Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast (FPL)

Join us as we look ahead to the final double-gameweek of the 2023/24 FPL season! Josh and Brandon have each activated their Bench Boost chip, so there's plenty of talk about what to expect from both t...

We're close to GW35's end and it's still a shootout between Son Heung-min and Cole Palmer. Brandon is joined on this week's episode by friend and veteran FPL manager Dave Weigner-Lodahl to unpack the ...

There's no rest for the FPL weary as GW34 rolls on while we're already forced to turn our attention to the next batch of doubles just around the corner. What that means for both Josh and Brandon is ac...

Whether you’re debating one free transfer, considering a hit, playing a Free Hit chip, or ready to wildcard, this episode has all you need for GW34 strategy. This isn’t the last double of the season, ...

The fantasy gameweeks are now coming thick and fast and midweek European fixtures are about to further complicate matters. In this episode, the Cheaters debate what impact the Champions League and Eur...

Join the Cheaters, Josh and Brandon, as we unravel the news and results from GW30 and quickly look ahead to this big decisions for GW31, which kicks off on Tuesday—right around the corner. Of course, ...

The big fantasy news from this international break has been the official announcement of the doubles in GW34. With the double fixtures in GW37 also coming into focus, it's time to get serious about ou...

On this week's episode, the Cheaters recap the wild non-results of blank GW29 and discuss what went wrong—and what could've gone worse—on the Free Hit chip. With the season's final international break...

Opinion among FPL managers is divided on how to best approach the blank GW29, but the Cheaters are both using their Free Hit chip to navigate what will be a weird and perhaps wild gameweek. In this ep...

Despite our best plans, Ollie Watkins and Phil Foden continue to dictate the Fantasy Premier League terms with the two star players combining for 116 points in their last six gameweeks. But they're no...

Hindsight is in full view for FPL managers after this weekend's lopsided fantasy duel between Douglas Luis and Hwang Hee-chan. That was a key midfield transfer as the overall points tally for GW26. In...

This weekend’s GW24 fixtures saw returns for many key fantasy assets who set the table for a double gameweek showdown with Liverpool and Manchester City both getting their say in GW25. But with Europe...

While some managers might want to revel in Ollie Watkins points haul for a bit longer, the Cheaters are already on to strategies for GW24 and beyond. Of course this planning involves the enhanced doub...

At last, a new FPL deadline is upon us with GW22 kicking off Tuesday. The Cheaters return with a quick-fire episode revealing their team strategies and answering listener questions about what's next f...

We’re very close to the end, but GW21 drags on for one more match at the time of this recording. And we must wait until next Tuesday for the GW22 deadline. Nonetheless, what have we learned thus far d...

With GW21 in media res, the Cheaters check in on the biggest highs and lows of the gameweek’s first half—most notably Kevin De Bruyne’s explosive return. Then, with a moment to catch our collective br...

Special guest and listener favorite Dave Weigner-Lodahl joins the pod to discuss a tricky two-week Gameweek 21. What is the best approach to the captaincy in a GW where there is no consensus? Are we s...

With the Premier League's nonstop festive fixtures now behind us, it's time to digest what we've learned and establish a plan for the fantasy season's second half. The first big issue is, of course, t...

The trauma of real life and Tom Lockyer bleeds through into this episode's recap of GW17, after which we attempt to refocus on the fantasy game and the remaining fixtures in the Premier League's festi...

Erling Haaland's absence from Manchester City's GW16 team sheet set off a chain reaction that impacted both our fantasy scores and our core strategy for the upcoming run of festive fixtures. The Norwe...

The weekend’s Premier League results saw key victories for Arsenal and Newcastle—and Liverpool by the skin of their necks—while other top-four and title contenders settled for draws. But what did we l...

Sure, podcasting is a lot about voicing an opinion—controversial or not. This week, Josh and Brandon try to take that to the next level by limiting themselves to just one 'hot take' per Premier League...

On this episode we review the up-to-date International Break news, including injury scares, minutes played, distance traveled, and of course goal-scoring form. What do the international football resul...

In this episode we recap our adventures in England during the last few days, including attending the 4-4 thriller at Stamford Bridge that saw Manchester City drop points while Chelsea continues their ...

This weekend produced a brutal run of results for fantasy managers, resulting in a low-scoring GW11 and a continuation of one of the toughest seasons in memory. Josh and Brandon look to bounce back wi...

