<p>Winning at Fantasy Premier League just got easier with our Ultimate FPL Cheat Sheet for 2025/26.</p>
<p>We&#8217;ve condensed years of fantasy expertise, articles and tips from the world&#8217;s best managers into one article ahead of Gameweek 1 to help you win your mini-leagues.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p>
<p>We&#8217;re so confident our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/ai-team-rating">AI-powered tools</a> and content will turn you into an FPL winner that you can claim your <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/join?via=2025content">money back if you don&#8217;t win your FPL mini-leagues</a>.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<h3>🤖 Hub AI quick summary 🤖</h3>
<p>Simplicity and speed are among Fantasy Football Hub&#8217;s core values, so many of our articles this season will come with a quick &#8216;Hub AI&#8217; summary for those who want the answer &#8211; fast.</p>
<p>Read the full article for the detailed picture &#8211; and listen to an audio summary 👇</p>
<ul>
<li>🧑‍🏫Big rule changes &#8211; extra points for defensive actions, double the chips and extra AFCON transfers</li>
<li><b>🤖</b>Use Hub AI to cut through the data and use its predicted points as a guide to build your team</li>
<li><strong data-start="288" data-end="314">🐐</strong>Listen to the experts: Patience is the key to a winning strategy</li>
</ul>

<audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-72709-1" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FPL-Cheat-Sheet.mp3?_=1" /><a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FPL-Cheat-Sheet.mp3">https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FPL-Cheat-Sheet.mp3</a></audio>
<h2>FPL rules recap: Big changes for 2025/26</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/how-to-play-fpl">FPL Training Academy</a> is the best place to start if you&#8217;re completely new to the game.</p>
<p>But even if you&#8217;ve played the game before, you may have missed some big changes to the 2025/26 game over the summer, including most importantly:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>🆕Defenders: </strong>+2 points for 10 clearances, block, interceptions and tackles per game</li>
<li><strong>🆕Midfielders/forwards: </strong>+ 2 points for 12 clearances, blocks, interceptions, tackles and ball recoveries per game</li>
<li><strong>🆕Twice the chips: </strong>An extra Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain to use in the first half of the season</li>
<li>🆕<strong>Extra transfers: </strong>Top up to five free transfers ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gameweek 16</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_73334" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73334" class="size-full wp-image-73334" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tarkowski.jpg" alt="James Tarkowski. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tarkowski.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tarkowski-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tarkowski-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73334" class="wp-caption-text">James Tarkowski. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<h2>Cut through the data: Hub AI does the hard work for you</h2>
<p>You can spend hours analysing the <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">fixtures</a>, <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-player-comparison-tool">comparing players</a> and researching your Gameweek 1 team in detail if you have the time before Friday&#8217;s deadline (August 15).</p>
<p>Using our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta">Opta stats</a> tool for example, you can see that the top performers for the new defensive contributions (DC) last season would have been:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>🥇James Tarkowski (Everton): </strong>44 points</li>
<li><strong>🥈Moises Caicedo (Chelsea): </strong>42 points</li>
<li><strong>🥉Murillo (Nottingham Forest): </strong>40 points</li>
<li><strong>4️⃣Joao Gomes (Wolves): </strong>36 points</li>
<li><strong>4️⃣Idrissa Gueye (Everton): </strong>36 points</li>
<li><strong>6️⃣Elliot Anderson: </strong>36 points</li>
</ul>
<p>But there is another way&#8230;let <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI</a> take the strain.</p>
<p>It cuts through all the noise and churns out one simple number for every player in the game each week &#8211; predicted points.</p>
<p>Taking into account all the stuff you used to do manually and more, Hub AI provides an immediate insight into who&#8217;s likely to do well &#8211; and who&#8217;s not.</p>
<p>And following the tireless work of our tech team, it takes into account the new scoring system changes.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;ve already started making drafts, our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/ai-team-rating">AI team rating</a> tool gives you feedback in seconds. All you need is a screenshot of your side &#8211; no need to input everything manually!</p>
<div id="attachment_73849" style="width: 885px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73849" class="size-full wp-image-73849" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Team-rating.jpg" alt="AI team rating" width="875" height="778" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Team-rating.jpg 875w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Team-rating-300x267.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Team-rating-768x683.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 875px) 100vw, 875px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73849" class="wp-caption-text">AI team rating</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t stop in Gameweek 1, either. You can get AI-recommended transfers for your team, customised to the type of manager you are.</p>
<p>You don&#8217;t have to follow them to the letter, of course, but for those of you who are new to the game or seeking an edge over your rivals, it&#8217;s the perfect starting point.</p>
<div id="attachment_73847" style="width: 1011px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73847" class="size-full wp-image-73847" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Recommended-transfers.jpg" alt="Hub AI-recommended transfers" width="1001" height="368" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Recommended-transfers.jpg 1001w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Recommended-transfers-300x110.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Recommended-transfers-768x282.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1001px) 100vw, 1001px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73847" class="wp-caption-text">Hub AI-recommended transfers</p></div>
<h2>FPL Gameweek 1 tips: Pick a solid team</h2>
<p>Getting off to a good start makes all the difference.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no need to take risks or be different for the sake of it in Gameweek 1.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-team-reveals">expert team reveals</a> often look quite similar at the start of the season and it&#8217;s for good reason.</p>
<p>Hub AI offers a draft <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/ai-teams">Gameweek 1 team</a>, which changes frequently as new information is received. Here&#8217;s an example to get you started:</p>
<div id="attachment_74002" style="width: 861px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74002" class="size-full wp-image-74002" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AI-team-latest.jpg" alt="AI team example" width="851" height="835" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AI-team-latest.jpg 851w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AI-team-latest-300x294.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AI-team-latest-768x754.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 851px) 100vw, 851px" /><p id="caption-attachment-74002" class="wp-caption-text">AI team example</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>What makes a good FPL pick?</h3>
<p>The best managers will focus on a small shortlist of players, many of which will tick the following boxes</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Reliable for minutes </strong>✅</li>
<li><strong>A track record of FPL points </strong>✅</li>
<li><strong>On set-pieces and/or penalties ✅</strong></li>
<li><strong>Good fixtures ✅</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Players like <strong>Bruno Fernandes </strong>and <strong>Mohamed Salah </strong>are trusted because they often play the full 90 minutes, maximising their chances of scoring points.</p>
<p>Experienced managers often steer clear of new players to the league &#8211; for every <strong>Erling Haaland </strong>who sets the league on fire, there&#8217;s a <strong>Timo Werner </strong>who struggles.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s often best to wait and see how new signings adapt and put your trust in players who&#8217;ve scored well before &#8211; but the very best newcomers like <strong>Florian Wirtz </strong>are often tempting.</p>
<div id="attachment_73585" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73585" class="size-full wp-image-73585" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Wirtz.jpg" alt="Florian Wirtz. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Wirtz.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Wirtz-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Wirtz-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73585" class="wp-caption-text">Florian Wirtz. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Attacking players who are on penalties, corners and free-kicks have plenty of ways to score points &#8211; packing your team with them could pay off.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/premier-league-set-piece-takers"><strong>Set-piece takers guide</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>But with the new rules rewarding different kinds of players, there are very few poor picks this season. So long as they are expected to play, there&#8217;s a chance they will do OK in some way.</p>
<p>Our best player pieces in our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips">Ultimate Guide</a> picks out the top picks by team and price point to help build your shortlist.</p>
<h3>Top FPL picks according to Hub AI</h3>
<p>Here&#8217;s a selection of the most highly rated players over the first six gameweeks at a range of price points:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>🧤Goalkeepers: </strong>Alisson (£5.5m), Djordje Petrovic (£4.5m), Martin Dubravka (£4.0m)</li>
<li><strong>💪Defenders: </strong>Nikola Milenkovic (£5.5m), Chris Richards (£4.5m), Reinildo (£4.0m)</li>
<li><strong>🔥Midfielders: </strong>Mohamed Salah (£14.5m), Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m), Elliot Anderson (£5.5m)</li>
<li><strong>🥅Forwards: </strong>Erling Haaland (£14.0m), Ollie Watkins (£9.0m), Chris Wood (£7.5m), Marc Guiu (£4.5m)</li>
</ul>
<div class="epyt-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy"  id="_ytid_92344"  width="1080" height="608"  data-origwidth="1080" data-origheight="608"  data-relstop="1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kOAJcZyPY3s?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&" class="__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload" title="YouTube player"  allow="fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy="1" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=""></iframe></div>
<h2>Plan your chip usage wisely</h2>
<p>If your season gets off to a disastrous start, you can play your <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/what-is-the-fantasy-premier-league-wildcard-and-when-to-use-it">Wildcard</a> early. Whenever you use the chip, Hub AI is on hand to help with its <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/ai-teams">best Wildcard team</a>.</p>
<p>But if you can, stay patient and wait a few weeks at least before giving your team a refresh.</p>
<p>Input your team into our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/pick">My Team tool</a> and have a look at how it looks over the opening period &#8211; a handy gameweek rating gives you a great idea of how it&#8217;s predicted to perform.</p>
<div id="attachment_73561" style="width: 730px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73561" class="size-full wp-image-73561" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FPL-chip-strategy.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="377" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FPL-chip-strategy.jpg 720w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FPL-chip-strategy-300x157.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73561" class="wp-caption-text">FPL chip strategy</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The more data the better, as we learn more about how the season will unfold.</p>
<p>Changes to FPL this season mean we have two sets of chips to use in either half of the season.</p>
<p>The advice previously would have been to save the Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain for <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-blank-double-gameweek-guide">blank and double gameweeks</a> later in the season &#8211; but now we&#8217;ll have one of each of these to use in the first half of the season too!</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-chip-strategy-guide">Chip Strategy Guide</a> outlines some of the options.</p>
<p><strong>TOP TIP: </strong>Some managers, like our very own <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fergi-fantasy-football-tips-and-team-reveals">Fergi</a> &#8211; co-host of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FantasyFootballHub/streams">Green Arrow podcast</a> &#8211;  are planning an aggressive start. Seeking to get ahead of the crowd, he&#8217;s considering a Bench Boost to start the season. A Gameweek 2 Bench Boost could be an option if Dubravka and Guiu are looking likely starters by that stage.</p>
<div class="epyt-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy"  id="_ytid_63393"  width="1080" height="608"  data-origwidth="1080" data-origheight="608"  data-relstop="1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o6zOOP_q_UU?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&" class="__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload" title="YouTube player"  allow="fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy="1" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=""></iframe></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">🍟 <strong>SELECTED EARLY CHIP STRATEGY OPTIONS </strong>🍟</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Triple Captain: </strong>GW4, GW6, GW9, GW12, GW13, GW14, GW15</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Free Hit:</strong> GW2, GW6, GW11</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Bench Boost: </strong>GW1, GW2, GW16 onwards</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Wildcard:</strong> GW4, GW8, ahead of AFCON</p>
<h2>Tips from former FPL winners and world&#8217;s top managers</h2>
<p>The Hub is home to some of the world&#8217;s best FPL brains &#8211; from former winners to serial top finishers.</p>
<p>We asked some of these elite managers to give us their top tips for a winning season &#8211; and their answers are below.</p>
<p>Patience and playing it safe are key:</p>
<h3><strong>Ben Crellin, all-time number one FPL manager:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/team-reveals/bencrellin"><strong>EXCLUSIVE: Ben Crellin&#8217;s Gameweek 1 team reveal </strong></a></li>
</ul>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Avoid making transfers early in the gameweek, especially if they’re motivated by frustration or anger. Even chasing price changes is normally not a good enough reason to make an early transfer unless you’re going to priced out of what’s obviously the best move for you.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>Rich Clarke, 18 years of top 1% FPL finishes</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/rich-clarke-fantasy-premier-league-team-reveal"><strong>EXCLUSIVE: Rich Clarke&#8217;s Gameweek 1 team reveal</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">&#8220;There will often be pressure to react to issues in FPL like injuries &#8211; or transferring in an in-form player &#8211; but patience is important and mastering a balance will pay off handsomely. In order to win at FPL, it&#8217;s not necessarily about your good gameweeks but how bad your bad gameweeks are.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>
<h3><strong>Jonas Sand Labakk, 2023/24 season FPL champion</strong></h3>
<blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">&#8220;Don’t take unnecessary risks. Popular players are popular for a reason. Let the other managers make the mistakes. Planning is also very important. I would advise you to make a proper plan and plan four to six weeks ahead.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>
<h2 dir="ltr">How can I stay ahead of my mini-league rivals?</h2>
<p>Here&#8217;s four simple things you can do to this season to get ahead of your mini-league rivals:</p>
<ul>
<li>🙋‍♂️ <strong>JOIN: </strong><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/join?via=2025content">The Hub</a> &#8211; if you haven&#8217;t already.</li>
<li><strong>🔖 BOOKMARK: </strong>Our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips">Ultimate Guide to FPL</a>, updated every week with our award-winning tips</li>
<li><strong>💻 WATCH:  </strong>Our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FantasyFootballHub">YouTube channel</a> and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FantasyFootballHub/streams">Green Arrow FPL</a> podcast weekly</li>
<li>📱 <strong>CHAT: </strong>To like-minded fantasy fans in our exclusive <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/whatsapp">WhatsApp groups</a> for Pro and Ultra members</li>
</ul>
<p>Best of luck for the 2025/26 season &#8211; we hope you dominate your mini-leagues!</p>
<h3><strong>Follow the Hub</strong></h3>
<p>🐤<a href="https://twitter.com/FFH_HQ" data-clevertap-listener="true">Twitter</a><br />
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<p>And view all our latest fantasy football tips on our <strong><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/" aria-label="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/" data-clevertap-listener="true">homepage</a></strong></p>

Liverpool are defending champions. Picture by Getty Images

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