Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast

This weekend was meant to be the triumphant debut of so many FPL wildcard teams, but instead it's been a strange and polarizing handful of match days. The Brighton defense was woeful, Lacazette was benched, and Deeney was red carded, all while old stalwarts Pogba, Wilson, and Fraser were having a points party. So, where do we focus our efforts ahead of the massive GW35 doubles? Josh and Brandon di...

After recapping our scores from GW33, and celebrating Josh's dizzying new overall rank, we turn our attention to active FPL wildcards, running through all eight teams with a double in GW35. (And, yeah, we didn't forget about Cardiff, who have a double GW34, along with Brighton.) Are there any truly essential players for your wildcard? Should you consider teams without a double? Will squad rotation...

This week, we find ourselves in media res with six GW32 fixtures yet to play. We quickly assess the status of our Free Hit squads, each with their high and low points. Then we move our attention to this season's remaining unanswered questions, examining the status of the golden boot race, top four, and relegation places. We touch upon some Triple Captain chip strategy and then it's our GW33 previe...

This week, we're full-on tinkering with the Free Hit chip ahead of the massive double GW32 fixtures. While not every manager is on a Free Hit this week, it's an interesting way to frame a gameweek that holds so much attacking appeal. So, who are the essential FPL assets going to be? Is Hazard getting yet another opportunity to prove his value? Are there any other Manchester City players to conside...

It's time to take stock after a challenging GW31, which saw some unexpected results and extremely unlikely FPL heroes. Looking ahead to GW32 and beyond, we're creating an Always Cheating Power Ranking for all twenty Premier League clubs: Which clubs have upcoming double or blank gameweeks? From the Champions League to the FA Cup, who is still fighting on multiple fronts, and how might that impact...

Raheem Sterling gets most of the GW30 headlines with his lightning-fast hat trick against Watford, but who will be the hero in next weekend's blank bonanza? Josh and Brandon examine the available fixtures and construct an ideal GW31 squad, discussing the benefits of attack versus defense with the two biggest sides in Liverpool and Chelsea. Can Hazard be trusted? Has Mané's form finally placed him...

Tom Campbell (https://twitter.com/UtterlyTC) joins the podcast this week as our special guest co-host. Tom and Brandon recap the action of GW29, including the numerous captaincy fails that have further frayed FPL managers' edges. Then we get into an extensive discussion on GW31 transfer targets as we approach GW30 with the upcoming blanks weighing heavily on our minds. Plus, a lightning round with...

We quickly recap a relatively low-scoring GW27 before moving on to more strategizing for the upcoming blank game weeks. Among the handful of teams who play in GW31, which have affordable or overlooked players worth targeting in the coming transfer windows? Plus, we discuss Sarri's League Cup meltdown, Liverpool's sluggish form, and where we currently stand with each Manchester club. Stick around f...

Chip season on Always Cheating is officially kicking off! With the fifth round of the FA Cup now complete, Josh and Brandon discuss the various emerging strategies for playing your Free Hit, Bench Boost, Triple Captain, and Wildcard chips. We focus most acutely on the blank GW31 and double GW32, but there's much more theorizing to come on GW33 and GW35. Stay tuned for our interview with Pierre Moo...

Agüero scored his third hat trick of the season in GW26, adding insult to injury for Aubameyang owners. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows at Manchester City, as Leroy Sané blanked yet again. How do these narratives impact our GW27 planning? With City, Chelsea, Everton, and Brighton all to blank next weekend, some tricky FPL decision will need to be made. Plus, we chat about in-form Liverpool...

Sunday's Manchester City team sheet was a massive disappointment for many FPL managers. But some others profited from Sergio Agüero's tenth Premier League hat trick. With Wednesday's match at Goodison Park yet to come, there's a small glimmer of hope for Leroy Sané captainers, but this episode was always primed for rants, rage, and despair. We attempt to let off some of that steam, but also get ba...

This weekend's FA Cup results were a mixed bag for Premier League sides, but they've also generated a massive opportunity for FPL managers: a newly-announced double gameweek in GW25. Manchester City and Everton will both play twice, but what's the best way to approach it? Can we pinpoint the less rotation-prone City players? Are Everton worthy of investment regardless of the double? Much of the ep...

