Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast

With all of the chaos surrounding recent double gameweeks, and a blank-riddled GW29 on the horizon, relatively little attention has been paid to next weekend's GW28. In this episode, we seek to correct that oversight and zero in on key transfer and captaincy strategies for the round of FPL fixtures that's right in front of us. We also discuss Gareth Bale's exploding form, the worrying decline of M...

We're checking in on the action—or lack there of, in many cases—from GW26 as the massive double gameweek rolls on. Then, we open up the Always Cheating listener mailbag and answer some of your questions regarding big-picture FPL strategy, preferred fantasy news sources, and how hosting an FPL podcast impacts the managing of our own squads. Plus, even though it may feel lightyears away, we look ahe...

If you thought the GW25 doubles were tricky, just wait until you get a look at the epic fixtures list for GW26. Fourteen Premier League teams will double next gameweek, presenting near limitless possibilities for transfers, points hits, chip (nay, favor) usage, and captaincy picks. To help managers sort through and simplify the numerous complications, Josh and Brandon are using their favorite "tru...

With a few GW24 matches still to play, Josh and Brandon check in on their scores and the state of their squads. Have the injuries, team rotation, and unexpected results been kind to us? Then we shift our focus to the Leeds and Southampton double in GW25 and debate giving the captaincy to either Bamford or Ings. Who looks better? Or could Raphinha be a curveball differential for the armband? We als...

Dodgy VAR decisions and a widely-benched 12-pointer from Dominic Calvert-Lewin were the big stories from GW23. But that's nothing compared to the excitement in store for FPL managers in GW24 after double fixtures were announced for Manchester City (TOT, eve), Everton (FUL, MCI), Burnley (cpl, FUL), and Fulham (eve, bur). So, how are we setting up to best take advantage of the doubles? We look at t...

Positives performances from the likes of Mo Salah, Patrick Bamford, and Emi Martinez gave GW21 a magical shine. The results have us reflecting on our favorite FPL moments and the role of luck in a particularly good fantasy run. Then, it's over to the midweek fixtures of GW22, and a discussion of our current dilemmas: How badly do we regret investing in mid-season Dominic Calvert-Lewin? What are th...

With the pivotal GW19 now behind us, let's take a moment to survey to pros and cons of the double gameweek that was. Did anything during the last few days change our thinking about this Premier League season or how we're approaching the FPL game? Then it's over to Tuesday's GW20 deadline as we preview the key fixtures, transfer targets, and captaincy options—it's Bruno time! Key injuries to Kevin...

He was an American prodigy. The next Pelé. The savior of U.S. soccer. But he wasn’t even old enough to drive. In 2004, Freddy Adu joined MLS at 14 years old becoming the youngest pro athlete in America in 100 years. His story is a tale of talent, money, fame, and football. Soccer journalist Grant Wahl retraces the legend of Freddy as he went from superstar to one of the biggest "what ifs," asking,...

With nearly half the season now behind us, Always Cheating proudly presents our annual mid-season report card on all twenty Premier League clubs. Yep, that's Arsenal to Wolves, and everyone in between. We discuss both FPL and real-life player and team performances and how each of those assessments might influence our fantasy decisions down the home stretch. We also check in our our GW19 scores, in...

This week we're joined by fantasy veteran and YouTube legend FPL Nymfria to preview a tricky GW18. First, we have to catch up on this weekend's FA Cup action and any happenings relevant to our FPL plans. Then, it's on to the myriad decisions that managers must make ahead of Tuesday's deadline: Are we ready for a Manchester City triple-up? How seriously do we have to take Arsenal now that they've s...

The intense run of festive fixtures is finally in the rearview mirror, but there's precious little time to dwell on what lessons were learned along the way. We quickly turn our attention to the tricky GW18, which features only six fixtures and notable blanks from fantasy staples Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester, West Ham, and Chelsea. Is it time to trigger our Free Hit chips? And how many players is to...

With this week's cancelation of Everton-Man City and the threat of more fixture postponements on the horizon, we start off this week's episode with a discussion of COVID-19's impact on the fantasy game—both our strategy in handling such uncertainty and the emotional toll of following the news. Have recent events caused us to alter our chip and transfer plans for GW18–19? Then, it's back to normali...

