Fantasy Football Hub member James Ingram not only won Telegraph Fantasy Football in 2023/24, he came first, second, third, fourth and fifth – and if that wasn’t enough, he managed superb ranks in the other major fantasy formats too.

In this special Q&A article, we take a look at the secrets to his success – his unique strategy also saw him finish 33rd in Sky Sports Fantasy Football, 160th in Sun Dream Team and 15k in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

James’s superb finishes earned him the title of Ultimate Fantasy Manager, scoring the best combined total in the four major fantasy formats in a contest run by the Hub’s very own Fergi.

If you play multiple fantasy formats, follow Fergi on Twitter for details on this season’s contest.

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Fantasy football winner James Ingram Q&A

How does it feel to be a Telegraph winner – and how satisfying was it to have occupied each of the top five positions?

Winning TFF was an incredible feeling. Having played the game for the past three seasons and finishing in the top 150 each time, I was optimistic about my prospects for another successful season.

But securing not just first place but all of the top five positions made that feeling even better. It’s a testament to the hard work, strategy, and dedication I put into the game, particularly ensuring I was available to make transfers during games on the same day.

Telegraph Fantasy Football leaderboard 2023-24

What were the key moments of your TFF season?

Looking back, my initial team wasn’t great. I had the likes of Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, and Oliver Norwood in my starting 11.

However, the key was quickly replacing these players after the first few weeks with ones I thought would do well before anyone else picked them.

Switches to Ollie Watkins just before his hat-trick against Brighton and Bryan Mbuemo, along with bringing in a double Newcastle defence by Gameweek 6, helped a lot.

Gameweek 31 was the turning point. I decided to bring in David Raya and a triple Arsenal defence for their match against Manchester City. This bold move paid off as Arsenal’s defence continued to keep clean sheets.

After the following match when Arsenal played Luton, I realised I had a chance of winning because I knew my strategy of saving transfers and having the Arsenal block defence gave me an edge over the teams around me.

Even then, I still made some silly moves, like getting Vinicius Souza in and then quickly taking him out as he stopped starting for Sheffield United.

Overall, I had a lot of luck in the game, which you need to have to have a chance of winning.

Ollie Watkins. Picture by Getty Images

How did you use your transfers in TFF?

At the turn of the year, I had only used 13 transfers and was well placed in the top 400.

The key in this game, with only 40 transfers and no Overhaul or Wildcard, is patience. I started the season with James Tarkowski and there were many times during the first five games where I wanted to transfer him out but then he got 25 points in the next five.

With the FA Cup starting in January for Premier League teams, along with replays, these are the weeks where you find your 3-1/4-1 opportunities and that’s when you want to be using your transfers.

At the start of the season, it was crucial to find the main players who would be good not just for a few weeks but for the first few months to preserve those transfers.

How did you tackle managing five TFF teams?

Using my own model and optimisation, all five of my teams were identical at the start because, in my eyes, I had the ‘optimal’ team. This approach also saved me from running five solvers each week (see below about my models)!

I continued with the identical teams until Gameweek 34, at which point I started to go in different directions to increase my chances of winning the game. However, I still had two teams the same due to the different leagues I was in.

Interestingly, the winning team was actually the one that had the worst expected points for the rest of the season. In this team, I decided in Gameweek 34, with five transfers left, to focus on getting Manchester City players in, as I knew they had more fixtures than other teams, along with the FA Cup final.

Good ends to the season for players like Josko Gvardiol and Rodri contributed to winning with this team by 18 points and by 25 points over the two teams that, in my eyes, were my optimal teams.

Rodri

Your own models were key to success – can you explain what goes into them and how you came to create them?

I created my own models for Sky, Sun and TFF. By using the past two years of data for players, weighting recent data higher and considering the strengths of each team, I was able to create an expected points prediction for each player in each game.

FFStuff – partner of the Hub – was a key component in this process, allowing me to download data for each game and link every player across all formats using its unique IDs.

However, having these models is just part of the equation – the key lies in how to use them effectively.

I’ve been working in finance, dealing with numbers and spreadsheets every day for the past 20 years and have always had a fascination with optimisation.

It was only after Covid, when Sertalp from FPL Optimized started demonstrating how to use optimisation for FPL that I realised this approach could work for other games since I already had the models.

From the 2021/22 season, I began using optimisation. This involves spending several hours every Friday night running numerous Excel solvers but it has proven to be worthwhile, culminating in my TFF win.

William Saliba – among the Arsenal players who helped James have a winning season. Picture by Getty Images

Are models the future of fantasy football?

I believe so. They provide a systematic approach to decision-making, leveraging data and optimisation to maximize performance. As fantasy football becomes increasingly competitive, those who utilise models and data-driven strategies will likely have an edge, as shown by the FPL winner who also took an analytical approach.

What were the themes behind your success in all fantasy formats and what top tips would you give to Hub members?

The common theme across all formats is having trust in the numbers I produce. I have three words in bold on my summary file I use: “TRUST THE MODEL.”

This helps remind me that if I’ve had a bad week, it’s most likely due to bad luck and things can improve the next week.

I strongly believe in patience and planning. Since the start of the 2021/22 season, I have only taken two hits in FPL, which has resulted in a 201st finish and a top 16k finish this season.

For Hub members, here are my top tips:

Trust your process: Have confidence in your models or strategies, even when you face setbacks. Consistency often pays off in the long run.

Be patient: Avoid knee-jerk reactions to bad weeks. Stick to your plan and make decisions based on data, not emotions.

Plan ahead: Use tools like Ben Crellin’s planner for FPL to help with long-term planning. This ensures you are prepared for fixture changes and double gameweeks.

By focusing on these principles, you can enhance your chances of success across all fantasy formats.

Models aside, you credited your Hub membership for your winning season. What did you find most useful about being part of the Hub?

This year, I found the WhatsApp groups extremely helpful. I may not have been the biggest talker but the amount of discussion for each game from all the members was invaluable.

It brought up points and strategies I wouldn’t have thought of myself. The captaincy polls for Sky that Dan Cox conducted were also useful for validating what my model was indicating.

Additionally, I enjoyed reading the expert team reveals, particularly Fergi’s insights across all the games, as I play them all as well.

It was reassuring to see that the moves I intended to make were similar to those done by some of the best managers around.

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Which fantasy format do you enjoy most? Which do you think you’re most likely to win in future?

I enjoy different aspects of each fantasy format. FPL is exciting because of the vast number of players you’re competing against and it’s made even more fun by the friendly rivalry with my brother-in-law, who is also a very good manager.

The Sun game is enjoyable because it involves every competition, so even during weeks without Premier League matches, I still have an interest in the ongoing games.

TFF has always been a favourite of mine because it isn’t too complicated and I’ve always felt I had an edge over most players due to my model and optimisation. This was the format I thought I was likeliest to win, and I proved that this season.

However, the format I have always loved the most is the Sky game. I appreciate the different ways of scoring points and the unique aspect of having captaincy for each game day.

This would be the format I’d love to win but it’s one of the hardest due to the increasing number of excellent managers around.

Editor’s note: James spoke to the Hub before news emerged that Sky would not be running their popular game in 2024/25 – see our guide to the alternative game formats if you’re a Sky fan looking for a new fantasy home.

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Ultimate fantasy manager Q&A: Telegraph winner shares secrets of top finishes in all formats

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