Fantasy managers have now survived, thrived, or endured through the first ten match weeks of the Premier League season. So, what have we learned that we can take with us into the next ten? Josh and Br...

FPL managers looking for a lifeline this season could see their fortunes change with a notable GW10 fixture swing. Teams like West Ham, Brighton, and Arsenal will finally see some green in the FDR, wh...

As we return from the international break and prepare for GW9, Fantasy Premier League managers now have the perfect moment to hit the reset button. Whether it’s a change in attitude or a shift in stra...

As we enter the Premier League's second international break of the season, the Cheaters review gameweeks 1–8 through the lens of each week's dream team. That's right—it's once again time for the Kings...

This weekend, Ollie Watkins defied the expectations of most FPL managers with his extraordinary 23-point haul against Brighton. That season-defining performance has inspired the Cheaters on this week'...

The recent GW6 had some major highs and lows for fantasy managers and Josh and Brandon represent both sides of that coin. And after we break down our learnings from the weekend, it's on to GW7 and thi...

It's been a frustratingly low-scoring GW5, but the weekend's standout storyline has been the woeful form of clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea. While those teams continue to look for a way into ...

The season's first international break concludes on Tuesday and thus far it's been fairly uneventful. But will things stay that way? And how will GW5 be impacted? With a rocky start in FPL, Josh is al...

The results of GW4 have sent fantasy managers into the international break with a lot to think about. While some of us will feel smug and full-up on points from the likes of Alvarez, Mbeumo, and Maddi...

This weekend's matches proved to be the first big stress test on our fantasy squads and the FPL template of highly-owned, highly-agreed-upon assets. So what's next? Is Raheem Sterling really going to ...

This weekend's GW2 action saw banter-level fantasy blanks for key players like Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and Nicolas Jackson while other pre-season darlings like Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo c...

This season's opening weekend presented a wide range of fantasy outcomes, but some teams and players proved easier to predict than others. On this week's episode, the Cheaters discuss what stood out i...

The 2023/24 Premier League season kicks off this Friday and we got our first taste of what's to come with Sunday's Community Shield clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, which saw the Gunners eme...

In this special bonus pod, special guest Elevenify (https://elevenify.substack.com) joins to discuss data-driven strategies for the new Fantasy Premier League season. All of this week's podcast questi...

In our third and final FPL player preview ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season, we take a closer look at the top defender and goalkeeper options and discuss where they each rank in terms of fant...

In our second of three FPL player previews, we take a closer look at the top midfielder options and discuss where they each rank in terms of fantasy point floors and ceilings, injury and rotation risk...

This pre-season, we're trying something new at Always Cheating headquarters: We built a "data" model for FPL player picks. But what sets our model apart from the competition is we're weighing factors ...

We're now four weeks out from the start of the new Premier League season and, with it, the GW1 FPL deadline. At this point, the fantasy deadline feels like it's at once right around the corner and a l...

Join Josh and Brandon as they debut their 'FPL After Dark' show for YouTube Live and reminisce about the 2013/14 Premier League season.
Join Fantasy Football Hub this season with 50% your membership a...

The FPL site is officially live for the new 2023/24 Premier League season, meaning it's suddenly time to log in and get down to the business of winning our mini leagues and finishing with a high overa...

GW38 started with a raft of lineup leaks—some more trustworthy than others—that set the tone for a wild final match-day of the 2022–23 fantasy season. If the decision point was a Salah versus Kane cap...

We're still waiting for the final matches of GW37 to conclude, but it's not too early for the Cheaters to strategize for the FPL season's grand finale of GW38. In this episode we set up the Premier Le...

FPL managers got yet another dose of 'The Truth' when Callum Wilson opened the GW36 scoring with a brace and full bonus. Pair that with a Pervis Estupiñán haul and you're flying—but the Cheaters are s...

Very little in GW35 went as predicted, from the Haaland blank to virtually every single moment in Monday’s fixtures. So, what are the key FPL takeaways as we now plan for the double in GW36 featuring ...

There's still a whole lot of GW34 to go, including doubles for numerous clubs. Josh and Brandon check in on their FPL squads—including Brandon's active Bench Boost—and discuss the weekend's Premier Le...

The Free Hit chip was mostly a success in GW32, a week that gave us some freak Premier League results and wild storylines. As we digest those performances, we must quickly turn our attention to the GW...

With key teams Manchester City, Manchester United, Brighton, and Chelsea all blanking in GW32, the next fantasy deadline will require some very tricky decisions. For some managers, the Free Hit chip w...

We're joined this week by Fantasy Football Fix pundit Tom Campbell to pick apart the action, injury news, refereeing controversies, and numerous penalty misses of GW30. Tom also discusses his recent w...

Midway through the massive double GW29, the Cheaters check in on their scores and their squads. While it’s mostly good news from the weekend, there’s still a fair amount of turmoil to contend with pos...

Special guest Erik Sibils, currently #704 overall in FPL, joins the podcast to discuss all things relating to double-gameweek 29, which features 12 Premier League teams playing twice when FPL returns ...

As we enter the Premier League's final international break of the season, the Cheaters review gameweeks 17–28 through the lens of each week's dream team. That's right—it's once again time for the King...

We've put our faith in double-gameweekers again, yet single-gameweekers continue to win out. As GW27 continues rolls on, the Cheaters discuss their fresh wildcard teams and where it's gone right and w...

This weekend the Premier League continued to double-down on entertaining and dismaying match results. Between the breathless Arsenal comeback and Manchester United's annihilation at the hands of Liver...

There are some pivotal GW25 fixtures yet to play, with Arsenal and Liverpool able to turn the tide of a relatively lackluster weekend. While we await the fates of Saka and Salah, the Cheaters turn the...

The FPL scores from GW24 didn't necessarily reflect the sublime chaos the Premier League weekend offered. So then what exactly did we learn as we now set our sights on the doubles in GW25? Those doubl...

This weekend's top performers were a good reminder for FPL managers who suffer from fantasy "blind spots"—players and clubs who never click with your strategy despite their big potential. Leicester Ci...

Though both clubs are coming off losses this past weekend, all FPL eyes remain on Arsenal and Manchester City. Each have a double in the upcoming GW23 and on this episode the Cheaters look at all of t...

The Premier League made way this weekend for FA Cup fourth round fixtures and the results confirmed a double in GW22 for both Manchester United and Leeds—a massive opportunity for fantasy managers to ...

With essentially half the season now behind us, Always Cheating proudly presents our annual mid-season review of all twenty Premier League clubs. Yep, that's AFC Bournemouth to Wolverhampton Wanderers...

Because the GW20 doubles stretched out the proceedings, fantasy managers now have just one day to tinker ahead of Saturday's GW21 deadline. We quickly review what was learned from recent matches like ...

The results of this weekend’s FA Cup matches have brought about a newly-announced double gameweek for both Manchester United and Crystal Palace. That’s on top of the double now confirmed for Mancheste...

With mere hours until the GW19 fantasy deadline, Josh and Brandon prepare their own squads, weighing the pros/cons of Chelsea and Fulham assets. Is Mitrovic a captaincy option? Can Sterling or Havertz...

The 2022 World Cup offered a thrilling break from club football, but it's now time to dust the cobwebs off our neglected fantasy squads. As we return to non-stop Fantasy Premier League coverage, Josh ...

It was a final for the ages—filled with brilliance, chaos, and pure emotion. Ultimately, Messi cements his place next to Maradona in football history and Argentina have won their third Wold Cup title....

Morocco finally reached their breaking point upon meeting France in Qatar's World Cup semifinals. Though soundly beaten, the North African team put up a mighty fight worthy of their Cinderella tournam...

For our twentieth World Cup Minute, we recap the first semifinal in Qatar with Argentina dominating Croatia. Ultimately, Messi's brilliance was too great and Julian Álvarez's finishing too focused for...

Rounding out a truly thrilling World Cup quarterfinals, Day 19 in Qatar delivered victory for both Morocco and France. Portugal and England kept it close and will each feel disappointed at how close t...

The World Cup Minute returns for Day 18 in Qatar and the first of the tournament’s quarterfinals. And, well… WHAT A DAY IT WAS! Drama, goals, handbags, penalties, tricky free kicks, upsets—fans were i...

Day 17 in Qatar brought fans more drama as Morocco took Spain to penalties . . . and won! The early kickoff's tight, defensive affair then stood in stark contrast to the goal-fest of Portugal vs Switz...

Day 16 of the FIFA World Cup saw Brazil and Crotia advance to the Quarterfinals, each in different fashion. Croatia proved "too tough" for Japan to break down, and ultimately the Samurai Blue fell to ...

Emphatic wins for France and England featured on Day 15 of the FIFA World Cup, underlined by a Golden Ball–level performance from 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé. Additionally, Olivier Giroud broke Thierry ...

Our good friend Dave joins the podcast to recap the U.S. men's performance against the Netherlands and across the entire World Cup tournament. Where do we stand on Berhalter's management and the Ameri...

Day 13 of the FIFA World Cup saw one of the tournament's most powerful moments as South Korea players were moved to tears after progressing to the knockout stage in a dramatic win over Portugal. Victo...

For a brief and magical moment during Day 12 of the FIFA World Cup, both Japan and Costa Rica were heading out of Group E at the expense of European juggernauts Spain and Germany. Japan and Spain ulti...

Day 11 of the FIFA World Cup saw Argentina, Poland, France, and Australia advance to the knockout stage. While Australia was the biggest shock of the day—at a dour Denmark’s expense—Argentina’s emphat...

On Day 10 of the World Cup, the Americans booked their trip to the knockout round of sixteen in the most significant U.S. victory of the last two decades. Christian Pulisic got his moment on the big s...

Monday's matches started Day 9 of the World Cup off with a bang—eleven goals in 180 minutes. While the scoring fell off a bit, the later games were no less engaging with Brazil and Portugal both clinc...

Sunday in Qatar brought us big upsets of Japan and Belgium by the hands of Costa Rica and Morocco, respectively. But it was the draw between Spain and Germany the really explodes the roadmap for Group...

Saturday’s World Cup action included Denmark giving France some (ultimately moot) resistance, while Argentina and Poland both hit the reset button on their tournament ambitions. Messi and Mbappe conti...

The main stage for Day 6 was reserved for England v the U.S. While the match didn't deliver on goals, there's still a lot to unpack on how the nil-nil draw impacts Group B and also effects the narrati...

It's Thanksgiving Day in America, but despite the distractions the Cheaters are more committed than ever to recapping/previewing the World Cup. This Thursday offered some exciting match-ups, but only ...

Wednesday offered yet another early tournament upset as Japan startled Germany 2-1. Meanwhile, Spain were in cruise control putting seven goals past a rudderless Costa Rica. But what about Belgium? Di...

Day 3 of the 2022 World Cup began with a startling upset of tournament favorites—and Messi led—Argentina by Saudi Arabia. The Cheaters recap the rest of the action: from Lewandowski's miss and Ochoa's...

The first full day of fixtures kick off the 2022 World Cup in spectacular fashion as England dazzles, the Netherlands persevere, and the United States and Wales trade blows. After decompressing from a...

Welcome to our first episode of the 2022 FIFA World Cup! For Day 1 of our new daily podcast, we recap the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador. We then look ahead to the stakes and what we're excit...

After a chaotic final gameweek, FPL will hit pause for the 2022 World Cup. It's a good moment for the Cheaters, Josh and Brandon, to take a look at how their fantasy seasons have gone so far and what ...

With just one more round of Premier League fixtures before the World Cup, the Cheaters look to make the most of GW16 and head into the break in style. In preparation, we assemble an ideal, if-money-we...

Emerging from the weekend's GW14 fixtures, we pick the bones of Brandon's wildcard squad and talk about the challenges facing us in the final days before the World Cup break. As fantasy managers hunt ...

With only three matchweeks to play before the Premier League breaks for the World Cup, the Cheaters consider how best to attack GW14–16. Brandon is doubly focused on this stretch of fixtures because o...

It's a quick turnaround for the midweek slate of GW12 fixtures and the Cheaters are nailing down how they intend to manage the blank for Arsenal and Manchester City. With lots of key FPL assets missin...

Arsenal and Manchester City are each enjoying incredible form—sadly just in time for their fantasy fixture blank in GW12. In this week's episode the Cheaters break down the best ways to navigate possi...

In a Premier League weekend filled with talking points, one man again stole the show as Erling Haaland delivered his third hat trick of the season (in his first-ever Manchester Derby). Since GW1, the ...

As this Premier League season's first international break comes to a close, it feels like precious little football has been played during the last month. That's got the Cheaters especially excited for...

As we enter the Premier League's first international break of the season, the Cheaters review gameweeks 1–8 through the lens of each week's dream team. That's right—it's once again time for the Kings ...

Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast (FPL)

Latest episodes

GW38 Is Here! Our Fixture-by-Fixture FPL Preview

Double GW37 FPL Preview: Bench Boosts, Chip Talk, and Haaland Goes Off

Attacking the Forgotten FPL Gameweek 36

Activating Our FPL Wildcards Ahead of GW35!

The Big One. Our Position-by-Position Preview of FPL GW34.