Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast

Day 13 of the FIFA World Cup saw one of the tournament's most powerful moments as South Korea players were moved to tears after progressing to the knockout stage in a dramatic win over Portugal. Victories of the more pyrrhic sort befell Uruguay and Cameroon, while the grudge match between Serbia and Switzerland delivered on goals and handbags—and eventually jubilation for the Swiss. Josh and Brand...

For a brief and magical moment during Day 12 of the FIFA World Cup, both Japan and Costa Rica were heading out of Group E at the expense of European juggernauts Spain and Germany. Japan and Spain ultimately move on, while Group F saw the tournament's second African nation qualify for the knockout stage. Croatia is also through after a shocking performance by Belgium, who will know their team xG do...

Day 11 of the FIFA World Cup saw Argentina, Poland, France, and Australia advance to the knockout stage. While Australia was the biggest shock of the day—at a dour Denmark’s expense—Argentina’s emphatic resurgence as tournament contenders was, as we look ahead, a pretty substantial marker laid down. Josh and Brandon then preview Thursday’s round of fixtures with Germany and Belgium fighting for th...

On Day 10 of the World Cup, the Americans booked their trip to the knockout round of sixteen in the most significant U.S. victory of the last two decades. Christian Pulisic got his moment on the big stage—and has the bruises to prove it—and will now face a non-vintage Dutch side this Saturday. Josh and Brandon also recap the action elsewhere as England sailed past Wales and Senegal battled to beat...

Monday's matches started Day 9 of the World Cup off with a bang—eleven goals in 180 minutes. While the scoring fell off a bit, the later games were no less engaging with Brazil and Portugal both clinching their trip to the tournament's knockout stage. Josh and Brandon then preview tomorrow's kickoff of the final round of the group stage, featuring massive stakes in both Groups A and B. While Ecuad...

Sunday in Qatar brought us big upsets of Japan and Belgium by the hands of Costa Rica and Morocco, respectively. But it was the draw between Spain and Germany the really explodes the roadmap for Group E. Meanwhile, a ruthless Croatia put Canada out of the tournament, leaving it all up for grabs in Group F. Josh and Brandon also review the kits from Day 8 and preview the stakes for the final slate...

Saturday’s World Cup action included Denmark giving France some (ultimately moot) resistance, while Argentina and Poland both hit the reset button on their tournament ambitions. Messi and Mbappe continue to dazzle and Lewandowski finally gets the goal to complete his trophy cabinet. Josh and Brandon recap Groups C and D as that final round is shaping up to be a must-win doozy for all involved. We...

The main stage for Day 6 was reserved for England v the U.S. While the match didn't deliver on goals, there's still a lot to unpack on how the nil-nil draw impacts Group B and also effects the narrative of the cultural and managerial trajectories of both federations. Josh and Brandon pick the bones and also discuss highlights from Thursday's only games. After some brief "kit talk," it's on to Satu...

It's Thanksgiving Day in America, but despite the distractions the Cheaters are more committed than ever to recapping/previewing the World Cup. This Thursday offered some exciting match-ups, but only a few of them delivered on that promise: We discuss the Uruguay v South Korea stalemate, along with Portugal's nail-biting victory and Richarlison's emphatic opening statement for Brazil. Then we look...

Wednesday offered yet another early tournament upset as Japan startled Germany 2-1. Meanwhile, Spain were in cruise control putting seven goals past a rudderless Costa Rica. But what about Belgium? Did they impress? Josh and Brandon step in to recap the day's highlights and look ahead to tomorrow's slate of fixtures, which includes title favorites Brazil and another South American darling in Urugu...

Day 3 of the 2022 World Cup began with a startling upset of tournament favorites—and Messi led—Argentina by Saudi Arabia. The Cheaters recap the rest of the action: from Lewandowski's miss and Ochoa's now-familiar heroics to an underwhelming Denmark and a flying France. Then we look ahead to tomorrow's matches featuring exciting lineups for Spain and Germany, a point to prove for Belgium, plus som...

