The 2025/26 FPL season brings the biggest fundamental changes to the rules of the game since the launch in the early nineties.
So what do you need to know to build the best team for Gameweek 1? Fantasy Football Hub has covered you!
Defensive contributions
Outfield players are now being rewarded for their defensive contributions, which will give more usefulness for defenders and enable them to make up for attacking full-backs for the FPL potential.
They must have a combined total of 10 approvals, blocks, interceptions and tackles each game for two bonus points.
Ballherstel is also added to the mix for midfielders and Vooruit, with defensive midfielders the big winners here. With more routes to points, they need 12 actions to score their two bonus points.
These changes see Nottingham Forest -defender Nikola Milenkovic and Arsenal -midfielder Declan Rice make the optimum team to start the season, according to AI of Fantasy Football Hub.
Double chips
This season there are also important changes to chips, including the removal of the Assistant Manager Chip, which was introduced controversially in the second half of last season. This chip wore huge variance, and so the game will be better without.
Instead, managers have four chips to be used in every half of the season: joker sign, free hit, bench boost and triple captain – with eight in total. Traditionally these chips are saved for the last phases of the season, where we have double game week.
Bench Boost and Triple Captain are each available for Gameweek 1, with Mohamed Salah (£ 14.5 million) to be the top point scorer in the opening weekend, with a predicted 7.9 points using the AI of Fantasy Football Hub predicted points.
Predicted points open four game week fantasy football hub
African Cup of Nations
Speaking of Mohamed Salah, an earlier African head of countries and an increase in the Premier League representation, see another change in the big rule. Fantasy managers get extra free transfers in Gameweek 16, when players are expected to leave for this competition.
Free transfers are attached to a maximum of five, given the number of players who may leave for the tournament. To make the best use of the change in the rules, managers must use all their available transfers in Gameweek 15.
This can have a considerable impact when fantasy managers have to play their chips, with this boost of free transfers almost as powerful as a wildcard. Many managers will intend to use their yoker sign earlier this season with this new statement in mind.