, and just hide him on your bench going forward. Pickford is the second-highest-scoring 'keeper in the game and picks up plenty of save points. Goalkeepers also tend to pick up random hauls more than any other position, so I don't mind owning and playing him even after the double. Advertisement Like Holly, the only attacker I would consider is Ndiaye. In the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m), he will play more minutes and is Everton's first-choice penalty-taker. I would only look to get him if you have a third forward like Raul Jimenez (£5.6m) or Joao Pedro (£5.5m), for example, and you have a good eight-man attack. You will probably want to bench him for most games going forward. Holly: I've seen some transfer traffic for Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister (£6.2m) — but I think Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.3m) has a far higher ceiling at this price point. For managers looking to double up on Liverpool's defence, Andrew Robertson (£5.9m) is increasingly becoming a minutes risk and could see himself rotated with Kostas Tsimikas (£4.6m). When it comes to buying Everton assets, I would avoid investing in midfielders Idrissa Gueye (£4.8m) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.1m), who have both seen over 10,000 transfers in this week. They may provide value in the double but it's unlikely they'll have the longevity in our teams to justify a transfer in. Abdul: For the most part, I agree with Holly, but I do think Doucoure might be a decent punt. He is only £5.1m, so you can bench him going forward; he's a reliable sub in FPL as he's nailed to start for Moyes. Interestingly, he has also been playing as a No 10 since Moyes has taken charge, so we might see him rack up some attacking returns. I wouldn't be going out of your way to buy him, but if you have three or more transfers and need to replace your fifth midfielder, then he could be worth it. It's a fairly low-risk move as you aren't going to be removing a premium asset. I wouldn't be surprised if Doucoure pops up with a goal in double gameweek 24. Abdul: If you have your triple captain chip, then I think this is the week to use it on Salah; we are likely to get better opportunities to use the assistant manager chip later in the season. We have two more double gameweeks at least, in Gameweek 33 and 36. I would probably save the assistant manager chip for this week even if I had already used my triple captain. I wouldn't consider playing the bench boost or free hit chip in double Gameweek 24. The doubles in Gameweek 33 and 36 will include more teams, meaning the bench boost or free hit will be better suited. We will also have two blank gameweeks predicted in Gameweek 29 and 34, so the Free Hit chip can also be used in one of them. Advertisement Holly: I agree with Abdul here that this is a golden opportunity to use the triple captain chip on Salah, the best player in the league this season playing for the best team. Motivation to play the chip should be higher if you have all five chips remaining, as others like free hit and bench boost will be more prevalent in the bigger blank and double gameweeks. Having already played my triple captain chip, I am seriously considering the assistant manager chip this week, although I'm not sure there's enough upside looking at the next three gameweeks combined. I'd rather gather more information over the next few months and play it in the season run-in where results may be more predictable. Holly: One of the key motivators for using the assistant manager chip in Gameweek 24 is that we have a truncated gameweek. There's a big gap between Liverpool and Everton's two Premier League fixtures on February 1 and February 12 respectively. Each side has an FA Cup fourth-round tie between these two games and Liverpool also play in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, with their opponents leading 1-0 on aggregate. Using the assistant manager chip instead of having three players from a side means that the double gameweek is less likely to be derailed by injuries or suspensions. We need to be mindful that while Arne Slot should be a banker for points on paper, Bournemouth and Everton are among the in-form teams in the Premier League right now. It means I'd lean towards the upside of David Moyes initially. GO DEEPER FPL: Fantasy Premier League: How to make the most of the assistant manager chip Abdul: If you are content on playing it this week, then I would be tempted to play it on Moyes. Everton have a winnable game against Leicester and, of course, the Liverpool match is as tough as they come. But if they manage to pull off even a draw there and beat Leicester, then you can get a huge haul. Advertisement For example, Moyes would have scored 19 points against Brighton last gameweek with the 1-0 win. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy. He got the win bonus (six points), plus the extra win bonus (10 points) for beating a team ranked five places or above, keeping a clean sheet (two points) and scoring one goal (one point). You could then move to Marco Silva of Fulham in Gameweek 25, who play Nottingham Forest at home. As good as Nuno Espirito Santo's side have been this season, last week's 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Bournemouth showed they are beatable and this should be a closely contested match. You also have a chance of the extra bonus points as Forest are currently placed third and Fulham are 10th. For Gameweek 26, you can go two ways: play safe in a 'banker game' like Arsenal at home to West Ham, or go for another 'bonus' game. I think the best bet for a bonus game in Gameweek 26 is Leicester City at home to Brentford. Thomas Frank's team haven't been great away from home this season (W2, D2, L7) and although Leicester are one of the poorest teams in the league, this will be a game in which they will fancy themselves. Holly: Managers should try not to be blinded by the double gameweek and consider how long they plan to hold the player that they are buying. With multiple free transfers at your disposal, the risk of going all-in can be minimised, although I'd consider all free transfers to be very precious as we approach the business end of the season. We must be mindful that free transfers will be powerful in preparing for the bigger blank and double gameweeks that are predicted to happen in the final 10 gameweeks, where the fixtures on offer are likely to be more attractive than we have in this immediate week, despite the quality of the teams involved in this one. Abdul: Who you are selling is just as important as who you're buying. Advertisement It's always optimal to maximise your chances in a double gameweek — but taking out proven FPL assets can bite you. The players we buy cost transfers and you aren't only buying them for the double. So look for the weak spots in your team and replace them with double-gameweek players who play for the weaker teams. Looking at a team's schedule is also very important. This double is quite a unique scenario where the two matches are played 11 days apart. Therefore, I don't think we need to worry about rotation much — although Liverpool do play two games in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup between the Bournemouth and Everton matches. But I see limited or no minutes for Liverpool's key players in the cup games. In my opinion, the long gap makes it even more imperative we own three Liverpool players. Holly: Managers should have a relaxed view of their performance, which will be the smallest double we are likely to get this season. The form of the teams involved, plus the number of days between their two fixtures, means that it is particularly unpredictable. The double gameweeks in FPL provide the biggest launchpad for significant Fantasy points, with the new assistant manager chip carrying the potential for the most variance in the game too. So there's plenty of opportunities to continue to make up ground in the latter stages of the season, regardless of performance this week. Abdul: Don't panic. This double gameweek won't make or break your season as long as you own the main assets; just treat it as any other gameweek. You will have good and bad weeks, and it's almost impossible to get a green arrow every gameweek. There is plenty of time left in the season with more double and blank gameweeks to come. Avoid impulsive or emotional transfers and keep faith in your players. You bought them for a reason, and even elite players such as Salah and Erling Haaland (£14.7m) can blank in easy games or go through bad patches. (Top photos: Mohamed Salah, left, and Jordan Pickford; Getty Images)
