Fantasy Premier League winner – Dimitri Nicolaou’s Top 4 FPL Tips

Once the final whistle had blown on the 2015/2016 Premier League season, Dimitri Nicolaou was crowned the Fantasy Premier League Champion of the 2015/16 season! Finishing 1st out of over 3.5 million players, was an incredible achievement, but ‘How did that happen?’ Here, I will try and highlight my Top 4 FPL Tips which enabled me to finish top out of 3.5 million Fantasy Premier League managers.

My instinctive answer to that question was and still is that a certain amount of luck is needed. In a game that has over 3.5 million players, it takes more than just a strong strategy to win the game, but with that being said, I’m not sure anyone is that lucky either!

Having looked back through the season, there were certain identifiable principles that I followed that helped to stack the odds in my favour. So, with a substantial nod to Lady Luck, here are what I perceive to be the Top 4 FPL Tips I followed which helped me to win the FPL this season.

Transfers

One key within fantasy football is the transfers and using them wisely, however you should not feel obliged to use them, just because you have them. If your fantasy team is performing well, you shouldn’t be afraid to ride a strong team a week or two longer.

Another thing to consider is to transfer cautiously, try to keep up with the ‘obvious’ ones or the ones that have a good run of fixtures. For example, it would be wise to bring in Aguero or Sanchez when Manchester City or Arsenal have a run of easier fixtures, but more importantly identify players with potential from mid to bottom table teams. Often you can find a gem, which will see you shoot up the ranks if it pays off.

Wildcards and Chips

The wildcard and chips should be used vert wisely. Strategically use these to make a difference on the end result, rather than trying to leapfrog people halfway through the season. The introduction of the Chips did provide a different tactical element to the FPL game and these should be used to your advantage.

Player Prices

Player prices constantly fluctuate in the fantasy game, as people bring in and take out their performing players. To gain an advantage, it is important to keep an eye on the player prices, especially those in your team and those potential transfer targets. Once you start seeing huge price increases, snap them up if you don’t have them already, as you won’t want to be in position of not being able to afford them.

Strong Defence

Many gameweeks in my winning season were saved by cleansheets from the goalkeepers and defence. It is important to ensure that you maintain a well-balanced team throughout the whole of the season, ensuring that the 100m budget is spent wisely. This means that the attack is not too heavy, but it also means that the defence should also not be too heavy. It is hard, but important to find the right balance.

It may be a simple and obvious approach to such a complex game but, the hardest challenge in Fantasy Premier League is often doing the simple things consistently throughout a whole season. You do need to take some risks in order to win it but, with luck already being such a big part of FPL, it only pays to push it so far!

Written by Dimitri Nicolaou (@DimitriN23)

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