How to play Fantasy Premier League - A beginner's guide

Becoming a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) manager is easy, but before you get started, you'll need to learn the basics.

The first step is, of course, signing up for an FPL account, which can be done via this link.

Now you've signed up, we're here to run you through the basics of Fantasy, including how to build your team, score points, make transfers and enter leagues.

Building your team

All FPL managers will need to fill a squad of 15 players and have a budget of £100.0m to do so.

Each squad consists of two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards.

You will be limited to selecting a maximum of three players from any one Premier League club.

Each week, you must choose a starting XI from the group of 15 players before the Gameweek deadline, which is always 90 minutes before the kick-off time of the first match of the Gameweek.

Your formation can change but must include one goalkeeper, at least three defenders, at least two midfielders and at least one forward.

Player prices change during the season depending on their popularity among all the managers in the game.

Managers who own the player while his price is increasing will make a profit if they sell him at a higher price.

Points system

You will earn points when your players register goals, assists, saves and clean sheets.

You will earn additional bonus points if any of your players are among the top three performers in the Bonus Points System in a match.

Your points for the given Gameweek will be scored by the 11 starting players.

If a starting player does not feature for their club, the points scored by the first player on your bench will automatically be counted instead.

The same process occurs if two or three starting players fail to appear for their teams, so it's important to rank your bench players in order of preference.

You must select a captain and a vice-captain for the Gameweek too.

A captain's score is doubled, but if the selected skipper does not play in the Gameweek then the vice-captain's score is doubled instead.

Making transfers

All managers are given one free transfer for each Gameweek.

This enables you to sign a player in exchange for a member of your existing 15-man squad, as long as the switch is within your budget.

Additional transfers in a Gameweek are possible but will come at a cost of four points for each one.

If managers do not use their free transfer, they can carry it over and have two free transfers for the following Gameweek.

However, you are unable to accumulate more than two free transfers.

Leagues

FPL managers can join and create leagues to compete with friends and others across the globe.

Private leagues are where you compete against your friends. Just create a league and then send out the unique code to allow your friends to join.

You can compete in up to 25 invitational leagues. There is no limit on the number of teams in a single league.

You can also compete in up to five public leagues.

Chips

The final major thing to be aware of in Fantasy is chips.

You'll have five special chips to play over the season.

These five chips are:

• Wildcard - Unlimited transfers without forfeiting points (two per season).
• Triple Captain - Get three times your points total for your captain.
• Bench Boost - Earn points from your subs as well as the starting XI.
• Free Hit - Unlimited transfers for one week only before it reverts.

Only one chip can be played in a given Gameweek.