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FPL is a confusing enough game already. But how do you know what’s going if you don’t have the FPL terms explained!?
With the game, there is a sub-culture on Reddit and Twitter and the like. In this little part of the online world are a bunch of people using strange words.
Don’t know what they mean?
Well, then you are in the right place!
This piece is all about trying to identify and explain Fantasy Premier League terminology.
This is the FPL glossary.
Let’s get this FPL terms explained for beginners article off to a good start.
It’s more of a who than a what here.
Pep Guardiola is the bald fraud.
This nickname was born out of humorous frustration and admiration for Guardiola’s managerial tactics, which can sometimes be unpredictable, leading to unexpected player rotations and lineup changes in the Premier League matches.
It isn’t meant as a derogatory term, at least not in our eyes. We still love you Pep.
A situation where a particular player becomes extremely popular and highly sought after by FPL managers due to a recent run of excellent performances.
When a player starts consistently scoring points, some FPL managers rush to transfer that player into their teams. This sudden surge in transfers for a specific player is what is known as a bandwagon.
The bandwagon effect is often driven by FPL managers’ desire to gain an advantage over their rivals by bringing in players who are in excellent form and likely to continue scoring points.
As more managers transfer in the player, their price begins to rise due to increased demand (check out our full guide to FPL price changes for more details). This, in turn, can lead to more managers hopping on the bandwagon, fearing they might miss out on potential price rises and overall point hauls.
While bandwagons can be rewarding if the player continues to perform well, they also come with risks. If the bandwagon player’s form drops or they face tough fixtures, managers who brought them in may find themselves with an underperforming player who may not justify their high ownership.
For FPL managers, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons of bandwagon players and consider factors like upcoming fixtures, the player’s underlying statistics, and their role in the team before deciding to follow the trend.
The number of BPS a player gets without actions that already gain points (i.e. scoring a goal).
You can use baseline bonus as an indicator of who is likely to get a bonus even if they don’t score.
Low-cost players (usually priced at the lowest possible value) who are typically placed on a manager’s bench and rarely expected to play in the starting lineup.
These players are often chosen for their low price, which allows FPL managers to allocate more of their budget to their first eleven.
The downside of bench fodder players is that they might not be reliable if they are needed to step in for an injured or suspended player in the starting lineup. Therefore, it’s usually better to only have one, maybe two, of these guys on your team.
A specific team selection strategy where a manager chooses to invest a significant portion of their budget in premium defenders or expensive defenders rather than focusing on expensive forwards or midfielders.
Traditionally, FPL managers have prioritised spending a considerable portion of their budget on premium attacking players. Forwards and midfielders typically have more potential for goals, assists, and bonus points, which can lead to higher point returns in the game. However, the “big at the back” strategy challenges this norm by emphasising the value of premium defenders who are known for their goal-scoring ability, assists from set-pieces, and clean sheet potential.
By investing heavily in premium defenders, the “big at the back” strategy aims to capitalise on the defensive capabilities of these players and secure a higher number of clean sheets, which can earn valuable points for FPL teams. Additionally, some defenders have the potential to contribute with goals and assists, making them even more appealing from a points perspective.
While the “big at the back” strategy can be a viable approach, it does come with some trade-offs. By spending more on defenders, managers may have to compromise on the quality of their attacking options, potentially limiting the number of premium forwards or midfielders in their squads.
Big at the back is not really in vogue anymore. A few years ago it was an interesting strategy to follow with the plethora of attacking wing-backs on offer. These days, it seems like attacks are just better in the FPL and clean sheets are harder to come by.
When a player does not score any points other than minutes played you can say he had a blank or he blanked.
When a player or a team does not have a game you can say it is a blank game week.
We also call the week a blank even if some teams are playing. For example, last year game week 35 was called a blank game week but there were still four fixtures.
Bonus points and the Bonus Points System (BPS) are insanely complicated, check the official rules page to see how complicated. Simply put, players get bonus points for playing well. So, if you create a chance or make a clearance etc. you get bonus points. You also get bonus points for scoring a goal or creating an assist.
Check out our piece on bonus points for more.
A player who consistently earns bonus points in matches due to their performance on the pitch.
Players who are labeled as “bonus point magnets” often have a combination of skills and contributions that are highly valued in the FPL scoring system. This may include actions such as creating goal-scoring opportunities, successful passes, successful tackles, clearances, shots on target, and involvement in winning a match. Players who consistently perform well in these areas tend to accumulate more BPS and, consequently, earn more bonus points.
Having bonus point magnets in your team can be valuable but its usually a secondary consideration as bonus point distribution can be difficult to discern.
So, for example, we would prefer a player who gets goals rather than one who gets bonus points. But, if two players get goals, you can look to see if they get bonus points frequently as a differentiator.
You’ll often find that some players in FPL are key to their team’s performance so that whenever they score, they get a bonus point.
A term for those who aren’t FPL nerds like yours truly. Sometimes used as a derogatory term but we at Full90FPL use it to reference those players who aren’t particularly active.
The maximum you can expect from a player in a given week and the reason why people say don’t buy defensive midfielders.
For example, Haaland against a newly promoted team has a high ceiling – you would expect him to get at least a goal and possibly a hat trick. Rice against a solid defensive team has a low ceiling – you would not expect him to get a goal or an assist but he might get clean sheet points.
Players with a high ceiling are desirable.
When you make transfers the next week based on the fact that someone had a good week last week without further analysis.
For example, switching from Saka to Odegaard – they were about the same price point last year and at times one would score more than the other.
Simply a clean sheet.
You could say, how many cleans did you get this week? Are you expecting a clean from Pope? Can you believe Liverpool threw away another easy clean?
A controversial topic. Some argue that you can cover off a player by having other assets from the team.
So, its not that controversial to say: “I am buying Raya to cover the Arsenal defence.” That’s because defences generally score clean sheet points and not much else.
It’s more controversial to “cover” attacking points. For example, you say: “I am buying Martinelli to cover the Arsenal attack.” Martinelli doesn’t start every week and will not match Saka’s output.
A team that is no longer actively managed by its owner or manager.
A player that is owned by a small percentage of FPL managers.
A lot of people will say: “x is a differential so he is good to own.” Well, yes and no. The theory is that if your “differential” player returns then you will overtake people around you who do not own him. Sure, that is true. But “differentials” tend to be owned by few people for a reason – they are on bad teams, they have a poor run of fixtures, they are actual shit, that sort of thing. Therefore, it is more likely that your so-called differential will blank.
You can’t not own players on bad teams over the course of a season. You do not have the money to do so and it is a bad idea to spread your money so thin that you don’t get stars to avoid bad players.
A double gameweek refers to a situation where a specific team, or set of teams, has two Premier League matches scheduled during a single gameweek. This means that players from that team will have the opportunity to earn points from two separate matches.
Double gameweeks are highly anticipated by FPL managers because they offer a chance to gain a significant advantage over their rivals. Players from teams with double gameweeks have the potential to score more points, as they have two opportunities to contribute to their FPL team’s score through goals, assists, clean sheets, and other actions that earn points in the game.
In preparation for double gameweeks, FPL managers often look to bring in players from the teams with the additional fixture or use their chips strategically to maximise their potential points haul during those gameweeks. However, it’s essential to keep in mind that sometimes players from the same team can be rotated due to fixture congestion and not transfer out good single gameweek (SGW) players for bad DGW players. So, it’s important to carefully analyse each team’s lineups and fixtures before making transfer decisions.
This takes into account the amount that someone is captained or benched.
This is the main reason to own someone like Haaland going into the season. If a player is owned by 50% of players and captained by all of them then his effective ownership is 100%
A cheap player that frees up funds for another.
Often people will have a 4.5mn fifth midfielder and use him as an enabler to afford a premium player.
A player who is considered a must-have in most FPL teams due to their consistent high points returns, excellent form, and overall reliability.
This is a controversial one…
Some will argue that no player is truly essential as you can succeed without them. Examples of these include Salah last year (even though he smashed it in the end, he wasn’t infallible).
Salah was probably the best example of essential in recent years, specifically in his ridiculous 2024-25 season. If you didn’t own him, you didn’t captain him, then usually you were on the wrong end of an overall rank change.
The fact that a player looks a good fantasy pick when you watch him.
There are a lot of stats that are thrown out about players but this is the old fashioned way of picking players. If a player passes they eye test he looks good.
The minimum number of points a player consistently earns over a period of time, typically over several gameweeks or the entire season.
It refers to a player’s baseline performance level, indicating their ability to consistently contribute to their FPL team’s score, even during gameweeks when they might not have exceptional performances or hauls.
For example, an Arsenal defender might have a 50% chance of getting clean sheets in the first five games. This would make their floor 4 points (2 appearance points plus half a clean sheet).
High floor players are desirable for their consistency. They are reliable picks.
A positive movement in a manager’s overall rank from one gameweek to another.
Where a manager’s overall rank remains unchanged from one gameweek to another.
Obviously, its actually quite rare that a managers overall rank doesn’t move at all. So, if your rank barely moves, you can use grey arrow as a shorthand.
A term in draft where you get a player and his backup to guarantee yourself minutes. Seems more effective in NFL draft than FPL.
A “haul” refers to a situation where a player earns a significant number of points in a single gameweek.
To stop yourself knee-jerking in a transfer. Or, making a transfer on Sunday night after watching Match of The Day, rather than stopping to think if it is a good idea.
“In real life.” Used to distinguish between good players in real life and good players in fantasy. There is a difference!
“In the bank” refers to how much money you have to spend after you have 15 players.
The act of making rushed or impulsive decisions, especially regarding transfers and team selections, based on the immediate outcomes of a single gameweek.
It is often associated with emotional reactions to a player’s performance in a specific match or gameweek, leading managers to make hasty changes without careful consideration of long-term implications.
Something often best-avoided.
When you hold your transfers so you can transfer out three players for a -4.
Typically, experienced FPL managers will use this tactic in gameweek 3. So, they will pick their team for gameweek 1, make no transfers in gameweek 2 and make three transfers in gameweek 3.
The justification is that information is king in FPL. Until the season begins, all the information is imperfect. We probably never get perfect information but early in the season we have few data points to make judgements. One week of information is tiny, two weeks is still small but its double the amount of one week.
Got to admit, one I hadn’t heard of either.
Thanks to mrsom100 on reddit: “Usually used when things are going wrong e.g. the differential you brought in and captained has been benched “Foden owners mudded”.
In the mud is the same (e.g. ‘Foden owners in the mud’).
A guaranteed starter.
If someone is nailed on they will start 99.99% of the time unless injured. You could say he is ‘kind of nailed’ to say that you think he will start or is likely to start.
If someone is glued then they are mostly starting. It’s not a term used so much anymore. See complaints on Reddit.
A manager’s standing in the global leaderboard of all FPL teams.
Sometimes we FPL managers get obsessed with OR. But, frankly, as long as you’re having fun. Who cares?
The percentage of FPL managers who have a particular player in their fantasy team.
It is a metric used to gauge the popularity and prevalence of a player among the FPL community. The ownership percentage is based on the total number of FPL teams and indicates how widely a player is selected by managers.
A player who is listed or registered in one position but often or always plays in a more attacking position on the field is OOP.
If, instead, the player often or always plays in a more defensive position then he is POO.
Yes, it’s funny isn’t it?
OOP players benefit from increased scoring potential. And vice versa for POO players.
In FPL, managers often look for OOP players who can offer an edge over opponents due to their unique positioning and potential for additional attacking returns. For example, a midfielder who is actually deployed as a forward – such as Mbeumo in recent seasons – could be considered an OOP player.
A behaviour where managers make transfers or captaincy choices based solely on the performances of specific players in the previous gameweek(s).
It involves making decisions in a reactive and impulsive manner, influenced by a desire to capture immediate points based on a player’s recent form or a standout performance in the last match.
Points chasing can be a risky strategy in FPL for several reasons:
Players who are among the most expensive in their respective positions.
These players are considered elite, top-performing, and often have a proven track record of consistently delivering high points returns throughout the season.
Premium players are often key assets for FPL managers, and they are typically the top performers in the game. They are expected to be consistent point-scorers and are usually the first names on many managers’ teamsheets.
Premium players can be found in various positions, including forwards, midfielders, and defenders. The usual suspects from recent years have included:
And so on.
While premium players can significantly impact a manager’s overall rank if they perform well, their high price tags can also limit a manager’s ability to build a balanced squad with players from other price ranges. Managers need to strike a balance between investing in premium players and having a competitive squad overall. Identifying the right premium players and complementing them with well-performing players in other price brackets is crucial for success in FPL.
A player you’ve taken a risk on.
At the start of the 23/24 season, for example, you could’ve taken a punt on Mason Mount. In the past he had been class for Chelsea, but he was on a new team in Man U, his position wasn’t clear, and it wasn’t clear if he would start all the games.
As it turned out, this would have been a bad punt.
A negative movement in a manager’s overall rank from one gameweek to another.
A statistical concept that suggests that extreme or outlier performances by players are likely to move closer to their average or expected performance over time.
In other words, players who have had exceptional or underperforming gameweeks are likely to see their performances return to their usual level in subsequent gameweeks.
In FPL, some players may have an outstanding gameweek where they score multiple goals, provide several assists, or keep a clean sheet, resulting in a high points haul. Conversely, some players might have a poor gameweek where they fail to score any points due to lackluster performances or unfavorable fixtures.
Regression to the mean implies that such extreme performances are not likely to be sustained indefinitely. Players who have had an extraordinary gameweek might not replicate the same level of performance in every subsequent gameweek. Similarly, players who have had a disappointing gameweek are not expected to perform poorly in every game moving forward.
Managers should be cautious about making knee-jerk decisions based solely on a player’s exceptional or poor performance in a single gameweek. Instead, they should consider a player’s overall performance, underlying statistics, upcoming fixtures, and other relevant factors.
When a player gets points for something more than minutes.
For example, Isak scores a goal.
You could also say, Isak got a good return in that game even if he scored more than one.
When a player gets points for doing two things more than minutes.
For example, Isak scores a goal and gets an assist.
When a player is in your team no matter what.
For example, if you have Haaland he is set and forget – always in your team. He may even be set and forget captain (always captain) because of his returns.
A player transfer in which a manager replaces one player with another who has a similar level of potential and is expected to produce similar points to the player being transferred out.
While sideways moves can be a safe and pragmatic strategy to maintain team balance and structure, they may not always yield significant improvements in points.
Ultimately, the decision to make a sideways move or take more calculated risks depends on a manager’s strategy and assessment of their team’s performance and potential.
A player who is the focal point and key figure of their team’s attack.
The term is often used to describe a player who is central to their team’s offensive play, heavily involved in creating chances, scoring goals, and providing assists.
For example, Son for Spurs after Kane left.
Talismanic players are crucial to their team’s success and are often seen as indispensable assets in FPL due to their potential to earn a significant number of points.
Managers often look for talismanic players to include in their FPL teams because they have a higher likelihood of consistently contributing points through goals, assists, and bonus points. These players tend to have a strong influence on their team’s attacking output, and their performances can heavily impact FPL scores.
Refers to how much your team is currently worth.
As prices of players rise and fall in FPL, you will find your team value changes from 100.0.
Thanks to flummuxedsloth on Reddit here: At its simplest, “the template is the set of the most highly owned players in the game.”
The template changes over the course of the season depending upon who is popular and who isn’t. Your team might be considered ‘template’ if it has many of these players in it.
The template can also be a bit more complex than simply the highest-owned 11 or 15 players. A player can be considered template if he has a high ownership, probably something like the top 25-30 players.
Not the price you pay, but the points per million.
Some will use this interchangeably with the term “price.” But, real value is when you get Salah for 9.0mn and he plays like a 13.0mn player all year. This is key to FPL – you want value.
Simply means that you have activated your wildcard (full explanation of how wildcards work here).
Activating the Wildcard can be a strategic move, and managers often use it during periods of the season when they want to make substantial changes to their team to capitalise on upcoming favorable fixtures, during international breaks or to react to injuries or poor performances from their players.
Timing is crucial when using the Wildcard, and many managers plan their usage around crucial phases of the season, such as during periods of fixture congestion, before double gameweeks, or after the January transfer window.
Hopefully you now have an understanding of all these Fantasy Premier League terms.
We initially wrote a much shorter piece than this, but after some extremely valuable feedback on Reddit’s r/FantasyPL, we have now got a much more comprehensive set of terms. We can’t thank Reddit user’s enough for their feedback, and we hope they and others find this a valuable tool.
Are we missing anything? Get in touch on Twitter to tell us!
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