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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Hi Fellas, great to be back and stoked that my team Sunderland are back in the PL.
My first crack at a team has only one 6m defender.
With the new rules giving extra points to defence, can I be looking at 2 or even 3 of these 6m defenders?
Of the expensive defenders, how would people be ranking them? Who is the 1 must?
Thanks fellas
I don’t think I’d be going with 2 or 3 6.0 defenders. I’d say 1 is enough. I actually have none.
VVD is probably the must one as he’s nailed and has a goal threat and DEFCON. Then I’d probably say Cucu, Saliba and Gvardiol in that order. Gabriel hasn’t played preseason, RAN is a bjt of a rotation risk with Gvardiol but I also think Gvardiol could play LCB at times.
Thanks for advice
This is what I’ve come up with to start
Click on image to enlarge:
G’day there Bunnies.
Good lookin team there mate. I’ve got a more ‘jazzy’ defence, so no Palmer in the mids, but still happy with my squad.
Hope all’s good in the Lucky Country! Heard it’s been snowing, even in King’s Cross! Hahaha, stay warm mate, and prepare for the new season. Did you know that the Supercoach platform are now doing an EPL game? Dunno if it’ll be as good as FPL – they should just stick to NRL I reckon!
Speak to you soon! 😉
all good AJW, hawks and the sharkies are doing ok.
i’ve started a team in Supercoach. Different set up of a 1-4-4-2 and (1-1-1-1 on bench)
Hey mate – good luck. Sharkies up and down, but just watching atm vs the Dragons. Yeah I’ve got a Supercoach team too but unsure of how it works. Looks a bit frustrating after playing FPL (I also play NRL Supercoach, so I kind of know the platform).
Hope all the rain is not getting in the way of the fishing buddy!
😉
I’d also say start with VVD, then maybe move to Saliba in GW 7.
If Robertson leaves then Kerkez is a brilliant pick.
Hi guys.. great team build-up there.. I’d go with 1 there, saving bench boost for double week games.
But for me, I’m building team based on fixtures diffculties setting them up for a couple of gameweeks with player rotational namely goalkeeper & defenders. Based on fixture difficulties, going triple Liverpool attack, Double Chelsea attack and 1 each Man City defence & attack. Still draft mode awaiting your Fixture Tracker fro 2025/26.
West Ham – Areola SUN (A), Everton – Mykolenko LEE (A), Man City – Gvardiol WOL (A), Nott’m Forest – Murillo BRE (H), Man City – Doku WOL (A), Liverpool – M.Salah BOU (H), Liverpool – Wirtz BOU (H), Chelsea – Enzo CRY (H), Spurs – Solanke BUR (H), Liverpool – Ekitiké BOU (H), Chelsea – Delap CRY (H).
Substitutes : GKP – Bournemouth Petrović LIV (A), 1. DEF Wolves Agbadou MCI (H), 2. DEF Crystal Palace Muñoz CHE (A) & 3. MID Bournemouth Faivre LIV (A).
Still got balance $1.5mil.
Not sold on Doku yet simply because not sure if Pep is set on starting him. Might take in Palmer instead of Enzo, but depends of available funds and players like Ekitike nailing his starting position, whether Isak is joining Liverpool, etc.
Cheers !
Interesting
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I really hate this “super computer” thing.
At Xmas after this is was off it will do it again and again with 10 games until the end of the season.
Areet strangers and new acquaintances. Actually made iz quite sad reading that. Shame so many familar faces seem to have left; but I suppose I’ve been just as guilty as anyone of falling completely off the radar. Hope everyone else is keeping fine.
Feel like I might have to rely on FPL to give me any positivity whatsoever after Newcastle’s transfer window. Currently feeling like the fat lass at the disco!
Hey Milburn,
I haven’t been here since the start., 2015/16 maybe.
I use to love the 3pm Saturdays, this would be going off like livescore.
As pointed out with so many places to get information now times are changing. I am guilty of playing the odd podcast or two.
But for now delighted the team are doing at least one more year!
I remember when this site was first started.
Wasn’t it called FPL Cheat or something similar?
Characters like Mutley were on here.
Is anyone still here from the beginning?
Have you ever sounded as old this comment ever before in your life? 😛
Yep was called Fantasy Football Cheat. There’s still a few of us around. Not as many on the boards though.
Hi All,
Have more or less decided to do BB in GW1. In terms of captaincy, easy choice of Salah with his incredible GW1 record.
The team is below.
Looks like Areola is indeed the first choice GK, so hopefully, he keeps a clean sheet at Sunderland benefiting Kilman as well. Burnley will hopefully take some time to settle, landing Porro and VdV CS. Decided to go with Gakpo over shiny new Wirtz.
Once GW1 is done, will likely downgrade Sels to Kelleher in GW2 to rotate GK based on better of match up between Areola and Kelleher. Tarkowski hopefully is a season long stay as he will rack up defensive contribution points. Kudus / Joao Pedro / Wellbeck / Ndiaye / Wood, all could fail miserably, but thankfully at those price points there are plenty of options, likely as Kudus / Ndiaye – Rodri / Rice, Wellbeck – Delap, Wood – Solanke.
Hopefully, this season is better than last season which was a disaster. Any feedback is always welcome
Click on image to enlarge:
Team looks good mate but I’d probably just get Kelleher now and not waste a FT on him in GW2.
Thanks, Matt, yep, went and did just that now to transfer out Sels for Kelleher.
Scrapped the BB GW1 idea as with Dubravka and Guiu moving to Burnley and Sunderland, that gives us a starting 4.0 million GK, a starting 4.5 million forward who can comfortably sit in the bench and play during BB, so the need to get the BB out of the way in GW1 is gone now.
Guess there will be a template bench of Dubravka, Guiu, Reinildo, need one more nice starting 4.5 million midfielder and the bench is sorted. For now, my placeholder there is Baleba
I know we should never get over excited with preseason.
But Gakpo has looked class and with Diaz and Darwin sold his minutes will be save for now
I agree, Gakpo hit a hat-trick as well in pre season, i know, i know, pre season do not get excited, but well tbh, that is why I got him into the team.
Having second thoughts on double spurs defence after that 4-0 thrashing at Bayern with virtually first choice defense. But then again, Burnley is not Bayern, and Barnes is not Kane. maybe i will get Konate instead of Porro.