FPL Gameweek 1 tips: From team budget to ‘no Salah’

With Gameweek 1 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) days away, we’re welcoming back our stellar team of Pro Pundits, Hall of Famers and guest contributors for the new campaign.

Our writers will be providing regular articles and team reveals throughout the new season, with only Premium Members able to access every single one.

Next up is two-time Indian FPL champion Lateriser, who offers some tips ahead of 2022/23. You can read his Gameweek 1 team draft here.

Before the new season started, I wanted to write about a few macro/generic things that are on my mind. These are just some overview thoughts that I have had and have generally served me well.

DON’T SPREAD FUNDS TOO MUCH

I think it’s advisable not to spread your Fantasy Premier League funds too much. Try compressing as much money as possible into 11-12 players. I think this can be achieved quite comfortably because the likes of Andreas Pereira (£4.5m) and Neco Williams (£4.0m) are perfectly playable bottom-price options that can mostly sit on your bench.

This should make it easier/take fewer transfers to get to players you like or want and I’ve found it’s always better to focus your transfers and cash on the pitch. Our benches may be of less worth than usual due to the impact of the five-sub rule because the likelihood of your player coming on in a real-life game increases – and hence the chances of you needing your FPL bench decreases.

• READ MORE: ‘Five substitutes’ rule: How will FPL be affected?
• READ MORE: ‘Five substitutes’ rule: Which FPL players are at risk of being subbed?

OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVIATE FROM THE ‘TEMPLATE’ – BUT NOT SALAH

I also strongly believe that this season there are a lot more good FPL options than in previous years. A lot of perceived top-half teams have strengthened, there are a bunch of decent enablers and the ‘viable’ player pool at least seems considerably larger than in previous years.

Keeping these things in mind, I want to hammer home the fact that this year, in particular, there are many ways to skin the FPL cat. If you see a couple of players that you like that aren’t a part of the template, back yourself. There is always going to be enough FPL opportunity this season. I personally never enjoy playing this game too much if I’m not backing myself.

That said, think very carefully if you’re considering going without Mohamed Salah (£13.0m). Simply put, he’s the best pick in the game – in my eyes, anyway – irrespective of ‘effective ownership’ (EO). He looked really sharp in the Community Shield and is a 90-minute man that is on penalties in arguably the most potent attack in the country. If you want to go off him, do it when you’ve seen enough of a downtrend. Gameweek 1 is not the time to do that, in my humble opinion; I did it once and it absolutely derailed my season. My wounds are fresh, which is why I feel the need to reiterate this. But you know, outside of that, play your own game…!

READ MORE: What is ‘effective ownership’ and why is it so widely talked about in FPL?

EVERY SEASON IS DIFFERENT

Assume that we know nothing. Every year in FPL is unique in its own way and having preconceived notions carried forward into this year generally doesn’t help.

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen FPL managers make is assuming causation equals correlation. This isn’t always the case. For example, a few years ago, many people were against getting Danny Ings into their team because he was injury prone. Because of this, they missed out on an asset who was, at that time, just £6.0m. A lot of people refrained from buying him even when he was a sure thing because of preconceived notions that they carried forward.

Even carrying forward previous ‘bad’ experiences with FPL picks isn’t a healthy habit. Give everyone a clean slate because Fantasy Premier League is a very dynamic game and roles are constantly changing for players.

READ THE ROOM

When the season starts, a lot of us just get into the rhythm of ‘get rid of bad player’ and ‘get good player’ without thinking too much about strategy. Try taking a step back for a second and think macro. Consider which positions you want to spend your transfers on, which positions are going to be glue positions and who are the potential future targets. Think of how long-term or short-term you want to play with your Gameweek 1 team and build your squad accordingly.

Once about three Gameweeks have passed, think macro again: look at fixture shifts and try assuming when you want to play your Wildcard. As mentioned previously, we’re all getting free transfers between Gameweek 16 and 17 anyway so you don’t need to think beyond that.

READ MORE: What’s new in FPL for 2022/23: Unlimited transfers

Because of the short-term nature of the first half of the season, we’ll need to think from the ‘helicopter view’ – as my fellow Pro Pundit Pras likes to call it – a lot more. Identifying potential fixture swings and Wildcard opportunities might help.

USEFUL TOOL: Filter clubs by fixture difficulty using our Season Ticker

One thing in my head is that because of the number of players we will have in our teams due to the pricing, our threshold to Wildcard shouldn’t be super-high. We will always have a ‘good enough’ team with a bunch of assets from Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal. So I reckon maybe wanting to make four or five changes in your starting XI is enough for a first Wildcard.

That’s enough macro tips from me for now. I’ll be with you all season out here, anyway. Make sure you enjoy the season and I wish you the best of luck for 2022/23!

We at The FPL Wire did our Gameweek 1 stream on Monday, which you can view below: