Whether you are new to football, haven’t played a fantasy game before or are simply looking for some handy tips, the following should aid your team selection and tactics.

1. Read the rules

It might sound simple, but it is important to know the game inside out. If you are familiar with how players score points and when transfers can be made you already have the basis for doing well in the game.

2. Picking players

This is obviously crucial to succeeding in any fantasy game. The following is a mixture of general guidance and more specific pointers relating to this game:

- Select a solid base

While you can change your players during the game, it helps to have five or six reliable players who are going to steadily score points from the first game until the last. This frees up precious transfers for taking out injured players and those playing poorly, replacing them with form players and emerging talents instead of wasting them on fixing problems with your starting line-up.

- Look at the player values

If you are not too sure on how good a player is, their price is usually a good indication. Players costing only three thousand are not expected to set the world alight, but of course if you have some knowledge on the contrary you could have found yourself a bargain. It could be that they were injured last season or just had a bad season, and they are now on their way back to the top. Likewise, make sure the players you pick costing 9 million pounds do their job – you cannot afford to waste any of your budget.

- Go with the flow

Have a look at the ‘Most Popular’ lists in the Stats section. Here you can see who everyone else is selecting, to get a good overview of which players other fantasy gamers are expecting to do well. Try picking your sure-fire selections from the top few on these lists, and then using your own knowledge and research to pick a couple of players who others aren’t expecting to score highly.

3. Making transfers

This is another crucial part to playing fantasy football. Capitalising on players’ good form can mean the difference between finishing half way up the league and winning prizes.

- Look at upcoming games

When bringing a new player in, have a look at who they will be facing in the next couple of games. If they are playing hard teams it might be a better idea to choose a player who is going to face opposition nearer the bottom of the league. Also, players are more likely to play well at their own ground, so if their team has a string of home games they may be worth considering.

- Monitor player form

Keep an eye on the best players over the past few games. If a quality player you admire is not scoring goals or playing regularly, be patient and wait until he is performing again until you select him. Often it is hard to overrule your instincts of picking your favourite players, but doing this will ultimately cost you points. If you have a tip regarding a new player who doesn’t cost much, maybe wait until he has played a game or two to see if he is worth taking an educated gamble on.

- Time your transfers

Linking in to player form, this is probably the most difficult part of playing any fantasy game. If you can get any background information on a player – his fitness, his morale, or even what is going on in his private life – you may be able to guess when they are going to start playing well. At the same time, monitor players who are on form, and try and switch them for someone else as soon as you think their purple patch is over.

- Pick players who play

However good a player is he will not score points if he is not playing. Keep an eye on who is turning out every week – if your players are constantly injured or left out of the line-up don’t hesitate to ship them out.

4. Keep up to date
 
It pays to keep up to date with how your team is doing. Log in regularly and be proactive - if you leave a player in who is injured or playing poorly you are losing out on potentially crucial points. The more you know about what is happening in the game in real life, the easier it should be to pick players who you know are going to do well – do your research.

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