Welcome back to the Fantasy Premier League and welcome back to FISO!
The 2024-2025 Premier League season has gone into the rich archives of English football as the season in which Liverpool FC won their 20th title in the topflight of English football. A record-equalling 20th title, we should say, because the Reds equalled the 20 titles of their archrivals Manchester United, who won their last one back in the 2012-13 season. And all of that in the very first season of Arne Slot, the Dutch manager who was brought in from Feyenoord in the summer of 2024.
While that was a beautiful story, the Premier League offered much more drama than that. What about the crumbling of the traditional top six, for example? With Manchester United the great disappointment as a result of their finish in 15th (!) place? Of course, Spurs did even worse, finishing 17th (!), but the Londoners deviated the embarrassment a bit by winning the 2024-2025 Europa League (against Manchester United in the final), thus qualifying for the Champions League Group Stage. Or what about Nottingham Forest qualifying for European football for the first time in 30 years, thanks to an impressive 7th-place finish?
In other words, it was a season full of ups and downs, spectacle and disappointment, but as the saying goes: we need to move on. The Premier League 2025-2026 is just a few weeks away at the time of writing, which means that FPL preparations are in full swing for millions of fantasy managers. And there are a few important changes to take into account, once again:
Chips: Fantasy managers will have four chips at their disposal this season, namely the Bench Boost, the Free Hit, the Triple Captain and the Wildcard. Last season’s Assistant Manager chip has been removed from the game. Instead, all four of the previously mentioned chips will be available twice this season: once in the first half of the season and once in the second half.
Defensive points: Outfield players will earn points for defensive actions this season. These include clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles for defenders, while forwards and midfielders also get points for ball recoveries on top of that. A defender gets 2 extra FPL points for every 10 defensive actions, while forwards and midfielders get 2 extra FPL points for every 12 defensive actions.
Bonus Point System changes: This season, goalkeepers now get 3 (instead of 2) bonus points for saved shots from inside the box, while a penalty save is now worth 8 bonus system points (down from 9 bonus system points). A scored penalty is now worth 12 bonus system points for the scoring player, instead of 18 or 24. Goalline clearances from outfield players have gone up in worth, from 3 to 9 bonus points. Finally, every successful tackle is now worth 2 bonus points.
Assists: For assists that took a deflection off a defender, assists will now be awarded regardless of whether the assist reached its intended target, providing it only took one touch off a defender and was received by the goalscorer inside the penalty area. Unforced defensive errors will also now lead to an assist being given by the player whose pass led to it, as long as the defensive error in question is not a misplaced pass. Players will now also earn an assist if they earn a penalty or free-kick that is scored via a handball, regardless of whether it was forced or unforced.
AFCON transfers: The Africa Cup of Nations will take place between Gameweek 16 and Gameweek 22 of the 2025-2026 FPL season. Fantasy managers receive five free transfers at the start of Gameweek 16 to deal with that.
The Premier League 2025-2026 season is set to kick off on Friday, August 15th, at 20h00 (UK time), when champions Liverpool host Bournemouth at Anfield.
In the build-up to gameweek 1, we will be taking an in-depth look at each of the 20 teams competing in the Premier League this season, including a general team preview, a tactical preview and some FPL recommendations per side. . In this fifth part of our Season Preview series, we’re taking a look at Everton and a Fulham side that looks to have definitely settled as a fixed name in the Premier League.
EVERTON – General preview for 2025/26
It did not look good for Everton at the start of last season. The Toffees managed to take just a single point from the first five games, bookmakers started to announce early payouts for punters who had put money on Everton’s relegation, and their last season at the iconic Goodison Park had all the makings of becoming a historic disappointment. By January 2025, the club was in 16th place and manager Sean Dyche was replaced by David Moyes, who returned to the club after 12 years. What followed can be characterised as one of the most effective turn-arounds in recent Premier League history.
While the first game under his leadership was lost by a single goal, at home to Aston Villa, it did not take long for the Scottish manager to have an impact. What followed was a remarkable 9-game unbeaten run in the league, including victories over Spurs and Brighton, as well as draws against Manchester United and arch-rivals Liverpool. The moment of the season, probably, for the Everton faithful who were at risk of witnessing another gruelling battle against relegation last season? James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute equaliser, top bins, at home to the Reds.
