Well, we’ve got some so-called “Big Changes” to FPL.
Yeah, you can already tell I’m not super impressed, right?
I don’t mind there not being big changes to FPL but I do mind when they pretend like they are big changes…
Let’s get into it and you can be the judge. Here are the rule changes for the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League season explained.
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Quick Final Note: If you’d like to join the Full 90 FPL league for the 24/25 season, and demonstrate that you’re far better than us, the code is i2fdg3. Or, here’s the direct link).
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Accumulate Five Free Transfers
- Previously, you could only save up to two free transfers if you did not use them. Now, you can bank up to five free transfers.
- Additionally, using the Wildcard and Free Hit chips will no longer reset your saved transfers to zero.
- At the most extreme, this means you can accumulate five free transfers, use any of your chips, and still have five free transfers available for the next Gameweek.
What’s the Impact?
This is the biggest actual FPL rule change that I can see. The reason I say that is that it has made me think.
In theory, this could change the way we think about transfers. Perhaps, knowing that our transfers won’t get burned, we could show more faith in players.
Plus, being able to keep your transfers banked after a wildcard is great. It was always stupid that you couldn’t do that.
So, I have nothing against the changes, and I do think they are positive.
Nevertheless, I can’t see there being much of an impact to a seasoned FPL manager who checks their team every week.
It is rare that we hold on to two transfers and have no use for them. When we do, we are usually looking to make three changes for a hit in a so called “mini wildcard” (see our FPL Glossary if you don’t know that term).
I guess I can see a situation where you hold three to make major surgery, to get Haaland in for example, but you wouldn’t need five for that. Maybe it brings more strategic considerations, regarding holding onto your transfers. But I just don’t think practically it will happen, as players tend to only have short good runs of fixtures.
I think for the FPL fanatic, the most interesting thing will be how this affects your approach to the first wildcard.
I always try to make no changes for gameweek 2, so I have a mini-wildcard. The advantage of this is that you have more information than you did to start the season, so you can make sensible choices. Now, I might wait until gameweek 3 or 4 and have a mega mini wildcard.
In my opinion, the greatest beneficiaries of this change are more casual players. They can ignore their teams for a bit longer and not get punished by wasting their free transfers. That’s a laudable goal, but not one that affects your or me.
Still, I’m intrigued to hear others’ thoughts on it.
Mystery Chip
- A new chip will be revealed ahead of January 2025.
What’s the Impact?
None.
We don’t know what it is. There is plenty of speculation about it online, which is fun for us nerds. The official FPL guys even managed to get a whole article out about it… But it makes zero difference until we know what it is.
Personally, I think it’s stupid to not tell us at the start of the season what it is, when you’re announcing all the other FPL rule changes anyway, but that’s probably because I’m a miserable grumpy bastard.
Pitch Design
- Brought the pitch design from FPL Challenge to FPL.
- Supposedly “Player Cards have been added, offering enhanced information when making a substitution or transfer.”
What’s the Impact?
Not much.
It looks different. I don’t really think it looks any better or worse.
And, I cannot see any “enhanced information” for making transfers. It looks the same as last year to me.
Changes to FPL Points Scoring
- Goalkeepers will now get 10 points for scoring a goal, rather than six.
- Following changes to BPS:
| Action | 2023/24 BPS | 2024/25 BPS |
| Goalkeeper saving penalty | +15 | +9 |
| Goalkeeper/defender conc. goal | – | -4 |
| Goalline clearance | – | +3 |
| Foul won | – | +1 |
| Shot on target | – | +2 |
What’s the Impact?
I’m fine with seeing goalies get more than six points for a goal. It happens so rarely that it definitely deserves more than when a defender scores.
On the other hand, it happens so rarely that it basically means nothing to us. Only six times in Premier League history has a goalie scored. And the Premier League has been going for over 30 years… So, to call this a big change would be a bit ridiculous.
On BPS changes, I’m not a huge fan of bonus points. I don’t think it’s a particularly transparent or clear system, and I think it’s a bit arbitrary in what it considers ‘good play’.
I like reducing BPS for goalies saving penalties. In my mind you shouldn’t get BPS for something you get points for anyway. In the same vein, I don’t like a defender losing BPS for conceding goals because you’re already punished for that.
The other three are fine, and I don’t think will make a huge difference. At the end of the season, I expect those players that return already to continue to dominate BPS, because scoring a goal remains the biggest BPS scorer.
