From the editor: w/c Tuesday 1st August

How to celebrate Albion’s promotion with Latest

Fantasy football is a multilayered, complicated, gripping puzzle… or just a bit of fun. Firstly, it gives you reasons to enjoy football games that you might otherwise have little to no interest in. You select 11 players out of a squad of 15, aiming for those who will get the most goals, assists and clean sheets. Before FPL, I might not have watched Stoke vs West Brom, but if dear Gareth McAuley is in my team, the stakes are raised.

The second stratum of enjoyment, and for me the most important, is the game of Fantasy Premier League in itself. Some might casually play with players they like and then let their team do what they will. That’s fun in its own way but is highly unlikely to result in winning friends’ mini-leagues. Geekier players like me use sites such as fantasyfootballscout.co.uk for tips on good affordable players, fixtures, form guides and more, with friendly active communities to seek advice from.

FPL really is a sort of puzzle or board game, where you must decide how to get the most out of your limited 100m budget. You can’t afford all the best players, so you have to prioritise better defenders, midfielders or strikers, gambling on future performances using data or your own assessments from watching games. Luck plays a part, but there is a wealth of shared knowledge and experience to help maximise your team’s potential and finish as highly as possible in the world.

I finished in the top 2,000 out of over 4.5 million players last season, which I’m quite proud of, and might struggle to ever beat. I will strive to better that however, and would be happy to see as many readers as possible celebrate BHAFC’s promotion by joining our league. Go to fantasy.premierleague.com and join private league code 73035-79927 to get involved.

Joe Fuller
editorial@thelatest.co.uk