Or perhaps it was the final game at Goodison Park, after no less than 133 (!) years. While the Toffees were already safe at that point, eventually finishing 13th in the league, Gameweek 37 at home to relegated Southampton was a milestone moment in Premier League history. And Moyes and his men managed to make it a positive one as they brushed aside the Saints with a 2-0 victory. The upcoming season will be the first season in which Everton will play their home games at the brand-new Everton Stadium, also known as the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton: Tactical preview 2025/26
Those who have been following the Premier League for about a decade now will not have been too surprised about his David Moyes’ tactics upon his return to Everton. Pragmatic, patient and with defensive solidity as a priority, the Scot managed to turn what looked like a side bound for the Championship into a decent mid-table finisher. It’s true that the Toffees were definitely helped by the three newly promoted sides not being even close to the level required in the Premier League, but that does not take away from Moyes’ achievement.
He would most often opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation that would fold back into a concentrated 5-2-3 without the ball. Moyes immediately set out to create a strong defensive base. Players were instructed to be more patient on the ball and to drop back faster without it. This allowed them to control larger parts of their games. At the same time, he managed to improve the attacking side of his team as well, encouraging more direct passes and crosses into the box, though not a single player managed to make it to double digits in terms of league goals. Offensively, in particular, Moyes will need to find a way to improve further this season if the Toffees want to avoid another nailbiter of a campaign.
EVERTON – Potential FPL picks
When comparing to last season, the first thing Moyes will want to avoid is losing the first four games in a row. Fortunately for him and anything Toffee, Everton have got a relatively friendly starting run of fixtures, on paper at least. A visit to Leeds in GW1 is followed by Brighton at home and Wolves away. In other words, a run with decent potential to get the new season going with some points. We therefore would not be surprised to see Beto (£5.5m), otherwise known as Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal, as a popular budget forward in more than a few Gameweek 1 squads. In a side that really struggled to find the back of the net, the striker from Guinea Bissau managed to score 8 goals in just 15 league starts. He is expected to lead the line for the Toffees, which could pay off handsomely at the start of the season in particular. On top of that, we saw him score a goal from the penalty spot in pre-season, which might indicate penalty duties during regular season as well.
While Beto is an interesting budget forward, most of the Everton focus in terms of FPL will be on their defensive assets. Moyes is expected to keep building on solidity in the back and we might just get to see a very stingy Everton defence this season. On the left side of that defence will be Vitalii Mykolenko (£5.0m), who was a mainstay there last season. We don’t see why Moyes would make any changes here, which is good news for fantasy managers. The Ukrainian left-back has now breached the 100-point mark in each of his last two seasons, with last season being his best in that sense. Mykolenko took 121 FPL points from 35 league starts, courtesy of 11 clean sheets, 1 goal and 3 assists. He also added 9 bonus points to that, thanks to his attacking intentions, and this season might see him record even more, thanks to the new bonus point system for defenders. At £5.0m, the Ukraine international could be a shrewd pick if Moyes really manages to further shore up his defence in his first full season back at Everton.
At £5.5m though, it might be Jordan Pickford (£5.5m) who is the best fantasy of the bunch on the Everton roster. Relatively silently, the England international finished as the official fantasy game’s highest-scoring goalkeeper with 158 FPL points last season. And that was the second season in a row that he managed to do so. Playing for a team that has been in perpetual chaos for most of the past few years, that is an impressive achievement and proof of true FPL pedigree if there ever was any. Pickford collected 71 of those FPL points in the 19 matches Everton played under Moyes last season, which comes down to an average of 3.7 FPL points per game. If he manages to continue that line of performance this season, he will end up with 140 FPL points, which would mark the tenth (!) successive season in which he surpasses the 100-point mark. And to be honest, we think he will improve on that average of 3.7 points per game in Moyes’ first full season back at the club.
FULHAM – General preview for 2025/26
Fulham have not been spectacular since the arrival of Marco Silva as head coach back in the summer of 2021. What the Portuguese manager did achieve though, is to turn his side into a stable Premier League club and that is no small feat. Especially not at a club that had just gone through some serious “yo-yo years” of the club changing their Premier League status for Championship status and vice versa on an almost annual basis. Silva won the Championship in his first season at Craven Cottage and followed that up with respective 10th, 13th and 11th-place finishes in the Prem.
