Fantasy Premier League: Exploring the FPL and Alternative scoring systems

Without doubt, the most touchy subject amongst Fantasy Premier League players is often around the award of bonus points. With the 2017/18 Premier League season now long in the past, we examine the current BPS System used in the FPL, and propose our own alternatives to consider for next season and beyond that we believe will improve the quality of the game. All Aboard.

Fantasy Premier League: Current Points Scoring System

To begin, for the sake of readerers that might not be able to see or read the below image properly, here's the points scoring in FPL in written format.

Point Scoring in the FPL:

For playing up to 60 minutes: 1pt

For playing 60 minutes or more (excluding injury time): 2pts

For each goal scored by a Goalkeeper or Defender: 6pts

For each goal scored by a Midfielder: 5pts

For each goal scored by a Forward: 4pts

For each goal assist: 3pts

For a clean sheet by a Goalkeeper or Defender: 4pts

For a clean sheet by a Midfielder: 1pt

For every 3 shot saves by a Goalkeeper: 1pt

For each penalty save: 5pts

For each penalty miss: -2pts

Bonus points for the best players in a match: 1-3pts

For every 2 goals conceded by a Goalkeeper or Defender: -1pts

For each yellow card: -1pt

For each red card: -3pts

For each own goal: -2pts

Assists in the FPL:

Ask any person that plays the FPL with an eye on the prize, and they'll tell you that the biggest grey area in the game is awarding assists. This has led the FPL to go into detail regarding the awarding of assists, which of course we have provided below, which is exactly word for word how you'll find it on the FPL website.

Assists:

Assists are awarded to the player from the goal scoring team, who makes the final pass before a goal is scored. An assist is awarded whether the pass was intentional (that it actually creates the chance) or unintentional (that the player had to dribble the ball or an inadvertent touch or shot created the chance).

If an opposing player touches the ball after the final pass before a goal is scored, significantly altering the intended destination of the ball, then no assist is awarded. Should two opposing players touch the ball after the final pass before a goal is scored, then no assist is awarded. If the goal scorer loses and then regains possession, then no assist is awarded.

Rebounds:

If a shot on goal is blocked by an opposition player, is saved by a goalkeeper or hits the woodwork, and a goal is scored from the rebound, then an assist is awarded.

Own Goals:

If a player shoots or passes the ball and forces an opposing player to put the ball in his own net, then an assist is awarded.

Penalties and Free-Kicks:

In the event of a penalty or free-kick, the player earning the penalty or free-kick is awarded an assist if a goal is directly scored, but not if he takes it himself, in which case no assist is given.

Finalising Assists:

Assist points awarded by Opta within Fantasy Premier League are calculated using additional stats which may differ from other websites. For example, some other sites would not show an assist where a player has won a penalty.

For the avoidance of doubt, points awarded in-game are subject to change up until one hour after the final whistle of the last match of any given day. Once the points have all been updated on that day, no further adjustments to points will be made.

The FPL Format: Our Takeaways and Opinions

Every person that plays FPL is often outspoken about points distributions, and we're no different. After a few years of feeling frustrated and wanting more from the game, we've finally put together our thoughts about the direction the FPL is heading in.

What we like about the points scoring in FPL:

- There is a sense of tradition:

With so much being made about Mohamed Salah potentially beating Luis Suarez's FPL record points in the 2013/14 season, there is a real sense that the FPL is entrenched in how it wants to run the game. For them, goals and assists are paramount, and everything else just act as auxiliary talking points. Defensively speaking, saves matter more than anything, and clean sheets are nice, but that's all there is to it.

- The site is easy to use on the web (the app, not so much):

The FPL have nailed a very easy game to navigate. There's a lot of meat to the supporting features of the game that make being a Fantasy sports journalist very easy. We still prefer the layout from before the days when the Premier League went without a sponsor, but that's just nit-picking.

- The stats pages are wonderful:

One advantage FPL has over over games is a detailed stats page that charts all of the factors for FPL points distributions. We're not too keen on the Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) as it is down to perception mostly, but in general charting player progress, form, and ownership is very easy on the eye, and the presentation overall is very smooth.

- The Draft layout offers hope for the future:

Whether you play the Draft version of FPL or not, the layout is particularly good. Each league has a homepage, and the BPS for all players is listed. The transfer market page is interested, and we'd love for an active transfer market page to be adopted in the main game that puts focus on transfers and trends (which is very similar to the brilliant team over at Fantasy Football Fix).

