Finally going to jump into the fray and join a league hosted by a friend who lives in England.

I know the general rules (100m to buy initial team, player valuations go up and down during the season, etc.) but does anyone have a good sense of strategy in selecting players or tips to help get me started off?

Looking for any advice (or cheat sheets)!

You want guys who are going to play. That sounds dumb but be weary of top players with really good backups. Pulisic is great but he may not start every week or be a likely sub but he will have a high price. This applies less to defenders.

For defense, you may want left/right backs that get forward in the attack (assists) and are on good teams.

I've always had some success with #9s from newly promoted or barely survived sides. They can be had at a better price point and they still bang home goals.

blindey said:

---

I've always had some success with #9s from newly promoted or barely survived sides. They can be had at a better price point and they still bang home goals.

---

Teemu Pukki at the beginning of this past season was killer. Danny Ings was the same at the end of the season.

This past season was the first time that I played, and it was a learning experience to say the least. A few things that I learned - some may be obvious to folks who are more seasoned:

Look for guys who are classified as a deeper position from a fantasy perspective but play in a more forward position IRL. Two examples from this past season were Lundstram from Sheffield United (classified as D but played as MF) and Martial from Man U (classified as MF but played as ST). You get more points for what they do attacking wise and get the knock on from defensive stats.

At the beginning of the year, I was constantly tinkering trying to get the perfect (and almost balanced like IRL) 11 out there every week. I was basically trying to have a team with some strength at all positions, but maybe less emphasis on superstars, and hope that they all hit. I had better luck when I just went all in with as many big names as I could afford and then filled in around them.

Defenders from smaller clubs - particularly those who are just looking to scratch out low goal results - who basically never leave the field can be really valuable. They may not be flashy, but they are effective.

I didn't think I knew when was the best time to use the chips, and I still don't think that I do now. I don't know if there is some strategy there that I am just missing.

Don't take my advice; I only eeked into the top 10 for the first time this year.