The FPL Glossary: Every Term Explained

Whether you’re in your first season and still Googling “what does -4 mean” at 11:58pm on a Friday, or a ten-year veteran who’s forgotten that not everyone knows what xG is - this is the complete glossary of Fantasy Premier League terms.

Bookmark it. Share it with the person in your mini-league who keeps asking questions. Use it to settle arguments.

A

Armband
The captain’s armband. In FPL it refers to captaincy itself — “giving someone the armband” means making them your captain. If they blank, you gave them the armband. That’s on you.

Assist
Awarded to the player who makes the final pass before a goal is scored. Worth 3 points for midfielders and forwards, 3 points for defenders too. If your player’s shot is deflected in off a defender, the last FPL pass still gets the assist — which the game usually awards correctly, though it does occasionally take a few hours to sort itself out.

Auto-Select
What happens when you fail to make your team before the gameweek deadline. The FPL system picks your squad for you based on its own logic. The less said about what it tends to choose, the better.

Autosubs (Automatic Substitutions)
If a selected player doesn’t play, the system replaces them with the highest-priority eligible bench player. The order of your bench matters. If you’ve arranged it poorly and your formation breaks, the sub won’t come on. This is almost always discovered at midnight on a Saturday.

B

Bench
Your four backup players who sit outside your starting XI. They earn points but those points don’t count — unless an autosub is triggered. Balancing bench quality against team strength is one of FPL’s core budget decisions.

Bench Boost
One of four chips available to every manager. When activated, points scored by all four bench players are added to your total for that gameweek. Best deployed in a Double Gameweek when your bench players have two matches each.

Blank Gameweek (BGW)
A gameweek where one or more Premier League fixtures are missing, usually due to FA Cup commitments or rescheduled matches. Managers with heavy representation from teams not playing that week will want to consider the Free Hit chip.

Blank (player)
When a player fails to register a goal, assist, clean sheet bonus, or meaningful points in a gameweek. “He blanked.” Used with the same resignation as a weather forecast you already knew was coming.

Bonus Points
Up to 3 additional points awarded after each match to the top performers, calculated using the FPL Bonus Points System (BPS). Stats like key passes, successful dribbles, big chances created, and tackles all contribute. The exact workings are semi-opaque, which is by design, or at least feels that way.

Budget
Your total squad value at the start of the game: £100m. Every transfer decision is essentially a puzzle within that constraint.

Budget Fodder
Low-cost players (typically £4.0m–£4.5m) used to free up funds elsewhere. Usually benched, usually anonymous. Their one job is to not get injured in the first week.

C

Captain
The player you designate each gameweek to have their points doubled. Picking the right captain is the single most impactful decision you make each week. Getting it wrong when the person one rank above you got it right is one of FPL’s defining experiences.

Chip
A one-use bonus that can be activated during a gameweek to change the rules. There are four: Wildcard (×2), Bench Boost, Triple Captain, and Free Hit. Each can only be used once per season, and once used, it’s gone.

Clean Sheet
When a team doesn’t concede a goal. Goalkeepers earn 6 points for a clean sheet, defenders 6 points, midfielders 1 point. A goalkeeper who saves a penalty and keeps a clean sheet is having an exceptional afternoon.

 

D

Differential
A player owned by a low percentage of managers — usually under 10% ownership. If they haul, you gain ground on the competition. If they blank, nobody cares because nobody else picked them either. High risk, high reward.

Double Gameweek (DGW)
A gameweek in which a team plays two fixtures. Having multiple players from a DGW team is one of the most sought-after advantages in FPL. The schedule usually makes two or three of these available per season, often clustered near the end.

Double Up / Triple Up
Owning two or three players from the same Premier League club. Higher ceiling in good weeks, painful when that team gets thumped 4-0 away.

