Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast

In the midst of a global crisis, there's a lot to get stressed about. So, this week, we set out to record a "feel good" (or "feel less bad") episode filled with ideas on how to get by during the coming weeks and possibly months. From virtual FPL and analog board games to bread baking and binging sci-fi novels, we and our listeners have come up with some great hacks for passing the time. Hail Cheat...

The Premier League and the fantasy game have very particular places in our weekly and daily lives. But, given our current crisis, virtually every aspect of sport has vanished. So we at Always Cheating decided to have an old fashioned draft to call out and draw in those specific players and teams, cherished moments of the average sports week, and other elements of following the league and our clubs...

Sports are still on hiatus, but while everyone's in social isolation, movies have become a pretty good way to get our sports fix. So, while we're all looking for content to stream at home, we thought it was a good week to reflect our favorite sports movies of all time. From 'The Damned United' and 'Rocky IV,' to 'Major League' and 'Hoop Dreams,' our discussion hits on virtually every sport, every...

Listen, we love the Fantasy Premier League game. We truly do. We love it so much that we dedicated a weekly podcast to it. But, as a thought experiment during this surreal down-time, we at Always Cheating decided to take a shot and inventing some new rules for FPL. What does the fantasy game already have that can be improved? What does it not have that can be introduced? From chips and team format...

With no new Premier League action or fantasy happenings, Josh and Brandon set their sights on the past and list their favorite FPL assets from recent history. And as we run through the best goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards, we find that "favorite" doesn't always mean what you think it means. Along the way, we reminisce about our own greatest moments playing the FPL game since we b...

While the coronavirus continues to upend life as we know it, Josh and Brandon assess what this means for Premier League fans and FPL managers. Is there a chance that the season might eventually resume? Or is it over? And, if it's truly over, what are our thoughts on approaching mini-league winner payouts for a season that never truly ended? Plus, we offer up a detailed travel diary for our recent...

Josh and Brandon are in the UK this week, enjoying some live match day experiences. But we're finding time in this episode to highlight key FPL issues facing managers ahead of the big blank GW31, as well as the "Forgotten Gameweek" GW30. Join us for player picks, captaincy favorites, and a few stories from our recent travels to the Emirates, Old Trafford, and King Power. Hail Cheaters! As mentione...

The action from GW28 was chaotic, to say the least, but players like Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin continue to rack up FPL points. We're digesting all of this in the context of Brandon's wildcard, which is active during this transfer window. So, who will make the cut? And who are the differentials that will help this wildcard really climb the ranks? Plus we preview GW29 fi...

Is it true that you can close a gap of 100 points in your FPL mini league with just eleven weeks to go? Is it false that form trumps fixtures? Is it true that Manchester United now have to be taken seriously by fantasy managers? Is it false that Kevin de Bruyne is the only Manchester City asset worth owning? Is it true that underlying stats are overrated? Is it false that there are no worthwhile m...

As GW26 and our first Premier League winter break come to their eventual conclusions, we're turning our attention to emerging and under-the-radar transfer targets from clubs like Wolverhampton, Spurs, Arsenal, Newcastle, and Leicester City. Which players who have hit recent form are actually knee-jerk fantasy moves versus those savvy picks who will actually help you make headway in the FPL ranks?...

There's not much in the way of FPL news as we find ourselves only three-tenths of the way through a long GW26. So, we thought, what the heck? Let's just ask our listeners to send in a bunch of random fantasy and non-fantasy questions for us to answer. Listen in as Josh and Brandon critique each other's FPL tactics, talk about how they first met, and debate who of the duo would win in a penalty sho...

Let's face it: Sometimes, FPL questions can be difficult, or even downright impossible to answer. This week, we are honestly and confidently tackling all of our listeners' toughest conundrums, from premium striker woes to Championship rotation threat, Leicester City's concerning form, and the prospects of the biggest January signings. Plus, we take a closer look at the GW26 fixture list, which has...

We're still waiting for the final—and extremely fateful—GW24 match to be played. While we wait, Josh and Brandon discuss the possibility, and weigh the pros and cons, of triggering a wildcard ahead of GW25. And, if they were to activate a wildcard now, which players would be in their refreshed fifteen-men squad? Both Josh and Brandon run through their current selections, from goalkeepers and defen...

