It's Fantasy Football Draft season. Time to get googling, get researching and get down to business.
This year's Fantasy Football Draft is an exciting alternative to the regular Fantasy Premier League format.
The draft allows you to create a league, or join a public one, within the FPL boundaries but with a modern twist.
It's a similar format as seen in the NFL's version for years now. FPL have been doing this for several years too but it has flown under the radar.
Fantasy Football Draft: Everything you need to know
How does the fantasy football draft work?
When you create a league, or join one, it will consist of up to sixteen teams. FPL recommends eight as a good number.
You set a date for the draft to take place. This is where players will take turns in choosing their fifteen strong squads.
The order of the draft will be randomised, so players will take turns to make the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 pick etc. The draft also works in a snaking manner - meaning that the player who had the first pick in round one will have the last pick in round two, and vice versa, until the teams are complete.
The crucial bit is you can only select a player once in the league. So, for example, if someone takes Erling Haaland, ne no one else can pick the Manchester City star.
There's also no budget cap in a fantasy draft. You can pick a team that costs over the usual cap, as no limits are place on your selections.
READ HERE: Fantasy Premier League: Five Must-Have Players For GW1
How does choosing players work?
As mentioned above, the order is randomised for the first round. If you are first in Round 1, the order is reversed for Round 2 so you'll pick last.
Usually players will have anything between 30 seconds and two minutes to choose the right player. So it's better to come with a game plan.
Coming prepared is vital if you buckle under the pressure. You can create a watchlist before the draft, and FPL will take a player from that if no selection is made.
The draft itself consist of fifteen rounds for the fifteen players that will make up your squad. If you fail to pick a player within the time, it will be selected at random.
So if you're unsure of whether to go with Salah or Son in midfield, just choose one sooner rather than later. You could end up with Jonjo Shelvey.
READ HERE: The Best Fantasy Football Names For Your FPL Team In The 2023-24 Season
How does it change during the season?
Once a fifteen strong squad is chosen, you can have a chance to bring new players into your team.
Managers can bring in players that weren't selected via waivers, which is a request they can make in the respective league.
You can also trade between other teams in the league, given that setting is applied when setting it up in the first place.
READ HERE: FPL: Haaland Equals Record As 2023-24 Price Reveals Drop
Bear in mind, there's no budget for drafts so you can acquire players from waivers or other teams that cost as much as you'd like.
But it's unlikely you'll convince someone to trade a top player. Maybe if they have a bad week or two, it could be a good investment.
So that's all you need to know about this year's Fantasy Football draft. Best of luck and don't fall away in Week 2.
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