What we don't like about the points scoring in FPL:

- It's all a little bit basic:

For as much as we're fond of the layouts and the supporting features, we've become more entrenched in the view that the game's scoring scoring in particular is years behind its competitors. Just rewarding goals, assists, saves, and clean sheets, is not the only factor in assessing a good football player,a good team, or best at representing a player's individual impact in a game.

Essentially the scope for points is narrow, jaded, and particular when it shouldn't be. Numerous positions and play styles are completely overlooked, and thus forgotten about by FPL players.

There's a wealth of additions and changes that the FPL should seriously consider to improve and improve the game, and we're getting into that below.

- Luck often trumps skilful intent:

We all have that one friend in a league who will transfer in cheap options for the sake of being a paperweight for expensive players. Son's inclusion at Spurs is one such pick, wildly popular at times due to his cheaper price than an Eriksen or Alli. Son would score goals, but Eriksen's involvement would be overlooked despite being a more influential player in the game.

On a larger scale, the game is all about hitting and hoping with 11 options, and that's it. There's very little research you have to do and the game can take 1 minute to play every week, which is what we think they want. Simplicity.

This type of tactic won't help retention levels, especially when a season of miserable transfers is rewarded with few returns on the field. People get fed up and stop playing, or they play due to force of habit and don't care what happens to their teams (aka people reach a breaking point and just die a little inside with the processes and outcomes of the game).

- Player prices have inflated beyond their means:

Linked to the point above, FPL players have had to resort to the bargain bins this season, and it has created an environment where you're lucky to have 2-3 players return in your teams on any given week. The main issue is that there isn't reasonable adjustment for players if they move to another Premier League club and had a good/bad season prior to their move, or if they've been off form for years. More players are priced above £10.0m meaning that the depth of supposed options is higher, but there was just a general imbalance this season more than any other with prices not justifying a player's selection.

Case study: Alexis Sanchez. The top performing player from last season was priced at £12.0 million, which has essentially priced him our of the FPL this season. Alexis's form hasn't reached the levels of last season, and he moved clubs to a more defensive outfit in Man United, but none of this reflects his FPL price, and probably won't for the next few years, even if he doesn't find form again.

- The BPS System appears to be wildly erratic:

Everybody is confused.

There is no clarity.

BPS distribution is all over the place. The weighting of BPS is not equal/fair for certain positions.

The system favours players who pass the ball more.

Winger's have to score BIG before being considered.

Players are penalised for positive play (taking shots).

The weighting of BPS doesn't reflect real life - i.e. if a player has a good match. Joe Gomez was the worst player for Liverpool in a 0-0 draw against Stoke during GW36, but was rewarded all 3 bonus points. Madness.

A large majority of FPL players want change in the FPL, and so do we hence this lengthy article, and later in the article we look at an outright replacement to the system altogether.

Other areas of discussion in FPL:

- Head to Head tables should be calculated differently:

Imagine going the whole season in a H2H league at the top of the table. That's the league you focus on. Your overall rank doesn't reflect so well, however. You end up on the same number of points as a rival who has a better overall rank, despite having a better H2H record against the opponent you lose. We believe that H2H tables should feature a tiered structure to determine ranks.

1) Head to Head record: Your weekly results should matter in a H2H league. If you beat your nearest rival more times, and draw in the overall table, that should be the main criteria to win a league.

2) Positive/Negative Points Difference: This will benefit an actual H2H league as it favours those who comfortably win, ahead of players who win a game by a few points. For example, if you lose 60-55 you'll have a -5 next to your goal difference and that will be what factors your H2H rank.

3) Number of Overall FPL Points: The criteria that is currently used, which sees better overall FPL players take the title in case of a draw in a H2H league.

- The game is marketed terribly:

It appears to us that there is a massive disconnect with the overlord's that run the game, and 99% of the player base. Here's just a few of our musings from this season which included the debut of their official Twitter account that we haven't particularly liked.

1) This isn't because we are part of of a large FPL Community and want to represent that portion of the player base, but on the whole there is no interaction on social media with FPL related accounts. The only time we were ever retweeted/interacted was my own own personal misery on the final day of last season when I (Rob) lost my main H2H game on the overall points tally. They do love to jump on things that go badly for players, creating somewhat of a negative vibe.

On the whole though, there is a real sense of impression that the addition of their Social Media accounts isn't used to aid players one bit, or interact in a positive way, instead it is an analytics driven business-scheme to justify its own existence. We're not calling out the type of people and accounts that the FPL team are speaking/interacting with, but it shows the internal processes and demographic that the office want to hit - casuals.

