Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast

We're joined this week by Fantasy Football Fix pundit Tom Campbell to pick apart the action, injury news, refereeing controversies, and numerous penalty misses of GW30. Tom also discusses his recent wildcard squad and strategy for navigating upcoming blanks and doubles with "good players from good teams." Brandon and Tom then look ahead to GW31 and attempt to resolve key FPL dilemmas including: Ra...

Midway through the massive double GW29, the Cheaters check in on their scores and their squads. While it’s mostly good news from the weekend, there’s still a fair amount of turmoil to contend with post International Break—namely: what’s the plan going forward with Erling Haaland? Not to mention the trick of navigating the blanks in GW32 and more doubles in GW34? Plus, we discuss the recent sacking...

Special guest Erik Sibils, currently #704 overall in FPL, joins the podcast to discuss all things relating to double-gameweek 29, which features 12 Premier League teams playing twice when FPL returns on April 1. Topics discussed include the Rashford and Haaland injuries, bench boosting, captain picks, International Break news, Conte's sacking, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

As we enter the Premier League's final international break of the season, the Cheaters review gameweeks 17–28 through the lens of each week's dream team. That's right—it's once again time for the Kings of the Gameweek. What lessons can we learn and what patterns can we discern from the teams, players, and positions that appear in the FPL site's often overlooked feature? We also discuss our GW28 sc...

We've put our faith in double-gameweekers again, yet single-gameweekers continue to win out. As GW27 continues rolls on, the Cheaters discuss their fresh wildcard teams and where it's gone right and wrong. Were Brentford and Brighton picks justified? How well set up are we for the big doubles in GW29? But before we get to more doubles, we contend with blanks in GW28 and spend some time building an...

This weekend the Premier League continued to double-down on entertaining and dismaying match results. Between the breathless Arsenal comeback and Manchester United's annihilation at the hands of Liverpool, it's really hard to know where to begin the FPL discussion. But with three massive gameweeks coming in quick succession, the Cheaters dutifully dig into complicated chip and transfer strategies...

There are some pivotal GW25 fixtures yet to play, with Arsenal and Liverpool able to turn the tide of a relatively lackluster weekend. While we await the fates of Saka and Salah, the Cheaters turn their attention to more upcoming chaos with new doubles in both GW27 and GW29. The midweek FA Cup Fifth Round will determine how the fixture calendar fully takes shape—which will in turn direct our FPL s...

The FPL scores from GW24 didn't necessarily reflect the sublime chaos the Premier League weekend offered. So then what exactly did we learn as we now set our sights on the doubles in GW25? Those doubles include Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, and Wolves. With Arsenal back on track after a dramatic win at Aston Villa, their place in our fantasy squads remains assured. It's Liverpool that provide less...

This weekend's top performers were a good reminder for FPL managers who suffer from fantasy "blind spots"—players and clubs who never click with your strategy despite their big potential. Leicester City gave us two great examples in James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho, but some of us have worn season-long blinders with players like Ivan Toney, Riyad Mahrez, and even Miguel Almirón. What can we do...

Though both clubs are coming off losses this past weekend, all FPL eyes remain on Arsenal and Manchester City. Each have a double in the upcoming GW23 and on this episode the Cheaters look at all of their players—from goalkeepers to forwards—and determine which are the best fit for different fantasy scenarios. How big of a rotation risk might Martinelli be? Is De Bruyne really that out of favor un...

The Premier League made way this weekend for FA Cup fourth round fixtures and the results confirmed a double in GW22 for both Manchester United and Leeds—a massive opportunity for fantasy managers to gain an advantage. The Cheaters take a look at their own FPL squads and debate the best strategy for the coming weekend, as well as the pitfalls that await in the gameweeks to come. The biggest decisi...

With essentially half the season now behind us, Always Cheating proudly presents our annual mid-season review of all twenty Premier League clubs. Yep, that's AFC Bournemouth to Wolverhampton Wanderers and everyone in between. We discuss both FPL and real-life player and team performances and how those assessments might influence our fantasy decisions down the home stretch. The podcast will return...

Because the GW20 doubles stretched out the proceedings, fantasy managers now have just one day to tinker ahead of Saturday's GW21 deadline. We quickly review what was learned from recent matches like the North London Derby and Manchester City's continued up-and-down form and discuss how it all applies to the weekend. Plus, Manchester United might hold even more appeal in FPL with a potential doubl...