With Gameweek 24 kicking off in less than 48 hours, Josh and guest co-host Eric Freeman go all in on Liverpool's (and, er, West Ham's) double-gameweek: who to target, who to triple captain, and if there's really any definitive way to pick between Mané, Salah, Trent and more with your (C) pick. We also discuss Greenwood, Martinelli, and other emerging forwards, what to do with Jiménez and Tammy, an...

While Danny Ings continues his scoring rampage, and after Manchester City's masterclass at Villa Park, many FPL managers are reckoning with key players they've recently overlooked. In this episode, we discuss the likes of Mahrez, Agüero, Richarlison, Sarr, and Lacazette and whether their time in our FPL lineups has come. We also take another look at double GW24 planning and debate the idea of "poi...

With more than 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. Stick around until the end for our pr...

With the festive fixtures nearly behind us, we're taking a moment to review the last few FPL gameweeks and consider what lessons, if any, were learned. We discuss the Chelsea bubble bursting, the mere existence of a Spurs bubble, and the potential of new Arsenal and Everton managers generating anything even close to resembling a bubble with players worth punting on. Plus, Mané versus Salah remains...

This week, we're going match-by-match through the big Boxing Day fixture list, highlighting rest and rotation worries, captaincy favorites, and transfer targets. How big of a factor will Liverpool play as they return from their exploits abroad? Is Lundstram an legitimate candidate for the armband? And where are the truly reliable clean sheets? Hail Cheaters and Happy Holidays from the Always Cheat...

We often take the longview when discussing the FPL season, but next weekend's tricky GW18 requires focused attention. Liverpool will be abroad at the FIFA Club World Cup, resulting in a blank gameweek for both the league leaders and West Ham United. What does this mean for your Liverpool assets? Should FPL managers be benching the likes of Mané, Salah, and Alexander-Arnold, or is there any strateg...

It's that point in the FPL season when everyone is looking for an opportunity to rise up in the rankings. This week, Brandon and Josh discuss a few strategies for attacking the holiday fixtures, as well as players who might give you a boost. Stars like Marcus Rashford and Dele Alli stand out, but should managers be dropping marque assets like Kevin De Bruyne and Raul Jiménez to make space? We also...

It's a quick turnaround from this weekend's round of Premier League matches to Tuesday's GW15 kickoff. What does this holiday fixture onslaught mean for player rest and rotation? We're taking a closer look at newly emerging fantasy assets that might help us navigate the trickiest part of the league calendar, including those less likely to be benched. Plus, from Mourinho's appointment at Spurs to E...

Between Raheem Sterling's goal drought and Liverpool's clean sheet drought, this FPL season has presented more problems than solutions when it comes to premium assets. Will José Mourinho's invigorated Spurs be the answer to these woes? This week, we discuss the upside of Kane, Son, Dele, and Lucas, and whether they might displace template assets like Mo Salah or Kevin de Bruyne. Plus we preview th...

In this mailbag episode of the podcast, Josh and Brandon answer a wide range of listener questions. First, we focus our attention on key players and fixtures from GW13 through the end of the festive period. Who's is the future template? Who's out of the current one? How does Livepool's GW18 blank factor into our planning? And, of course, what's the current enthusiasm level on Raheem Sterling and o...

Liverpool's victory over Manchester City was one of the defining events of GW12, but how will it impact our FPL lineups going forward? Is Alexander-Arnold still a better pick than Robertson? Is Salah making a case that managers should pick him over Mané? And exactly how committed should you be to either Sterling or De Bruyne? Plus, we discuss the "sword and shield" approach to balancing defensive...

This week, the Always Cheating hosts get positive! Coming off of amazing GW11 performances, we're inducting players like John Lundstram, Andrew Robertson, and Jamie Vardy into our official Appreciation Society—a proper home for beloved FPL assets through the years. We also discuss prioritizing premium midfield assets, considering the current states of Salah, De Bruyne, and Sterling. Which could be...