Using LiveFPL’s array of tools, we look at the squad make-ups and chip usage of the world’s leading Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
We will examine the 1,000 names in LiveFPL’s ‘Legendary Managers’ list – the historic cream of the crop, much like our own Hall of Fame – but chiefly those in the top 10k in the current overall rankings.
Between the two groups (where there will of course be some overlap), these are the managers who can offer us a better gauge of FPL ownership and chip strategy, as opposed to the overall figures that are skewed by the growing number of untouched ‘ghost teams’.
There is heaps of useful information beyond overall and top 10k figures on the LiveFPL site, of course, such as ownership stats for different rank tiers – as seen in the graphic below (click to expand):
TOP 10K AND ‘ELITE’ MANAGERS: GAMEWEEK 22 CAPTAINCY
Over half of the top 10,000 FPL managers handed the armband to Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m) ahead of Friday’s deadline, with the Portuguese veteran promptly going and missing Manchester United’s first Double Gameweek 22 fixture at Villa Park.
A not-inconsiderable 14.2% backed Bruno Fernandes (£11.7m) for the captaincy, with a further 5.3% making the midfielder their vice-captain – so there’ll be nervous waits for the Brentford v Manchester United teamsheets on Wednesday. Fernandes was only the fifth-most-popular vice-captain option, however, so there’ll be relatively few managers belatedly benefitting from his haul, with Watford’s strike duo the most popular deputies.
The table above shows what the 1,000 Hall of Famers have done regarding Gameweek 22 captaincy, with Ronaldo an even more popular option and less trust placed in Watford’s two budget forwards.
TOP 10K: CHIP USAGE
There was a smattering of chips used within the top 10k this weekend, the most popular of which was the Free Hit.
Over 5% of these leading managers couldn’t resist the lure of a Double Gameweek and deployed the chip but the results have been middling so far, not helped by Ronaldo’s no-show, Mason Mount‘s (£7.7m) one-pointer, the widespread omission of Joao Cancelo (£7.0m) and the postponement of the north London derby.
Ignoring the first Wildcard, almost half of the top 10k have still yet to use a single chip heading into Gameweek 23.
Over 12% of these leading bosses have cashed in at least two of their chips, however, as we approach a time of the season when blanks and doubles will ramp up a gear.
TOP 10K and ‘ELITE’ MANAGERS: TEMPLATE SQUAD
Fernandes entered the top 10k ‘most-owned’ squad in timely fashion, replacing the injured Son Heung-min (£10.7m) in the template team.
The Hall of Famers unsurprisingly favour a similar group, although Ronaldo’s ownership figure is 10% greater than it is in the top 10k and Joshua King (£5.8m) is, marginally, the preferred Watford forward.
TOP 10K: AVERAGE NUMBER OF PLAYERS OWNED PER TEAM FOR GAMEWEEK 23
Should Aston Villa’s mooted Double Gameweek 23 materialise (this remains speculation at this early stage), FPL managers will have work to do: the top 10k, for instance, own an average of just 0.44 players from Steven Gerrard’s squad.
Possible opponents Burnley and Leeds are similarly underrepresented.
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