 

E

 

Expected Assists (xA)
A stat measuring the likelihood that a given pass will result in a goal, based on the quality of the chance created. High xA over time suggests a player is creating chances consistently, even if the goals haven’t come yet. Useful for identifying value before the goals arrive.

Expected Goals (xG)
A stat representing the probability that a given shot results in a goal, based on factors like shot location, angle, and chance type. A player repeatedly posting high xG but not scoring is usually a decent captaincy candidate — eventually.

Expected Clean Sheet (xCS)
An unofficial but widely used metric estimating the probability of a team keeping a clean sheet based on defensive underlying stats. Not an official FPL metric but referenced regularly in content and podcasts.

F

FDR (Fixture Difficulty Rating)
FPL’s official 1–5 scale rating the difficulty of upcoming fixtures. 1 is the easiest, 5 is the hardest. Used by managers to plan transfers and identify favourable runs. Treat it as a guide, not a gospel — FPL has a long history of 5-rated fixtures ending in comfortable wins.

Fixture Swing
When a player or team transitions from a tough run of fixtures to an easy one (or vice versa). Identifying an upcoming fixture swing early — and acting on it before prices rise — is one of the most reliable routes to a green arrow.

Form
FPL’s official form metric, calculated as average points per match over the last 30 days. Displayed on each player’s page. Useful context, but does not account for fixture difficulty or underlying stats. A player on “form” against bottom-half teams may not be a reliable captain against the top six.

Free Hit
A chip that grants you a completely free squad rebuild for one gameweek, after which your squad reverts to what it was before. Most commonly used during Blank Gameweeks to fill your team with players who are actually playing.

Free Transfer
The standard single transfer available every gameweek. If you don’t use it, it rolls over to the next week (up to a maximum of 5 saved transfers). Using a free transfer is free. Taking additional transfers in the same week costs 4 points each.

G

GW (Gameweek)
The FPL term for each round of fixtures. The season runs from GW1 to GW38. Each gameweek has a deadline — usually 90 minutes before the first match — after which no changes can be made.

GK (Goalkeeper)
The only position in FPL where you need two. One plays, one benched. Budget managers often opt for a £4.0m–£4.5m second keeper to free up funds for outfield players. The goalkeeper position has produced some of FPL’s best value picks in recent seasons as the game has rewarded saves and penalties.

Green Arrow
The green upward arrow next to your overall rank indicating you’ve gone up in the standings. The entire point. Also the thing you stare at on a Monday morning when you had a good week.

GW Rank
Your gameweek rank — how you performed in that single week relative to all other managers. Distinct from your overall rank. Managers often cite GW rank as consolation when their overall rank is a disaster.

H

Haul
When a player returns big points — typically 12+ in a single gameweek, usually via a goal, assist, clean sheet, and bonus combination. The word is used with reverence. “He hauled.” Captaining a hauler is peak FPL.

Hit
Shorthand for taking a points deduction by making extra transfers beyond your free transfer(s). Each additional transfer costs 4 points. “I took a hit” means you deliberately accepted the penalty for the extra move. Hits are most justified when the points gained far outweigh the cost — and are most regretted when they don’t.

Head-to-Head (H2H)
An alternative FPL league format in which you’re paired against one other manager each gameweek. You win, draw, or lose based on that week’s scores, accumulating league points across the season. A different and arguably more nerve-wracking format.

 

I

ICT Index
FPL’s official composite stat combining Influence, Creativity, and Threat — giving each player a single index score reflecting their overall FPL potential. Each component is also available separately. Most experienced managers don’t rely on it heavily but it can be a useful starting point for assessing players you’re less familiar with.

ITB (In the Bank)
The money left unspent in your transfer budget. Having funds in the bank gives you flexibility to move quickly on a price rise or an injury — or just knowing you *could* upgrade if you wanted to, which is its own kind of comfort.

International Break
The twice-yearly pause in Premier League fixtures for national team matches. No FPL. A good time to plan upcoming transfers, assess the next run of fixtures, and remember what weekends used to feel like.