The first full day of fixtures kick off the 2022 World Cup in spectacular fashion as England dazzles, the Netherlands persevere, and the United States and Wales trade blows. After decompressing from an exhausting homer experience for a couple Americans, we then look ahead to Day 3 and matches for Argentina, Denmark, Mexico, Poland, and France. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Welcome to our first episode of the 2022 FIFA World Cup! For Day 1 of our new daily podcast, we recap the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador. We then look ahead to the stakes and what we're excited about with Monday's fixtures rounding out Groups A & B. How does a Senegal without Mané match up against the Netherlands? And how bullish or negative are we with the young American squad who faces...

After a chaotic final gameweek, FPL will hit pause for the 2022 World Cup. It's a good moment for the Cheaters, Josh and Brandon, to take a look at how their fantasy seasons have gone so far and what strategies might help them kick on after the break. After some unpacking of GW16—from Haaland's blank to braces for Toney, Darwin, and Ødegaard—it's then time to turn the focus to Qatar, including way...

With just one more round of Premier League fixtures before the World Cup, the Cheaters look to make the most of GW16 and head into the break in style. In preparation, we assemble an ideal, if-money-were-no-object squad and debate which players have the highest upside with perhaps the lowest ownership. Additionally, we discuss the FPL site's recent woes of crashing just before important deadlines a...

Emerging from the weekend's GW14 fixtures, we pick the bones of Brandon's wildcard squad and talk about the challenges facing us in the final days before the World Cup break. As fantasy managers hunt for punts and differential picks for this brief pre-Qatar run, we look down the Premier League table and answer one key FPL question on all twenty clubs, from Arsenal to Nottingham Forest. Hail Cheate...

With only three matchweeks to play before the Premier League breaks for the World Cup, the Cheaters consider how best to attack GW14–16. Brandon is doubly focused on this stretch of fixtures because of his active wildcard. So, who are the key players with the biggest upside? We discuss the importance of home and away schedules, the fatigue factor of a packed season, and the psychological impact of...

It's a quick turnaround for the midweek slate of GW12 fixtures and the Cheaters are nailing down how they intend to manage the blank for Arsenal and Manchester City. With lots of key FPL assets missing out, we weigh the pros and cons of using a wildcard or free hit chip to bail out your fantasy squad. Or, depending on your situation, maybe transfer penalties can help? We also discuss the necessity...

Arsenal and Manchester City are each enjoying incredible form—sadly just in time for their fantasy fixture blank in GW12. In this week's episode the Cheaters break down the best ways to navigate possibly selling off six of our best FPL assets for missing merely one gameweek. What can we justify? How many Arsenal or Man City players can we stand to keep? Would we consider a Free Hit? If we're wildc...

In a Premier League weekend filled with talking points, one man again stole the show as Erling Haaland delivered his third hat trick of the season (in his first-ever Manchester Derby). Since GW1, the Norwegian's impact on FPL has been swift and with full force. So, what does this mean for fantasy managers going forward? How can something so certain be either challenging or fun? Or even offer a mea...

As this Premier League season's first international break comes to a close, it feels like precious little football has been played during the last month. That's got the Cheaters especially excited for FPL's return this weekend. GW9 presents some interesting challenges for those who wildcarded early, are looking to wildcard this week, or are planning ahead for the Man City/Arsenal blank in GW12. On...

As we enter the Premier League's first international break of the season, the Cheaters review gameweeks 1–8 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 scores fr...

Recorded live at Fest NYC in Brooklyn's beautiful Sunset Park Rooftop, Josh and Brandon enjoy a wide-ranging FPL conversation with Fantasy Football Scout founder and FPL BlackBox co-host Mark Sutherns. We discuss Mark's early days of founding the legendary Scout website, as well as his days working for the Premier League, and how his fantasy management style has evolved through many years and vari...

After six FPL gameweeks, the Cheaters are beginning to consider a wildcard. But do we have enough actionable information yet? Salah continues to underwhelm and Haaland has strengthened his grip on a permanent captaincy. These two basic truths are causing many fantasy managers to restructure their squads and move some cash to new areas of the fantasy pitch. Primarily, forwards continue to shine and...

Special guest Ed Gray joins us this week to preview the midweek fixtures in GW5 and get set for the FPL deadline. We tackle the current dilemma with Mo Salah—a fantasy phenom who is struggling at the moment to justify his hefty price. Is the Egyptian the first to go if managers are looking to bust the template picks? Plus, we consider our defensive strategies with "big at the back" versus "little-...