A mid-season FPL template is undeniably taking hold. But how locked-in is it, really? Are certain players like Salah, Robertson, Pogba, Rashford, Digne, Doherty, or even Jimenez simply unavoidable? This week, we discuss how to use the template to your advantage and to anticipate the changes that are always just around the corner. Plus, we evaluate Hazard's recent blanks and whether Gonzalo Higuain...

After a quick break for FA Cup action, our attention has returned to FPL. The big questions for the moment revolve around major attacking assets, and the inevitable budget headaches that come with high-priced watch lists. So how many premium strikers do we need? Rather, are Kane and Aubameyang both essential? After a blip of bad form, have we moved away from Manchester City's midfield too quickly?...

We're popping up in your podcast feed to check in on all of the festive Premier League madness that's happened since our GW19 preview. And, well, a lot has happened. Liverpool are cruising, Manchester City are wobbling, Kane is firing, and Manchester United are suddenly the new FPL darlings. In other fantasy news, the second wildcard chip is now available to all managers. Surely it's too early to...

The current heavy hitters in Kane, Aubameyang, Sterling, Salah, and Sané have all been identified. But GW17 has seen the emergence of a ragtag group of misfits who can hardly be identified by underlying stats or historical FPL returns. What do we make of the likes of Shaqiri, Deulofeu, Rondon, Ings, or Snodgrass? Who has longterm prospects or even just the likelihood of points during the festive p...

Mo Salah's GW16 hat-trick was either a sweet reward to patient FPL managers or a bitter punishment to those who recently sold him for scrap. The Egyptian's resurgence puts him in the company of other premium attacking assets that we're now frantically trying to fit into our teams: from Kane and Aubameyang to Sterling and Hazard. So how many of these players should we have? And how many can we affo...

This past Sunday offered a uniquely thrilling Derby Day, but the FPL results were mixed and now we're left with a major dilemma choosing our premium strikers. We must decide between Agüero, Kane, and Aubameyang, or face major team surgery to fit two of the three. Comparing form and fixtures, who's actually worth the trouble amidst the festive fixtures? Plus, we discuss Liverpool's attack versus it...

Coming off of this calendar year's final international break, GW13 landed with a bit of a thud. And, with that, the epic festive period is suddenly upon us! We're devoting this episode to five key questions ahead of the holiday fixture glut: Can we rank the Manchester City midfielders? Do we finally trust Spurs attacking assets? Where are the bargain clean sheets? Who are the in-form strikers? And...

France may have failed to qualify for the UEFA Nations League semifinal, but Frenchmen still dominate this international break's FPL chat: Mendy's injury could mean a sideways move to Laporte, or downgrading to Everton's Lucas Digne. And nervous excitement surrounds Martial as he looks to continue his scoring form this weekend at home to Crystal Palace. We also cover some longer-term strategy ques...

First off, in this episode, we recap our scores and the main events from GW12. Second, we focus our attention on the FPL assets from the Premier League's "big six" clubs: Are we going all-out-attack with three Manchester City players? Who's feeling hot, cold, or simply anxious with Mo Salah and/or Hazard? Is anyone still considering a move for Kane in the next few weeks? Have Arsenal officially go...

Some transfer choices require more courage than others and can lead to big season-defining differentials. But what does it really mean for an FPL asset to be classed as a differential? Where do we find them? And where in our standard lineups do they fit best? This week's podcast is devoted entirely to those low-ownership, high-upside players, including the likes of Sterling, Martial, Eriksen, Murr...

The carnage of GW10 included numerous FPL absentees in Hazard, Robertson, and Arnautovic. But, in their place, players like Ross Barkley and Anthony Martial emerged. Are they for real? Or, if they aren't, who are the other mid-priced midfielders to consider buying, selling, and holding as the current template starts to wobble? We also examine Mitrovic's difficult situation on a team in free-fall,...

As we look to put the excruciatingly average GW9 behind us, it's time for another edition of the FPL world's favorite game: "Buy! Sell! Hold!" Among the biggest players under our microscope this week are the defensive holy trinity of Robertson, Alonso, and Mendy. We consider Klopp's recent rotation and if there's a cheaper way into Liverpool's back line. It's probably time to sell Kane, if you sti...

Dark forces are at work during this international break, with concerns over a possible Mohamed Salah injury and other mysterious FPL questions emerging. How believable is Arsenal's form and that of Lacazette? Will Kevin de Bruyne's return immediately upend the midfield template? And how far into this season can mid-priced players like Maddison, Mitro, Fraser, and Doherty actually take us? Josh and...