As for last season, the Cottagers even spent some time hovering around the upper mid-table with some optimistic fans possibly even dreaming of a dash for European football. That did not happen, but a season free of relegation worries and with a few memorable victories is an achievement by itself. In particular, fans and players will remember the victories over Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs and Liverpool as they settled in 11th place with 54 points by the time Gameweek 38 had ended.
Transfer-wise, there is not much to indicate that Fulham can’t replicate their performance from last season. There is, of course, still about a month of the summer transfer window to go, but so far, it has been relatively quiet at Craven Cottage. Right winger Reiss Nelson returned to Arsenal after a loan spell and semi-starter Carlos Vinicius left the club on a free to join Gremio in Brazil. As for the new names, there is just one to mention for now: Benjamin Lecomte, a 34-year-old goalkeeper from Ligue 1 side Montpellier who was brought in for half a million pounds. End of transmission.
Fulham: Tactical preview 2025/26
One the main reasons for Marco Silva’s success at Fulham is the adaptability of his lineups. The Portuguese manager prefers a 4-2-3-1 starting formation, but often adapts this formation based on developments during the games. For example, when in defence, one of the wingers will drop back into midfield to create, essentially, a 5-3-2. Or, when in attack, wide players will rotate and use the influence of central midfielders or attackers who will track back to try and create passing triangles.
Silva’s Fulham likes to make use of the wide areas, which explains the important roles (and at times excellent performances) of the full-backs and wingers. Left-back Antonee Robinson is a prime example of this, as is Alex Iwobi, who returned to his best form on the Fulham left wing. At the same time, the centre of the pitch is usually kept tight with a double pivot in the middle and a structured mid-to-high defensive block. Combined with a controlled press and the willingness of wingers to drop back, this makes Fulham solid in defence while still posing a threat offensively.
FULHAM – Potential FPL picks
With Brighton away, Manchester United at home and Chelsea away, Fulham were not given an easy start to the 2025 – 2026 season by any stretch of the imagination. We therefore do not expect many Gameweek 1 squads to feature too many Cottagers. Having said that, the Fulham roster does contain a few interesting fantasy picks in the budget and/or differential categories. Striker Raul Jimenez (£6.5m) is one of the players who fits both. The Mexican was Marco Silva’s number-one striker last season and he repaid that confidence in his abilities with 12 goals and 3 assists for a total of 147 FPL points. That might not sound as too much, but keep in mind that these numbers represent a direct involvement in 28% of all goals scored by Fulham in the Premier League. At £6.5m, his price tag is still affordable and possibly even fitting for a third forward in your squad, with the cherry on top being that Jimenez is also Fulham’s designated penalty taker.
The only player to outscore Jimenez in terms of FPL points last season was Alex Iwobi (£6.5m). The Nigeria international was brought in for around £25 million in the summer of 2023 and had an OK first season at Craven Cottage with 5 goals and 2 assists. It was last season that he really cemented his place in Marco Silva’s starting eleven as a flexible left winger. The Portuguese manager had Iwobi in his starting lineup 35 times last season, which resulted in 9 goals and 6 assists for the player. His 156 FPL points were the highest points tally recorded by any player on the Fulham roster. If the pre-season so far is anything to go by, Silva will be counting on Iwobi again to dominate his left wing in the upcoming season.
Speaking of pre-season, it is Harry Wilson (£5.5m) who has grabbed the spotlight on a pretty regular basis in the build-up to Gameweek 1. As we write this, the Wales international already scored five goals in pre-season, which is more than any other Fulham player. Wilson was brought in from Liverpool back in the summer of 2021, but did not manage to conquer a longer-term spot in the starting lineup of the Cottagers. At the same time, he delivered pretty consistently when he did play, as shown by his stats: 4 goals and 7 assists for 94 FPL points from 16 league starts in 2023 – 2024, and then 6 goals and 2 assists from just 12 league starts for 78 FPL points last season. Therefore, picking Wilson for your Gameweek 1 squad is a bit of punt, but one that could pay off handsomely as his current price if this season proves to be the season in which he definitely breaks into the Fulham starting eleven.
For further discussions have a look at FISO’s FPL forum.