2) We're not the only one's in believing this, but the official Social Media accounts for the FPL on Twitter, Facebook, etc, are probably the worst part of the game and do not aid to the excitement of the game. They use emoji's far too much, usually only react to player's miseries with rotations and rotations, everything is negative, and they have attracted an audience that proves this, with most largely fed up with some of the decisions when awarding goals and assists that spend their time pleading to a brick wall. We personally believe that the game was better off when their wasn't an official outlet.

3) The Scout advice tends to be terrible. This is just a general statement but can be backed up by simply reading through some of their advice (suggesting Pierre-Emile Højbjerg for Double Gameweek 34 at the tip of the hilarity), but there is a trend this season that the final articles published before a deadline are cursed and will fail players. Readership levels will be high, but whether the advice is followed is a different matter altogether. We're not regular viewers of the videos that the team produce, but it is all surface-level evaluation of players and fixtures.

4) The Draft game was littered with bugs and problems with the actual drafting process, which massively detracted on making it a successful platform. We were hyped for the new mode, but it isn't utilised as it should be.

- Communication with players is almost non-existent:

A point that is linked with the above marketing of the game, this is more focused on how the FPL deal when issues or debate arises. The FPL are most vocal on their official Twitter account, and there are countless times this season when they failed to properly communicate to players.

Case Study 1: Harry Kane's 'goal' against Stoke during GW33 was not given in the FPL. It had been originally given to Kane, then the goal was later awarded to Eriksen. Kane appealed for the goal to be his. He won the appeal. The FPL were dead silent until they put a noticed on their site days later to alert players that Kane owners wouldn't get their points.

Case Study 2: Sergio Aguero's ghost goal against Newcastle during GW24. A Kevin De Bruyne cross went straight in to the net, with Aguero claiming he got a touch off the flick of his hair. The FPL Community went up in flames asking for the incident to to reviewed, but nope, nothing came of it and the FPL team never once mentioned anything about the incident.

- The addition of Weekly Prizes is skewing the real player base:

If you go back throughout the overall best player from an FPL Gameweek, more often than not it is a new team that has just joined, and they use their chips right off the bat in an attempt to win weekly prizes.

As of writing there are 5,895,626 players that have signed up to play FPL. Millions of accounts will have been made for the purpose of existing for one week alone, and the majority of them will be inactive accounts that go against active players. We certainly don't like this knowing that people are taking the easy and cheap route to something as small as a key ring.

Manager of the Week: Copy of FIFA18 Nike Ordem V match ball FPL rucksack FPL mug

Top 20 Managers each week (incl Manager of the Week) will receive:

FPL T-shirt, stress ball, pen, pad and key ring.

To be able to win a weekly prize we'd suggest that accounts have to hit a criteria of playing the game on a regular basis for a sustained period, to claim anything.

Perhaps this has been a marketing ploy by the team to 'boost' their numbers to tick some green boxes in the office.

- The Premier League is impacting the FPL:

Referee's have had a big impact in the 2017/18 season. The 2016/17 season was littered with controversy about the standard of officiating, especially in dealing with potential divers in the penalty area. The solution this season was to stop awarding so many penalty kicks or key decisions in and around the edge of the box, hence attempting to put officials out of the limelight in an age without VAR in the Premier League.

106 penalties were awarded last season, and as of writing only 73 have been awarded after GW36 this season. Game management to subdue irate fans has forced the Premier League to take this route, and no doubt the accountability of referee's would have been a major talking point at board-room level before the season began.

The FPL Format: Community Insight and Changes

We posted the image of the FPL points system out to our Twitter account @RealHypeTrain and had some very interesting responses, so a big shout-out for everyone who got involved. We've embedded all of our responses below for you to have a look at.

Alternative System: MLS Fantasy

The first Fantasy game that we will look at is MLS's official Fantasy game, which offers a completely unique experience, especially where its points distribution is concerned. Have a look at the graphic below and we'll discuss.

What does MLS Fantasy feature that makes it different from FPL?

MLS Fantasy is a very different game, with a different format league, with play-offs and an odd number of team playing across a massive landmass, and this impacts the style the game ultimately takes on.

Transfers: An unlimited number of transfers can be made each week, as long as you can afford the replacement. Spare money is banked.

- There is no buying/selling parameters in MLS Fantasy

Player Prices: In the FPL prices rise and fall depending on the transfers of players in and out, but in MLS player prices rise and fall depending on the performance of the players.

- If a player does not play in a Gameweek, his price won't change

- MLS won't share exactly how they grade what is worthy of a price change, but suggest that it is purely down to performance. So basically, if your player plays well, expect a rise. If he plays poorly, expect a swift drop.

- Rises and falls happen after the end of the Gameweek, after the final Lockout

Split Seasons: MLS have decided to have two halves to their Fantasy season for the 2018 campaign, and here's how it works.

- Saturday, March 3, 2018: MLS regular season starts - Gameweek's 1-17: Spring Season (March to July) - Gameweek's 18-34: Fall Season (August to October)

- The MLS Fantasy season ends when the regular season does

Rolling Lockout: This is the deadline for making transfers in and out of your team, and was touched on in an above point. The Rolling Lockout means that there is no specific Deadline like their is in the FPL. If a player in your squad is left out, you can transfer him out as long afford a replacement. Players are locked into your team once the player’s match begins.

What does MLS Fantasy do right that the FPL should look at?

The downsides of MLS Fantasy:

No game is perfect, and MLS Fantasy is far from it. Before we jump straight into the good, for the sake of neutrality we'll put our thoughts down about potential issues.

1) Layout issues are a problem with many players. The 2018 season featured an updated game and there are teething issues with the navigation of the site, especially as you have to click through too many screens to get where you need to go (i.e. looking at a player's stats)

2) With at least 1 team have a 'bye week', the rolling lockout means you can stack the bench with players who might get points, and if they do, you put a 'bye week' player in the main team to reap the rewards off the bench. It's a very sneaky tactic that should perhaps not be a feature of the game, especially as the game requires you to look at lineups more regularly.

3) The social media account isn't utilised half as much as it should be, especially as the game has more levels to explore. That is something that needs to be addressed (*cough cough* guys, we're available).

4) In general, the game doesn't have the popularity of the FPL, nor the MLS the popularity of the Premier League, but instead the game has a cult following of core players.

The benefits of MLS Fantasy's scoring system:

We're big fans of the scoring system in MLS Fantasy, and here's why.

1) There is no BPS system:

The FPL bonus points criteria covers a lot of areas that MLS Fantasy does, only there is a lot of different criteria for players to earn additional points. A player's performance is better represented in his Fantasy points.

2) Each player earns bonus points depending on their strengths and performance:

Bonus points are an open menu in MLS Fantasy and individual performance is rewarded. There are different criteria which is balanced across the pitch from defence to attack.

If a player plays our of his skin, he gets handsomely rewarded, but not to ridiculous levels. It's rare that 20+ points is reached by a player, so it's not like points are just thrown out there. One point here, and one point there, for defensive assets who make more tackles, or produce more blocks, really make a difference for players who know their stuff.

Phil Jones comes to mind with his early season form for Man United, he would have been compensated heavily with additional points due to his defensive performances for Man United.

Kevin De Bruyne would also be an invaluable asset to have due to his passing and ability on the pitch, most of which gets overlooked in the FPL.

Man City's Ederson would also have more to offer, as would Goalkeeper's in FPL who command a higher price tag but make less saves. Ederson sticks out for his influence with potential ball recoveries and passes. Why shouldn't this be reflected in a Fantasy sense? Clean sheets aren't everything nowadays in football.

You'd also weed out the potential for players who had a bad game jamming some bonus points, like we touched in with Joe Gomez above.

3) Tactics for each team matter:

- Defensive teams earn more points through defensive bonus (tackles, blocks, etc).

- Teams that like possession earn a lot of pass points.

- Attacking teams reap more points for full-backs or wing-backs.

3) CM/CDM's are legitimate options:

An afterthought in FPL, defensive midfielder's earn a good living in MLS Fantasy through their ability to soak up passing points, as well as always being in the mix with Defensive Bonus (clearances, blocks, interceptions, tackles, recoveries), and can always get in the mix with the normal goals, assists, and set-pieces that attract points. These types of player's are perfect mid-range price options.

4) Positive play is rewarded:

Who wouldn't like this included in FPL? Influential attacking players earning their due in Fantasy terms the right way. In MLS Fantasy, CAM's (attacking midfielder's) are the most expensive players, but also the most important as they're involved in all aspects of the play. Atlanta's Miguel Almiron is proving to be a sensation this season for his goals and assists being propped up with points for creating big chances, and providing key passes and crosses. Seattle Sounders midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro also managed 8-19 points per game, even without providing a goal or assist, due to his contributions to the game.

The name Mohamed Salah comes to mind here. The Liverpool player is often penalised for missing big chances, but in truth is excelling in positive play. Attacking bonus (creating big chances, key passes, crosses) and the point for every 4 shots would go a long way to reward players in the FPL who play front-foot football. Players like Salah shouldn't be limited for being bold and brave, and inspiring attacking football.

5) Skilled Fantasy players ultimately prosper:

We touched on this above, but with a wider net cast to get points, there is a tactical element you need to have to be successful in the game. You don't have to do 10 hours homework a week, but instead just follow closely the impact of influential players that might be on set-pieces. This really does eliminate the aspect of luck in Fantasy sports, which is an immensely frustrating element of playing FPL.

6) The game is well rounded and enjoyable:

From just playing the game, there is more consideration to be made with who you captain and your player picks, and there is a greater feeling of fulfilment when you achieve a good Gameweek score. Head to Head games are tense and classic league's are competitive. You never feel like you're out of contention and it is refreshing having your players not completely blank every single week.

Imagine the tone of the FPL if these elements were looked at? We'd welcome them with open arms.

Alternative System: Fantasy Bundesliga

Back on the same continent, there's another popular Fantasy game out there, with Fantasy Bundesliga proving to be a very different system

What does Fantasy Bundesliga feature that makes it different from FPL?

Germany's main Fantasy sports game is a little bit more grounded and familiar to FPL players, wewll at least on the surface.

1) Instead of having a captain, you pick 'Star Players' who get 1.5x their Gameweek score.

2) You can to make 3 transfers over the course of 2 Gameweek's. You can't make any more than that. There are also times in the season when you can make more transfers, with FBL featuring transfer window periods and Wildcard weeks. You also can't make transfers during a Gameweek.

3) For your player to increase in price you have to hit a criteria that is set out in the rules (10 points above the average points in a position will give you the biggest rise)

What are the benefits of Fantasy Bundesliga's scoring system?

The German game is very much a representation of its culture, and has high standards for players. Fantasy Bundesliga is ruthless.

- The game is high risk, high reward:

We get the feeling that FBL players live on the edge of fear and excitement, especially with set-piece takers. A ride or die attitude makes the Fantasy stakes massive on both ends of the winning or losing side. -5 for missing a penalty, could mean 10+ points for a captaincy pick.

- Fantasy Bundesliga heavily penalises unsporting conduct:

FBL doesn't tolerate dirty tackles and isn't afraid to dish out the punishment for Fantasy players who bank on likely culprits. It is a tactic that leads to FBL's risk and reward format. There's not a lot of criteria for penalising players in the FPL, so perhaps it could learn from the German's.

- FBL rewards positive play:

Much like MLS Fantasy, there is a big scope for attack minded players to get good returns. You can earn a point for providing a pass that leads to a shot (for every 2 passes made), and can be rewarded off shots as well. Where it lacks in MLS Fantasy's passing points, a comprehensive win matters, with wingers likely to profit.

- Winning matters:

German football history has been built on success with the national team, and that ethos filters down to club sides and even in Fantasy Bundesliga. Points for each player on the winning side, and deductions for players on the losing side, highlights the importance of the 3 points, and the connection to the real world game.

Our suggestions for a better Fantasy Premier League scoring system

Taking everything into consideration from the games we've explored, and our own personal musings from the world of Fantasy sports, we've explored a system that harnesses the positives that we could muster into a system that would make the majority of players thrilled to be playing.

What are some important factors when considering the FPL?

1) Any potential changes need to fit into the culture of the Premier League

2) Making the game easy to play for everyone

3) Enriching the game without becoming too niche

4) Building on the game in a positive way that advances the state of the game.

So, what have we settled on?

We're dubbing this the 'Bonus Criteria System' (BCS), which would essentially eradicate the current BPS system altogether, and replace it with a clear bonus structure for players to earn additional points in matches on top of the base points.

The BCS system is essentially an adopted form of the MLS Fantasy system that we believes compliments the current FPL model, and have added a few criteria in 'post game bonus' that we believe better connects the Premier League and the FPL.

Have a look at the points structure we're proposing and then we'll explain in more detail on our choices.

How would the Bonus Criteria System work?

1) The Premier League and Opta are partnered, with Opta providing all of the BPS stats. They cover all of the stats that we have listed to obtaining this information and implementing it shouldn't be a problem. Most of the current BPS system already features most of the above.

2) The current BPS System would be completely scrapped, and much like the MLS Fantasy system, all players are given an opportunity to earn bonus points based on their performances.

