Tips on how to target a top 10k FPL overall rank

Our new FPL Masterclass series unites three of the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers around: two-time India champion Lateriser, seven-time top 10k finisher Zophar and five-time top 1,000 finisher Tom Freeman.

Between them, they have 20 overall ranks in the top 10,000, nine of which were within the top 1k.

They’ll be chipping in with regular Fantasy advice ahead of the start of 2021/22, with opinion on everything from tips for newcomers to captaincy picks.

Our trio of top managers will be writing for Fantasy Football Scout every week throughout the new season – and only subscribers will be able to read all of their articles in full.

Having previously provided general advice for FPL managers ahead of the upcoming campaign, discussed proven assets v Fantasy gambles, mused on the importance of a strong bench and debated the importance of team value, our panel are now asked about their strong suit: how to target a top 10k finish.

LATERISER SAID…

This is such a tricky question and I don’t really know how to answer it but let me give it a go. Firstly, you need to determine what your own skillset and temperament is like. Are you good at playing a stat-focused game or an eye-test game? Are you comfortable playing a high variance game (which is dependent on your risk appetite)? Take advantage of your own skillset and temperament and play the game you’re comfortable with (it doesn’t have to be black or white).

Once that is out of the way, don’t presume that this season is going to be similar to the previous one. Every campaign in FPL is very unique and you need to try having no biases from the previous season going into the new one. Methods that worked for you last year might not necessarily work for you this time around.

So after every week, you need to take a step back and think macro and strategy while making your moves. FPL is such a dynamic game that one week is a very long time and a lot of moving parts are there which you need to be on top of.

The most important tip, in my opinion, is that nothing really increases your chances of success in this game more than good old groundwork and research. This game has become more and more popular over the years and the managers we are competing with in FPL are armed with more and more information. This means that you need to go more than the extra yard to gain an advantage on your competition, which means reading more articles, doing your own research, watching highlights carefully, visiting fan forums, etc. This is always going to be the most important factor in giving you a chance of finishing in the top 10k once you’ve determined the style of play you’re comfortable with.

TOM SAID…

Firstly, the game is much, much harder nowadays. Even the casuals will be aware of the Double and Blank Gameweeks, so I’m not sure setting yourself a top 10k target from a pool of 8m+ players is such a good idea. I’d argue that a top 50k finish is perhaps more realistic, and let’s be honest, the difference between the two is often a couple of big captaincy calls going your way, or maybe your Triple Captain firing. Sometimes you’ll get lucky, sometimes you won’t; that’s just the way it goes.

However, to hit those really high finishes, planning is essential. Try and visualise how you want your team to look a few weeks down the line, paying careful attention to captaincy and any big fixture swings. As a result, it should at least ensure you don’t have to take any unnecessary hits ahead of a deadline.

Knowing when to react to the development of teams in shorter spells is also important, too: always ask yourself if they are the real deal or have they simply benefitted from an easier run of fixtures?

Also, ensure you put enough time aside to watch games and analyse data, so that you can at least form your own opinions rather than count on others.

ZOPHAR SAID…

With the number of FPL users growing each year, achieving a top 10k finish is only getting more difficult. With the game so popular and information so widely available, players are well aware of Double/Blank Gameweeks and there are so many resources to aid them in their planning for the same. Simply picking the popular template players used to be a viable strategy early on but this would probably only get you a 30-40k finish these days, not in the top 10k. 

To get there now, you need to move onto the next bandwagon before the crowd. There’s no point transferring a player in after a haul, as the masses would already have caught onto him and there won’t be any significant gains to be had as most people around your rank would already own him. For this, it is necessary to think forward. Look at when the fixtures are favourable for a player and bring him in ahead of that run, rather than waiting for him to deliver. 

You also need a few differentials in your squad to make up ground. If you are near 70-80% of the template, then the gains are going to be steady and not significant. A few punts on low-owned players, say under 10% ownership, could propel you up the ranks if they deliver. I would say the last 10 weeks are a good time to look for differentials, not early doors. In the first half of the season, it is better to go with the trusted, proven picks, and by the second half, we usually have enough information to ascertain which players are going under the radar.