K

Knee-Jerk
A hasty transfer made in the immediate aftermath of a bad result — usually rage-transferring out a captain who blanked, only for them to score a hat-trick the following week. Universally advised against. Almost universally done.

L

Late Penalty
A penalty kick awarded very close to the final whistle. A source of extreme tension for anyone who captained the taker or owns the goalkeeper conceding. One of FPL’s most theatrical moments.

Live Rank
Your current overall rank as gameweek fixtures are still being played, calculated in real time. Watching your live rank during a Saturday afternoon is a distinct emotional experience that is difficult to explain to non-FPL players.

M

Manager Points
The points total displayed on your team page. Not to be confused with the overall rank — your points total determines rank relative to all other managers, but rank is the number everyone fixates on.

Mini-League
A private league you create or join where you compete against a specific group — friends, colleagues, a community. Your mini-league table is often the FPL you actually care about. Beating your mate at work matters more than overall rank to most managers.

Minus (taking a minus / -4 / -8)
See: Hit. Commonly written as -4 or -8 to indicate the points cost of one or two extra transfers respectively.

N

Nailed / Nailed On
A player who is guaranteed to start every week — no rotation risk, no injury concern, no competition for their place. “Is he nailed?” is one of the most common pre-transfer questions. The answer is never guaranteed, just probable.

Net Transfers
The difference between how many managers transferred a player in versus out during a given week. Positive net transfers = increasing ownership. Can signal the market moving before a price rise.

O

OR (Overall Rank)
Your position among all FPL managers globally, ranked by total points. Updated after each gameweek. Finishing in the top 10k, top 100k, or top 1m are commonly cited benchmarks. The number you check before the week’s fixtures even start and after every goal that affects your team.

Ownership
The percentage of FPL managers who own a given player. High-ownership players are “template” picks — safe but offering limited rank advantage. Low-ownership picks are differentials. Tracking ownership is essential when deciding whether to follow the crowd or go against it.

OG (Own Goal)
When a player accidentally puts the ball in their own net. No FPL points are awarded to any attacking player for an own goal — no assist, no nothing. Goalscoring credit is simply not given. A deeply unsatisfying result when your striker had the last touch.

P

Penalty Save
Worth 5 bonus points for a goalkeeper in addition to their regular save points. One of the highest single-moment point events in FPL. Owning the right goalkeeper when a penalty is saved is the closest FPL gets to feeling lucky.

Points Hit
See: Hit.

Premium Player
A high-priced, high-quality player — typically £9m+. Premiums like Salah, Haaland, or top-end midfielders are usually the first names on the team sheet. The debate every season is how many premiums you can afford while maintaining quality elsewhere.

Price Change
Player prices fluctuate based on transfer activity. Players being heavily transferred in rise in price; players being transferred out fall. Prices change overnight and can move by £0.1m or £0.2m increments. Selling before a price drop or buying before a price rise is a small but meaningful FPL skill.

Price Rise / Price Fall
See: Price Change.

Punt
A speculative, low-confidence transfer made on instinct, a hunch, or a specific fixture. “I’m having a punt on him.” Lower probability of success than a calculated transfer but occasionally delivers the week’s standout return.

R

Red Arrow
The red downward arrow next to your overall rank. The opposite of the green arrow. Appears when your gameweek score has dropped you down the rankings. Seen by most managers most weeks.

Red Card
Automatic dismissal from the match. A red-carded player loses 3 points in FPL, on top of whatever points they’d already accumulated. If your captain gets a red card early, the day gets considerably worse from there.

Rotation
When a manager rotates their squad, leaving out a player who might otherwise start. Rotation risk is the fear that the player you just transferred in will be rested for a cup game or an easier fixture next week. High rotation risk is a valid reason not to own a player despite their underlying quality.

