FPL 2025/26: Squad Science for Serious Points

What’s Changed? New Rules for a New Season

Two Sets of Chips — Still No Assistant Manager

You now get two full sets of Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost, and Triple Captain chips (8 in total), to be used across the season — one set before Gameweek 19 and one after.
Note: The Assistant Manager (or Mystery) chip is not available this year.

Defensive Contributions Earn Points

Defenders who rack up at least 10 combined tackles, interceptions, clearances, or blocks (CBIT) in a match score +2 FPL points (capped each match). Midfielders and forwards must hit 12 defensive contributions—including ball recoveries—to earn equivalent points.

Bonus Points System (BPS) Tweaks

• Penalty goals now earn 12 BPS points, regardless of player position.
• Saves are scaled by shot location: 3 BPS for inside-the-box saves, 2 for outside; penalty saves yield 11 total BPS.
• Goalline clearances are worth 9 BPS (up from 3), and each tackle won is 2 BPS (instead of net tackles).

Structuring Your Team: Balance Is Everything

Avoid overspending early. Focus on building a squad that offers flexibility, rotation cover, and strong early returns:

• Goalkeepers: One nailed starter priced around £5.0–6.0m plus a cheap bench goalkeeper.
• Defenders: Mix of premium or mid-priced attacking fullbacks plus three budget rotation starters.
• Midfielders: One premium captain-grade pick, two mid-tier starters (over £6-8m), and two budget options.
• Forwards: One elite forward for captaincy, one mid-range forward, and one budget or rotation option.
• This structure maintains flexibility for transfers and chip usage while minimizing deadwood.

This structure leaves room for free transfers, enables chip flexibility, and avoids early deadwood.

Premium Anchors

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, MID – £14.5m)

FPL’s most expensive ever midfielder and 2024/25’s highest scoring player (344 points). Rarely blanks, consistently nails bonus returns, and remains your primary captaincy asset.

Erling Haaland (Man City, FWD – £14.0m)

The top-priced forward after a modest haul (181 points) last season. Still leads in big-chance and close-range volume, and should bounce back strongly.

Mid-Priced Engines to Build Around

Alexander Isak (Newcastle, FWD – £10.5m)

Top forward last season with 211 points, strong underlying numbers, and great bonus potential. Offers a cheaper route into goals than Haaland.

Cole Palmer (Chelsea, MID – £10.5m)

Chelsea’s creative hub: high shot involvement, key passes, and fixtures conducive to returns. Outscored many higher-priced midfielders last season.

Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa, MID – £6.0m range)

A low-ownership differential with strong box-to-box stats. Early fixtures favour Villa, and he’s capable of double-digit returns with clean-sheet and attacking involvement upside.

Budget Builders & Enablers

Ben Doak (Liverpool, MID – ~£5.0m)

Rotation risk is real but offers explosive upside. Could inherit more minutes if Luis Díaz departs.

Omar Marmoush (Man City, MID – ~£8.5m)

Reclassified from forward to midfielder for 2025/26, meaning extra points for goals and clean sheets. Has goal threat and City plays attractively.

Budget Defenders (e.g. Pedro Porro (£5.5m), Milos Kerkez (£6m), Tyrick Mitchell (£5m)

Look for high-involvement attackers in mid-priced defence. These can yield attacking returns and provide rotation value.

Defence: Bonus Points & Clean Sheets

Clean-sheet attackers remain essential. But now:

• Build around one nailed premium defender (e.g. Man City or Arsenal fullback)
• Add mid-priced wingbacks with assist threat
• Fill in with £4.0m defenders to rotate based on fixtures and bench space

This balances defensive stability with point potential via new BPS metrics.

Captaincy & Fixture Planning

• Prioritize Salah, Haaland, and Isak as weekly captain picks—and vice-captains.
• Rotate based on form and fixture difficulty.
• Avoid panicking after a single blank Gameweek; trust in expected returns.

Use free transfers to plan ahead—exciting fixture blocks early, or blank weeks later—burn less on reactive transfers.

Sample Starting XI (Budget ~£100m)

• Goalkeeper: Premium starter (Nick Pope - £5.0m)
• Defenders: Premium defender (Ben White - £5.5m) Kerkez, plus three budget defenders - preferably fullbacks (£4.0m each)
• Midfielders: Salah (£14.5m), Palmer (£10.5m), Tielemans (£6m), Any midfielder (£6.5m), budget midfielder (£5.0m).
• Forwards: Haaland (£14.0m), Any forward (£6.5m), budget striker (£4.5m)
• Bench: Two £4.0m defenders, one £4.0m goalkeeper or forward
• Captain: Salah (home fixture), Vice-captain: Haaland (fixture dependent)

Bench: Two £4.0m defenders, one £4.0m GK and £4.5m forward.

Captain: Salah (home fixture), Vice-Captain: Haaland (fixture dependent).

Final Takeaway: Versatility Wins

• Be flexible, not rigid.
• Build around elite options, then layer in mid-tier engines and value picks.
• Fact-check rules—investments in defenders/wingbacks now yield real bonus returns.
• Use chips proactively but smartly—two opportunities for each type.
• Anticipate fixture swings; plan free transfers early.

Follow this structure, and you’ll have a team built for steady returns and upside. Good luck!

P.S.

Here's some team name inspiration: