Fantasy Premier League (FPL) fever is sweeping the globe once again as the 2025/26 Premier League season kicks off, with millions of fans ready to test their managerial mettle. The much-anticipated opening fixture between Liverpool and Bournemouth on August 15, 2025, marks not only the return of top-flight English football, but also the launch of another competitive FPL campaign. For new and seasoned managers alike, the rules and nuances of the world’s most popular fantasy football game are in sharper focus than ever before.
Every season, FPL attracts a staggering number of participants—over 11 million were registered globally in the 2024-25 season alone. The game’s appeal lies in its blend of strategy, knowledge, and the thrill of seeing your virtual squad rack up points based on real-life Premier League performances. Each manager is handed a virtual budget of £100 million to assemble a 15-man squad: two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three forwards. It’s a delicate balancing act between star power and budget-friendly gems, all while keeping an eye on player fitness, form, and fixture congestion.
Points in FPL are awarded for a host of on-pitch actions: goals, assists, clean sheets, and minutes played, to name a few. Each week, managers can make one free transfer to tweak their lineup; any additional moves come with a points penalty. The transfer market itself is a live beast, with player prices fluctuating based on performance and transfer activity across the platform. Planning ahead is crucial, as the transfer window for each gameweek slams shut one hour before the first kickoff.
But what really spices up the game are the special 'chips'—unique power-ups introduced in the 2015-16 season that can swing a manager’s fortunes. The Bench Boost chip lets you score points from all 15 players in your squad for a single gameweek, while the Free Hit allows unlimited transfers for one week without affecting your regular transfer count. The Triple Captain chip? It triples your chosen captain’s points, turning a good week into a great one if you pick wisely. These chips are rare and must be deployed with precision, especially during the infamous 'blank' and 'double' gameweeks that can make or break a fantasy season.
Blank gameweeks occur when teams miss matches due to cup runs or rescheduling, leaving managers scrambling as some of their stars are left on the sidelines. Double gameweeks, on the other hand, offer double the opportunity—and double the risk—as teams play twice, presenting a golden chance for managers to rack up monster scores if they plan correctly. Navigating these quirks requires not just luck, but a sharp eye for detail and a willingness to dive deep into fixture analysis.
No one understands this better than Ben Crellin, a name synonymous with FPL fixture forecasting. Crellin, a 35-year-old from Northumberland, England, has carved out a unique niche as the community’s go-to expert on scheduling intricacies. His color-coded spreadsheets, meticulously mapping out blank and double gameweeks, have become the stuff of legend among fantasy enthusiasts. As Crellin puts it, "I just made a simple schedule spreadsheet for myself to figure out when the blank and double gameweeks were going to come. I shared it with someone, and it was a snowball effect from there. I found the niche. It fits my life, and it’s solved a lot of my problems. I’m no longer lonely on the internet."
Crellin’s journey into the heart of the FPL community began in his school days, when he first noticed classmates playing the game. After an early taste of success—winning the first mini-league he entered—he was hooked. Drawing on his background in competitive poker, Crellin found that FPL offered the same strategic challenge without the stress. "A lot of neurodiverse people like FPL; it just suits their needs. You don’t have to think about it all the time. You can do it once a week. Most of the time, it’s being calm and making decisions logically, then enjoying the weekend with its ups and downs," he explained to The Athletic.
Crellin’s expertise has made him an indispensable part of the online FPL community. His following on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has ballooned from 300 in 2010 to nearly a third of a million. His transfer planner spreadsheets, especially popular with subscribers to Fantasy Football Hub, are the result of three to four hours of daily work during the busy August and September period. Yet, for Crellin, the process remains enjoyable and manageable. "My job in the FPL community requires way less work than content creators who do YouTube videos and podcasts and articles, and spend a lot of time on that. I have a stress-free role: it’s just spreadsheets, and I enjoy making them," he said.
On June 23, 2025, Crellin took a bold step by sharing a deeply personal revelation with his vast online audience: he has level one autism, the mildest form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The response was overwhelming, with nearly a million views and hundreds of supportive messages flooding in. "I’m just being so open about everything. I’ve never spoken so much. My life is going to change in the coming months and years," Crellin reflected. The FPL community’s reaction was nothing short of heartwarming. "I can’t even think of any negative stuff. It’s crazy because, normally, one negative comment can outweigh a hundred positive comments, but I haven’t had any, really. I’ve got so many messages from people who either know they’re autistic and have said what I said has helped them feel better about themselves, or people who didn’t even consider they’re autistic and are now starting to think about it. I’ve always felt supported by the community. I felt very lucky to be treated the way I am. I don’t know why I get so much love. It was amazing. It couldn’t have gone better. The response I got was unexpected but perfect."
For Crellin, FPL is more than a game; it’s a source of structure, predictability, and connection. "FPL is perfect for me. I don’t really have responsibilities. I don’t have stress. It’s kind of a miracle, and I just want it to last as long as possible," he shared. His story has not only inspired others within the neurodiverse community but has also raised awareness about autism and mental health in the sports world. Crellin is optimistic about using his platform for even greater good in the future: "I’ve got a very good platform to build on and it would feel good to use that platform to do some more good, and actually do something to raise awareness of autism."
As the new FPL season gets underway, managers everywhere are poring over fixture lists, weighing up chips, and seeking any edge they can find. Whether you’re chasing overall glory or bragging rights in your office mini-league, one thing’s for sure: the passion and camaraderie of the FPL community, exemplified by figures like Ben Crellin, make the journey every bit as rewarding as the final score. With the transfer market closing one hour before each week’s first match and the first whistle about to blow, the race for fantasy supremacy is officially on.