The results of this weekend’s FA Cup matches have brought about a newly-announced double gameweek for both Manchester United and Crystal Palace. That’s on top of the double now confirmed for Manchester City and Tottenham, suddenly making GW20 a potential FPL blockbuster. So, what’s the strategy? In this episode, Josh and Brandon debate the necessity of big player picks like Harry Kane and Kevin De...

With mere hours until the GW19 fantasy deadline, Josh and Brandon prepare their own squads, weighing the pros/cons of Chelsea and Fulham assets. Is Mitrovic a captaincy option? Can Sterling or Havertz be trusted? How important is Chelsea defensive cover? And are transfer hits warranted to attack this double gameweek? We also debate the form—or lack thereof—of players like Darwin Núñez and Bruno Fe...

The 2022 World Cup offered a thrilling break from club football, but it's now time to dust the cobwebs off our neglected fantasy squads. As we return to non-stop Fantasy Premier League coverage, Josh and Brandon run through news you may have missed, consider the physical and emotional impact on players in Qatar, and look ahead to the key decision points for the GW17 deadline. And it's not just Box...

It was a final for the ages—filled with brilliance, chaos, and pure emotion. Ultimately, Messi cements his place next to Maradona in football history and Argentina have won their third Wold Cup title. France required a dramatic comeback, and Mbappé nearly got them there, but the young French attacker will have to settle for the Golden Boot. Josh and Brandon record their last Qatar World Cup Minute...

Morocco finally reached their breaking point upon meeting France in Qatar's World Cup semifinals. Though soundly beaten, the North African team put up a mighty fight worthy of their Cinderella tournament run. But now it is France with an opportunity to repeat as consecutive World Cup champions as the young superstar Kylian Mbappé faces off against the legendary Lionel Messi. Who will lift the trop...

For our twentieth World Cup Minute, we recap the first semifinal in Qatar with Argentina dominating Croatia. Ultimately, Messi's brilliance was too great and Julian Álvarez's finishing too focused for this tough Croatian team to handle. Josh and Brandon then look ahead to Wednesday's Morocco vs France match and how either team might stack up against the Argentines. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about...

Rounding out a truly thrilling World Cup quarterfinals, Day 19 in Qatar delivered victory for both Morocco and France. Portugal and England kept it close and will each feel disappointed at how close they came. In the end, Ronaldo couldn't muster any last-minute heroics in what will surely be his final international tournament, while England played an exceptional match, delivering on almost everyth...

The World Cup Minute returns for Day 18 in Qatar and the first of the tournament’s quarterfinals. And, well… WHAT A DAY IT WAS! Drama, goals, handbags, penalties, tricky free kicks, upsets—fans were in dreamland throughout, unless you happen to be Dutch or Brazilian. Despite Neymar’s brilliant goal in extra time, Brazil couldn’t fend off the eternally tough Croatia who will now go on to face Argen...

Day 17 in Qatar brought fans more drama as Morocco took Spain to penalties . . . and won! The early kickoff's tight, defensive affair then stood in stark contrast to the goal-fest of Portugal vs Switzerland as the Seleção das Quinas put six past the Swiss, even with Ronaldo on the bench for the majority. A hat trick for Goncalo Ramos was the major headline, but the Cheaters also spotlight Achraf H...

Day 16 of the FIFA World Cup saw Brazil and Crotia advance to the Quarterfinals, each in different fashion. Croatia proved "too tough" for Japan to break down, and ultimately the Samurai Blue fell to a series of poor penalties, while Brazil topped South Korea in more dazzling, frenetic fashion. Looking ahead to Tuesday's final slate of Round-of-Sixteen matches, Josh and Brandon preview what should...

Emphatic wins for France and England featured on Day 15 of the FIFA World Cup, underlined by a Golden Ball–level performance from 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé. Additionally, Olivier Giroud broke Thierry Henry's goal record, while England spread the attacking output around through standout performances from Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Harry Kane. (Yep, we see you, Jordan Henderson. And, yeah, nic...

Our good friend Dave joins the podcast to recap the U.S. men's performance against the Netherlands and across the entire World Cup tournament. Where do we stand on Berhalter's management and the American talent pool? Plus, we weigh in on the momentum of Messi's Argentina—do they have enough firepower to get to the final? And then it's a preview of Sunday's matches, including England vs Senegal and...