FF247 Site Team News Pre-season Training

We’re Back, Baby – FF247 25/26 Season Kick-Off!

New season, same chaos – but this time with slightly more structure. After last year’s car crash of a Site Team performance, we’ve dusted ourselves off and we’re ready to give it another go. Let’s start with a bit of housekeeping, shall we?

A New Dawn (Sort Of)

You may have noticed things were a little quieter on the site last season. Truth is, getting our writers to actually write became harder than getting Darwin Nunez to stay onside. And when we did manage to publish something, comment volumes were lower than Southamptons’s final goal tally (26 for those interested).

So this season, we’re scaling things back. Fewer articles, more focus, and hopefully more of you on site when it counts. Simple.

People Come, People Go…

We’ve had a couple of key departures. GP and Swirly have bid farewell – or at least a long “see ya later” – to both FPL and the day-to-day running of the site. That leaves the management team as Init, Matt, yours truly (Rosco), and Floydeth.

We’re also trimming the writing team. We asked who still wanted in; if they didn’t raise their hands, we’re setting them free like unwanted loanees in a Championship squad clear-out. No hard feelings – it’s just time. (Frankly, it’s starting to feel a bit like the Isak situation at my club… maybe available, maybe injured, maybe ghosting us altogether.)

So… What’s the Plan?

Content-wise, expect the classics:

• H&L
• Site Team
• Live Match Chat

These articles have always brought the most interaction, so we’re keeping it tight and focused. We’ll throw in the odd Tips or Capos article when it feels right.

Let’s be honest: FPL isn’t what it was when FF247 was in its heyday. It’s bigger now. Louder. And most of you get your FPL fixes from YouTube, X (Twitter), or a podcast hosted by a guy called Steve in his garage. So we’re not going to waste your time (or ours) putting out content that gets lost in the noise.

Site Team 1.0 – The Drafts

To get the ball rolling, here’s where we’re currently at with the Site Team. We’ve got two drafts for you – one with a potential Gameweek 1 Bench Boost, and one without.

There’s chatter across the community that BB in GW1 might be the play. We’re not totally sold, but we’ve mocked it up just in case. That said, we’re not looking to blow both the BB and Wildcard by GW2, so the BB draft isn’t a complete rework – just a few tweaks to try and squeeze some juice out of that cursed chip (I got 3 points from mine last season. Yes, really. And yes, it was a Double Gameweek.)

✅ Draft 1: No Bench Boost

Goalkeepers

• Sels (£5.0m) – With the new BPS-save rules, he could be a beast. Second-highest scoring keeper last season (150pts) and starts the season nicely behind a settled defence.
• Kinsky (£4.0m) – Bench fodder. Allegedly the best of the £4.0m bunch.

Defenders

• Tarkowski (£5.5m) – A defensive monster when fit. Averaged 11.5 CBIT (Clearances, Blocks, Interceptions, Tackles) on clean sheet days. Bargain if he stays healthy.
• De Cuyper (£4.5m) – This one’s spicy. 75 goal contributions in 220 appearances. Not nailed early on, but Fulham first up, and they’re not exactly known for clean sheets.
• Pedro Porro (£5.5m) – Lovely fixtures. Attacking menace. Feels like a low-ownership gem while everyone else’s eyes are on premiums and £4.5m enablers.
• Truffert (£4.5m) – Our Matt-approved punt. Attacking full-back replacing Kerkez. Rotates well with Anderson..
• Cucurella (£6.0m) – Flex pick. Loads of good £6.0m defenders around, but Chelsea’s fixtures and his attacking output nudge him into the side.

Midfielders

• Palmer (£10.5m) – Club World Cup star. Only Salah and Mbeumo outscored him last season (214pts). Captaincy contender.
• Salah (£12.5m) – It’s Salah. Loves GW1. That’s all you need to know.
• Anderson (£5.5m) – CBIT magnet and potential set-piece duty now Elanga’s gone.
• Ndiaye (£6.5m) – • Ndiaye (£6.5m) – Reclassified as a mid. Could be Everton’s main man and (whisper it)… on pens?.
• Rogers (£7.0m) – Mr. Reliable. 90-minute man with 19 attacking returns last season. Great fixtures.

Forwards

• Solanke (£7.5m) – Promoted team in GW1, maybe on pens, new manager bounce. Just watch that ankle issue.
• Watkins (£9.0m) – Placeholder for Gyokeres in GW8. Villa’s fixtures are tasty and he was third-best forward last season.
• Kroupi Jr (£4.5m) – Bench fodder, but rotates nicely with Anderson if he gets minutes.

✅ Draft 2: Potential Bench Boost

Changes from Draft 1:

• Kinsky → Verbruggen (£4.5m) – Good shot-stopper, favourable fixture, and BPS upside.
• Porro → Murillo (£5.5m) – Would’ve been last season’s second-best defender under new CBIT rules. Forest double-up incoming.
• Truffert → Kilman (£4.5m) – West Ham’s best CBIT defender. Could also opt for AWB if we fancy attacking returns.
• Cucurella → Van de Ven (£4.5m) – Solid pick, nice opening fixture. Udogie’s injured, so VDV gets the nod.
• Watkins → Bowen (£8.0m) – Despite being reclassified, he’s still West Ham’s main man. Facing newly-promoted Sunderland. Destroy them (please).
• Kroupi Jr → Welbeck (£6.5m) – Fulham defence, meet Danny. On pens now Pedro’s gone. Not glamorous, but potentially gold.

Final Thoughts

We’ll post our final team closer to the deadline, and we’re also putting things to a vote this season — starting with which draft we go with. Democracy at work! If things go south again, at least we can all share the blame together. Comforting, right?

Drop your thoughts below, vote for your favourite draft, and let’s get the conversation started.

Let’s do this.

— FF247 Team

Thanks for reading FF247 Site Team News Pre-season Training. This article was written by Fantasy Football 247

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