The whole table
Every action, and what it pays
This is the complete list. There is nothing scored that is not on it, and it is identical in all five leagues.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Playing up to 60 minutes | 1 |
| Playing 60 minutes or more | 2 |
| Goal scored by a goalkeeper | 10 |
| Goal scored by a defender | 6 |
| Goal scored by a midfielder | 5 |
| Goal scored by a forward | 4 |
| Assist | 3 |
| Clean sheet — goalkeeper or defender | 4 |
| Clean sheet — midfielder | 1 |
| Every 3 saves by a goalkeeper | 1 |
| Penalty save | 5 |
| Defensive contribution | 2 |
| Bonus points | 1 to 3 |
| Penalty miss | −2 |
| Every 2 goals conceded — goalkeeper or defender | −1 |
| Yellow card | −1 |
| Red card | −3 |
| Own goal | −2 |
While it's happening
Points land as the football does
Scores update through the weekend rather than at the end of it. A player who has finished shows a settled score; one still on the pitch shows what he has earned so far, in green.
- Green means still playing. The number can still go up.
- Bonus arrives after the whistle, so a settled score is the final one.
- Automatic substitutions run at the end of the gameweek, once it is known who did not play.
The parts people get wrong
Four things worth knowing
Bonus points do not always add up to six
The three best performers in a match get 3, 2 and 1. But ties happen — two players judged equal best both get 3, and a match can hand out seven bonus points rather than six. Any tool that assumes six is wrong, and there were six such matches last season.
Goals are worth more the rarer they are
A goalkeeper scoring is worth 10 points and a forward scoring is worth 4. This is the single biggest reason defenders from good defensive sides are undervalued: they get 6 for a goal and 4 for the clean sheet.
Automatic substitutions only fire for players who did not play at all
A starter who plays five minutes and scores nothing stays in your team. Only a player with no minutes is replaced, in the bench order you set, and only if the swap leaves a legal formation.
Your captain's points are doubled, not added
A captain who blanks costs you nothing extra — but the gap between the right armband and the wrong one is the difference between a good week and a bad one for eleven identical players.
- Bench Boost counts all fifteen. Your four substitutes score too, in the one week you choose.
- Triple Captain makes your armband worth three times instead of two.
- Two of each chip, one per half — eight across the season.
The rest of the rules
Every rule, two minutes each
Chips, transfers, prices, substitutions and the calendar — each with the exact rule and the honest answer to when it matters.
Chips
What is a Wildcard and when should you play it
The Wildcard makes every transfer free for one gameweek, and the squad you build with it is permanent. You get…
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Chips
What is a Free Hit and how is it different from a Wildcard
A Free Hit gives you unlimited free transfers for exactly one gameweek — and then your old squad comes straigh…
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Chips
What is Bench Boost and when is it worth playing
Bench Boost counts all fifteen of your players for one gameweek instead of eleven. It is the simplest chip in …
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Chips
When should you play Triple Captain
Triple Captain makes your armband worth three times instead of two, once per half-season. The maths of when to…
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Transfers
How do free transfers and points hits work
One free transfer a week, banked up to five, minus four points for each move beyond them. Those three numbers …
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The market
How do player price changes work
Prices move once per gameweek, in £0.1m steps, driven by form — and the whole market is zero-sum, so rises and…
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Scoring
How do automatic substitutions work
If a starter plays no minutes, your bench steps in automatically after the gameweek ends — in the order you se…
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The calendar
What are double and blank gameweeks
Five leagues schedule independently, so some weeks a club plays twice and some weeks not at all. Doubles and b…
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Questions
Scoring, answered
How does fantasy football scoring work?
Players earn points for what they do in real matches: 2 points for playing an hour, 4 to 10 for a goal depending on position, 3 for an assist, 4 for a defender's or goalkeeper's clean sheet. Points are deducted for cards, own goals, penalty misses and goals conceded. Your captain's score is doubled.
How many points is a goal worth in fantasy football?
It depends on position: 4 for a forward, 5 for a midfielder, 6 for a defender and 10 for a goalkeeper. The rarer the goal, the more it is worth.
What are bonus points and how are they awarded?
After every match the three best performers are given bonus points on top of what they already scored — 3 to the best, 2 to the second and 1 to the third, judged on a range of underlying match statistics rather than goals alone. Ties are possible, so a single match can award more than six bonus points in total.
What is a clean sheet worth?
4 points to a goalkeeper or defender who plays at least 60 minutes without conceding, and 1 point to a midfielder. Forwards get nothing for one.
How do captains work?
You name one captain each gameweek and their score counts twice. A vice-captain takes over automatically if your captain does not play. The Triple Captain chip makes it count three times instead.
Do bench players score?
Not normally. Your four bench players score only if they are brought on by automatic substitution — which happens when a starter does not play at all — or if you use the Bench Boost chip, which counts all fifteen.
You know the rules.
Now pick the players.
Ninety-six clubs, one budget, five minutes.