The festive fixture pile-up is upon us with FPL gameweeks coming fast and furious. In this episode, we're previewing GW15–16 and looking at our preferred captains and transfers targets. Is there any other standout option aside from Mo Salah? Is Kevin de Bruyne doing enough to keep himself in our teams? We also take a closer look at this week's news about the blank fixtures in GW18 and doubles in G...

We take quick stock of our GW12 scores before moving ahead to transfer targets and captaincy options for the looming midweek GW13 fixtures. Brandon and Josh tackle such questions as: Is it a blessing or a curse that so many of us moved for Mo Salah last gameweek? Can we separate the value of Kevin de Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes after a rather dull Manchester Derby? And, with injuries to the likes o...

Between Salah, De Bruyne, Bruno, Kane, and Son, at the moment it seems there are almost too many premium FPL assets who are delivering big points. So, considering most fantasy managers can't afford them all, how do we fit the right players in and still maintain a balanced squad? We discuss who our biggest premium priorities should be and look at the upcoming fixtures to determine how some managers...

This weekend has brought our FPL focus back to the midfield with premium players like Bruno Fernandes and Kevin de Bruyne leaving their mark. And, with Mo Salah back from his COVID-19 infection, the list of must-have attackers is growing longer and longer. Ahead of GW11, we're looking at our preferred transfer targets and captaincy options, as well as some traps worth avoiding. We're then joined b...

With some impressive scores amongst some highly-owned players, was GW9 a big bounce-back week for FPL managers? Josh and Brandon take a look at how their squads are doing, and then discuss the most pressing fantasy dilemmas ahead of GW10: Is it possible to consider selling Spurs assets, even when their amazing form continues? If Spurs are that good, are Fulham really that bad? Is it time to hop ab...

He was an American prodigy. The next Pelé. The savior of U.S. soccer. But he wasn’t even old enough to drive. In 2004, Freddy Adu joined MLS at 14 years old becoming the youngest pro athlete in America in 100 years. His story is a tale of talent, money, fame and futbol. Soccer journalist Grant Wahl retraces the legend of Freddy as he went from superstar to one of the biggest "what ifs," asking, wh...

This recent international break is wreaking havoc on fantasy managers with so many key FPL assets suffering injuries and COVID-19 infections. Do these events make GW9 a good moment to start fresh and reinvigorate our squads with new names and new strategies? Is a player like Mo Salah worth selling, even if he could miss just one gameweek? We consider a number of recently-overlooked players whom we...

Another international break is upon us, so we're taking this pause in fantasy action to present our first-ever Early-Season FPL Awards. First, we check in on scores and highlights from GW8, and then it's on to the presentation of FPL's most (and least) valuable players and teams, along with the best newcomers and most improved players during the start of this 2020–21 Premier League season. We'll r...

Some recent Premier League results have been harder to predict than Graham Potter's next starting eleven. Speaking of, is Brighton actually going to sputter into relegation while still be one of the sharpest teams in the division? And, how can we explain the anemic attack of typically high-flying teams like Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United? Are we being impatient? As FPL managers,...

While normal service threatens to resume with this weekend's relatively (and that's a heavily qualified "relatively") predictable score-lines, fantasy managers are seeing some shockingly low points tallies. Is GW6 just another one of those flukey weeks? Or is there something we can learn? Josh and Brandon look at the increasing FPL influence of the forward slot and discuss some key questions ahead...

In a Premier League weekend featuring bizarre results and controversial moments, we also saw some massive fantasy returns. Josh and Brandon consider how a new FPL template might be forming and examine some key questions heading into GW6: Should we stick with Liverpool defense after Van Dijk's season-ending injury? How badly do we need Harry Kane? And do we still want any players from Manchester Ci...

While FPL managers wait out what remains of the International Break, we take a closer at Josh's active wildcard and discuss what it means to trigger a chip from a position of strength versus out of necessity. This week's other dilemmas center on Aston Villa's surprising form, Manchester City's worrying results, and the chaos that the Spurs attack threatens to rain down upon us. All of this, plus l...

The Premier League insanity continues with outrageous shorelines and results occurring throughout GW4. But, with still so much volatility within the league and FPL, who's fantasy stock is up as we head into the international break? And whose stock is actually going down? We discuss all twenty teams and attempt to pinpoint which of them are currently worthy of our time and investment. Always Cheati...