So, again, not much of a change.
Changes to Blank and Double Gameweeks
- The schedule for FA Cup ties will be different this season, resulting in fewer clashes with Premier League fixtures.
- That is set to mean fewer, and smaller, Blank and Double Gameweeks.
What’s the Impact?
Firstly, this is a stretch for FPL to claim this as a ‘change’, implying it was something they had control over…
Anyway, we knew this was coming. It means there will be less value in holding on to your chips in the second half of the season, to navigate the blanks and doubles. I think that’s kind of fun, but I’m also a little scared as I have smashed that each of the last three years with considerable rank rises.
Big Changes to FPL? Puh-lease!
Yeah, so nothing really has changed that much. Don’t believe the hype, and I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news…
Still, at least they’re trying something. I don’t think there have been any changes since the removal of the all-out attack chip in 2017. Hopefully the biggest change of this lot is them simply not bringing that back…
First Thoughts on FPL 24/25 Prices
I’m pretty pleased with the 24/25 prices, and I think they have done a good job.
I can’t see anyone who I think is ludicrously underpriced or overpriced, so it’s looking pretty good. If it were me, I would have waited to launch the game until the beginning of August, just so that you have more information about new signings and likely starters. Still, I think its going to be a fun one.
Can You Afford Haaland in FPL 24/25?
The simple answer is Yes.
I like that Haaland is 15.0. It’s a lot to pay for a guy that wasn’t the top scoring asset last year, but it really makes you think about the rest of the team.
In particular, it makes you think about whether you can afford Salah at 12.5, Palmer at 10.5, Saka at 10.0 and Foden at 9.5.
How to Squeeze in the Premium Assets
I’ve done a few quick drafts, which include players with good fixtures, to demonstrate.
1) Haaland+Salah – 4-4-2/3-4-3
In this first one, you can see I have Haaland+Salah in a very viable team. I have other excellent options like Isak, Eze, Gordon and Saliba and a smattering of cheaper options. This team would have to play 4-4-2 but you could drop Konate down to a 4.5 and upgrade Fraser to Joao Pedro to play in a 3-4-3.
I think the balance of this squad is okay and it covers a lot of the different price points which will enable you to jump on the early bandwagons early. I also like the idea of starting with Haaland and Salah for two reasons. Firstly, Salah plays Ipswich gameweek 1 and Haaland plays them gameweek 2 – that’s captaincy sorted. Secondly, as the old adage goes, it is easier to get rid of expensive players than to buy them. So, if I have both then I can simply move off one if I don’t love them.
This is the safe but probably boring draft.
2) Haaland, Salah, Palmer – 4-4-2
Unlike the first draft, I don’t think this is very viable.
I have simply upgraded Gordon to Palmer but its meant I have had to sacrifice the stalwart in defence – Saliba. But the key point is that, with so much money tied up in three players, there isn’t much flexibility to change this team going forward. I can’t get to any defenders more expensive than 5.0, and I can only get one. I can’t get to any midfielders above 7.0 (besides Salah and Palmer). And, I can’t get to any strikers above 4.5.
Essentially, I am stuck in a 4-4-2, maybe a 4-3-3 if I moved Gibbs-White to a 4.5 and upgraded Fraser to Muniz. We know that these are not optimal FPL formations (think 3-5-2 or 3-4-3). So, essentially we are heavily reliant on our big hitters and even they can’t score every week.
3) Salah, Palmer and Saka – 3-4-3
This is the most fun draft and one that I think will be super popular going forward. I mean, look at that midfield!
There is no easy route to Haaland or Alexander Arnold but if you ignore that, there are easy routes to every player in the game. So it is super flexible.
There is a million in the bank so you can make Eze someone like Gordon or Bowen. Or, you can upgrade the defence a bit. If you move Palmer to Foden then you have an extra million to play with too.
4) Haaland, Palmer, Saka – 3-4-3
This is very similar to the last draft. You simply move Salah to Gordon and Watkins to Haaland. There is a little less flexibility because it costs a million more to have Haaland and Gordon than it does to have Salah and Watkins but its viable still.
Which is the Best Draft?
Not a clue right now. But, I can tell you that I think I will play around with the third and fourth draft for a month and end up with something similar to the first draft…
Its boring, but that’s how I play FPL. I get the captaincy of Salah and Haaland in GW1 and GW2 and am free to move off after that. Of course, you all have a month to convince me otherwise…
What would make it all annoying is if Salah left the Premier League (and this is why I think they should have waited on prices). I think it is unlikely, but its not impossible.