Rolled Transfer
A free transfer carried over from the previous gameweek. You can hold up to 5 saved transfers at once. Rolling transfers is a valid strategy when there’s no obvious move to make — having 2 or 3 in the bank gives you flexibility when injuries or suspensions hit.

S

Save
A goalkeeper save earns 1 save point, with 3 points awarded for every three saves in a match. So 6 saves = 2 bonus save points. Budget keepers from high-save-volume teams can accumulate significant points through saves alone.

Season-Long
The classic FPL format. You manage the same squad across the full 38-gameweek season. Distinct from Draft, Head-to-Head variants, or cup competitions within FPL.

Set and Forget
An approach where a manager builds a solid squad, avoids constant tinkering, and makes minimal transfers. The opposite of the knee-jerk style. Often more effective than it sounds.

Squad
Your full 15-player squad in FPL — 11 starters and 4 bench players. Must include 2 goalkeepers, at least 3 defenders, at least 2 midfielders, and at least 1 forward, with a valid starting XI formation from the available options.

Squad Value
The total current market value of your 15 players. Rises when your players’ prices increase. Your squad value is displayed on your team page but you can only access the gains when you sell — and only 50% of any price rise above your purchase price is realisable.

Suspension
A player banned from playing due to yellow card accumulation or a red card. A suspended player scores 0 and can trigger an autosub. Checking suspensions before the deadline is basic hygiene but regularly catches people out.

T

Template
The squad shape owned by a large proportion of FPL managers — the consensus “best” team at any given point in the season. If you’re template, you’ll track the average closely. If you’re off-template, you’ll either massively outperform or underperform depending on your differentials. Neither is inherently better.

Transfer
Moving a player out and a new player in. Each manager gets one free transfer per gameweek. Additional transfers cost 4 points each. The core mechanic of FPL management.

TC (Triple Captain)
A chip that triples your captain’s points (rather than doubling) for one gameweek. Best deployed on a premium player in a Double Gameweek with favourable home fixtures. Often saved for a Haaland DGW.

U

Underlying Stats
A collective term for metrics like xG, xA, shots on target, key passes, and big chances created — used to assess a player’s real-world performance beyond their FPL points tally. A player with poor points but strong underlying stats may be about to turn form around. Or may just be unlucky. That’s the game.

Unique
A player owned by very few managers — sometimes fewer than 1,000 or even 100 in the game. A truly unique pick that hauls can catapult a manager up the rankings in a single gameweek.

V

Value
In FPL, value means return on investment — a £5m midfielder scoring 100+ points by January is exceptional value. Building a squad with value picks throughout is the route to affording premiums at the top end.

Vice (Vice Captain)
Your backup captain. If your captain doesn’t play a single minute, the vice captain’s points are doubled instead. Choosing a reliable vice captain who is likely to play is important — especially in weeks with early Saturday kick-offs where late team news isn’t available.

W

Watchlist
A personal list of players you’ve flagged for monitoring in the FPL interface. Useful for tracking price changes, injury updates, and upcoming fixtures on players you’re considering transferring in.

Wildcard
The most powerful chip in FPL — it allows a complete squad rebuild in a single gameweek with no transfer costs. Every manager gets two wildcards per season: one for the first half of the season (GW1–19 approximately) and one for the second. Timing the wildcard well is an art form. Panic-using it in GW3 is a rite of passage.

X

xG / xA
See: Expected Goals and Expected Assists. Widely used shorthand in FPL content, podcasts, and community discussion. If someone’s talking about xG in your mini-league, they’ve been listening to podcasts.

Y

Yellow Card
Earns a player a -1 point deduction in FPL. Two yellows in a match result in a red card and a further -2. Five yellows accumulated over the season also result in a one-match suspension.

Z

Zombie Chip
Community slang for a chip that has been used but whose activation didn’t feel worth it in hindsight — typically a Bench Boost or Triple Captain that returned poorly. Not an official FPL term, but widely understood.


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