3) From a layout stance, it can stay the same. The BPS box just gets replaced with a Bonus box, which has the number of bonus per player in brackets. For example, Kane (2), Salah (4), etc so the format doesn't have to change

4) You will be able to view all of the Bonus Points on a player's stats page, and it is a chance to build on the already well-done Statistics page.

5) There would be a process of evaluation when Opta would finalise the points, so there would be some fluctuation, perhaps at the end of the Gameweek, when points might be recalculated.

What are the positives of the BCS System?

- CM / CDM's become valuable assets:

Currently only a very small percentage of FPL players are legitimate options. The additional bonus points would greatly add to the appeal of defensive midfielders and centrally based players.

- In general, it's an all-inclusive points system:

Players are rated and scored on their performance.

You eliminate a potentially unfair/weighted BPS system.

Most players would be considered as Fantasy options, which can only be a good thing.

Positive play would be rewarded. You eradicate most of the negative traits that the game has to offer.

Different play-styles would be catered for, and attacking full-backs have good potential for attacking returns through the number of crosses they deliver.

- The Post Game Bonus inclusions are inherently Premier League traits:

Speaking in football terms we believe that the addition of a Man of the Match point, a point for winning players, and one for players who score the winning goal, would closely align the football on the field to the FPL.

Football fans admire key players in matches, special moments, and winners, so it would be refreshing to see players who bust a gut on the field become rewarded. This could also bring in one of the Premier League's official partners (like Barclays or Cadbury's) to have an input in a heavily popular game.

- You wouldn't have to change anything else in the game:

The transfer structure can remain the same. One per week with deductions is a staple of the FPL and we wouldn't want that to change.

The BCS system would work well within the current design of the site.

- 'Chips' could become even more important:

Average points of players would go up slightly, meaning the potential for a Triple Captain would add weight, and the Bench Boost might become the 'OP' chip with defensive players and CDM's capable of big returns.

- Player prices would become justified:

In our evaluation of the current FPL we suggested that player prices are massively inflated, and we won't many Fantasy players that disagree.

With adding points such as a win bonus, and adding a lot of bonus criteria, you would essentially justify an £11.0 million player from a Top 6 club. With these clubs (Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs, and Arsenal) typically doing better on the field, that will show on the FPL, so it would be understandable to have these players costly when compared to clubs at the foot of the table.

For this to work in the game, CDM's and central players would be cheap to mid-range options, creating an overall balance with prices to begin the season.

- A new system wouldn't detract from the number of players:

It's unlikely that you'll have as many unhappy players who bemoan decisions when you've more potential for points. With points accumulation in the FPL you often find desperate players (ourselves included) as there are very few routes to points. You would lift that cloud instantly with the BCS system.

The game could take a positive turn with Fantasy players becoming more tactically astute, stick with a game that doesn't breed frustration, rather than relying on lucky picks. You could also get players spending more time on the game if the Premier League are looking to tick boxes in the office.

The FPL already has millions of players, and a change in system would offer more for their Scout to talk about. There's a lot more to discuss and chew on, which could make it a more engaging product.

Feedback: BCS System

We showed this article to some of the die-hard Fantasy players over at Fantasy Football Hub, and they offered the very similar feedback.

A point for winning/losing teams might be going too far, and would put off some players, and in general we got the sense that apart from that the system would work very well and incorporated a lot of positive elements from SkyFF, MLS Fantasy, and FPL.

The final image is a revision of the BCS which merely has the winning/losing point removed, which would make the game potentially more profitable without any negative connotation. Maybe Fantasy Bundesliga is too extreme for us in the British isles to contend with.

Got any ideas of your own regarding the FPL points scoring system?

Thank you for your time reading through this lengthy article, which touches on a wide range of areas in the FPL that we'd love to see change. We are avid Fantasy Premier League players and ultimately want the game to be the best it can possibly be.

Do you have any ideas of your own that have completely flown over our heads? Let us know on our Twitter account, @RealHypeTrain, to talk all things Fantasy with our team and the FPL Community. All aboard.

Want to know more about The Hype Train?

The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in the Fantasy Premier League (#FPL), providing beautiful graphics and weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb ranking tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review movies, live sport, and professional wrestling.

As well as providing FPL articles on our website, we are a founding Contributor to the new Fantasy Football Hub, where you can find more unique articles, including weekly Power Rankings, from The Hype Team. You can support us and read exclusive members only content for just £2 per-month by clicking here.

The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog 2016' by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), with the final presentation held at Old Trafford in Manchester.

You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk

All aboard.