Interesting Prices
Midfield
It’s weird to start here, but I think there are some fun prices to talk about in the midfield.
Odegaard coming in 1.5 cheaper than Saka makes sense to me. However, the saving is so much that I think you can genuinely make a case for either. Martinelli is only 7.0 but, as I said at the start of last season, I think his performance in the 22/23 season was a bit of a positive outlier.
Son makes sense at 10.0 given that he has broken the 200-point barrier in three out of the last four seasons. It’s super interesting that Johnson, Werner and Kulusevski are all 6.5. If one of them nails down a spot they could offer great value. Maddison at 7.5 seems fair. If he stays fit he can easily make 180 points in a year. Of course he won’t stay fit, but we can all live in hope.
This brings us on to my favourite price bracket – 7.5/7.0 midfielders. Bowen and Gordon were both brilliant last year. Bowen even has previous for breaking 200 points. If he is still playing OOP striker he will be tasty. If Diaz or Jota nail down a spot in this new Liverpool team then they can offer great value.
But, as you can probably tell from my drafts, I think Eze is the standout pick here. 7.0 is a great price for him. Yes, he has lost Olise to Bayern Munich which will make Palace overall worse. But… he has lost Olise so will have to take on extra responsibility. If he stays at Palace then it will be great.
Forwards
Up top, I think Watkins is fine at 9.0. There is no way he will match last year’s assist tally of 18 which he attained off the back of 4.02 xA. But he can still offer value at 9.0. After all, you won’t be expecting him to be the top scoring forward again.
I think Isak is pushing into bargain territory with his price tag. He scored two more goals than Watkins in 1,000 fewer minutes. Newcastle won’t have the fixture pile-up caused by the Champions League, so he has a higher chance to stay fit. And if that is true, this guy is a genuine contender for Premier League golden boot this year.
Havertz at 8.0 is another fun option. Similarly to Odegaard he makes you think about whether to have him or Saka. He was classified as a midfielder last year so will get fewer points for goals as an attacker. Just bear that in mind when looking at overall points from last year.
At 7.5, Solanke, Jackson, Darwin are all fairly priced. I think its crazy to price Mateta 0.5 higher than Eze, but it’s somewhat understandable considering he scored 16 goals last year.
At 7.0, you have a couple of potential bargains in Alvarez and Jesus, although I suspect we are reliant on injuries for these two to be good options. Richarlison is probably the one to watch in case he nails down that starting spot.
And, as for the cheaper guys, Muniz, Awoniyi and Wood at 6.0 could be really fun. I don’t really get why you would pay 0.5 more for Cunha but maybe I will be proved wrong. And Joao Pedro could be an absolute bargain at 5.5 – no De Zerbi means he could just start every game.
Defenders
I’m less excited about defenders because… they’re just a bit more boring, aren’t they? And remember last year when they all sucked at keeping cleans?
Anyway, Alexander-Arnold is back down to 7.0 which makes sense. I can’t see myself owning him as I would rather spend the money further forward, but these could be famous last words.
All of the Arsenal defenders are priced pretty well. I don’t think White is worth the extra 0.5 over Gabriel/Saliba and there is a chance that whoever nails down the left back spot is a bargain at 5.5, but not a huge one.
The promoted teams have a lot of 4.0 options at centre-back, and attacking assets like Leif Davis at Ipswich come in at 4.5. That’s a fun one to play around with.
Goalkeepers
They’re all priced well enough. Three tiers of goalie from 5.5 to 5.0 to 4.5.
As always, it will just be a case of us trying to find the best value 4.5. I suspect that is Petrovic/Sanchez right now (whichever one nails down the spot), but let’s see.
The best news is that Danny Ward has returned to the Premier League, after a recent stint in your nightmares.
FPL 24/25 Rule Changes – Final Thoughts
As noted, while the rule changes are at least interesting, I don’t actually think they’re actually that impactful. I’ve seen other people who are more enthusiastic about them, though, so I’m willing to wait and see.
In the meantime, we’ll have a load of new preview articles for the 24/25 FPL season coming soon, including more analysis of the prices, player recommendations, and so on. The best way to keep up with those is by following us on Reddit, since we’re rubbish at updating our other social media.