Download the FREE FPL Cheat Sheet HERE

The fantasy Premier League season starts long before opening day.  Draft day requires preparation, practice and patience – and even then there are plenty of pitfalls which can trip-up even the most experienced FPL draft manager. If you’re new to playing draft FPL (or even if you’re not), this guide from fantasy Premier League draft site Togga will give you everything you need to ensure your draft day is the best day of the season – and set you on your path to FPL glory.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Particularly good advice if you’ve not ever done a draft or if you’re hosting your league’s draft at Carnegie Hall, practice drafts are available using Togga’s app. Remember that drafting is done in ‘snake’ fashion where the last manager to pick in the first round is the first manager to pick in the second round – a position often called ‘the turn’. If you are in a 10-team draft with pick 10 (R1 P10) you’ll also pick first in Round 2 (R2 P1) which means you’ll select two players back-to-back – then you will not have another pick until R3 P10 (19 picks later!) So if you’re positive that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be this season’s Alexis Sanchez, you’ll need to use one of those two picks to snap-up the MUFC midfielder as it’s highly likely he would be selected before you get another pick.

Watch out: If you’ve never participated in a draft, it can be difficult to keep track of all the players being selected. Remember, each EPL player can be selected by only one FPL manager in your league. Once Payet’s gone in the draft, you can’t select him in your squad. It’s a simple point, but a vital one.

Simply fix: Practice!

Have a Plan, Then Adjust During Your Draft

If this is your first draft you might not know that having a plan is the key to success. It can be a simple plan like using Togga’s draft cheat sheet to track every player you’ve picked or more complex like ranking every EPL player yourself. But under the best circumstances you’ve given a bit of thought to who you want on your team once the draft is over, then you snag as many of those names as possible. This might mean adjusting as your draft unfolds. If you hadn’t though defenders would be drafted in the early rounds, but 10 of the big names at the back have gone – consider bumping Kyle Walker, Virgil van Dijk or Leighton Baines up a round or two in your ranks to ensure you have a defensive anchor.

Watch out: Don’t leave the draft with 10 midfielders, a goalkeeper, four defenders and one striker. Draft for value first, position second, but ensure you’ve left yourself some tactical flexibility and have at least one option off the bench for defenders, midfielders and forwards (you can live with just one GK).

FREE STUFF!!!

Simple fix: Print our three-page FPL cheat sheet, then make your own notations for players you think are under/over-valued. Make sure you pay attention to your roster as the draft unfolds.