Fantasy Football Bonus Points: The Ultimate Guide

When it comes to Fantasy Premier League, points win prizes. If you want to win pride (and possibly avoid an embarrassing forfeit from your mates), you need to understand how to collect those all-important points. Better yet, you need to collect bonus points so that you can win even on the fine margins.

Collecting bonus points is not an exact science. After all, football is an unpredictable sport. However, you can attempt to strategise and win those coveted points by understanding the system. Here's everything you need to know about scoring bonus points in the Fantasy Premier League.

What are bonus points in FPL?

In each gameweek, FPL managers collect points in Fantasy Premier League according to what their chosen players do on the pitch. You get a set number of points for goals, assists, clean sheets, and so on.

However, the best players on the pitch are also awarded bonus points. Up to three points are added to their tally, depending on how they played.

Three players from each match receive bonus points. So, if you have one of the best three players in your team, you're in luck.

How do you get bonus points?

You get bonus points by selecting players who are likely to perform well on the pitch. It's not always the highest-scoring player or the man of the match, though these are likely candidates for those coveted extra points.

It's tricky to pick the right players for your FPL team because you never know who will put in a star performance on the day. However, some players are more likely to get one of the top three performance scores.

Fantasy Premier League awards bonus points based on something called the FPL bonus points system, which scores players across a number of metrics. You probably won't want to do the maths yourself because it can get complicated; however, it's worth understanding how the system works.

How does the FPL bonus points system work?

The FPL bonus points system (BPS) awards players points based on statistics supplied by Opta. Therefore, it's a carefully calculated system. In any given match, three players win bonus points in fantasy football:

  • The highest-scoring player gets three points
  • The second-highest-scoring gets two points
  • The third-highest-scoring gets one point

Bonus points work by assessing a range of stats to produce a performance score, some of which accrue points and some of which earn minus points. Here's what the players are assessed on:

Action

Points

Playing 1-60 minutes

3

Playing over 60 minutes

6

Goalkeepers and defenders scoring a goal

12

Midfielders scoring a goal

18

Forwards scoring a goal

24

Assists

9

Goalkeepers and defenders keeping a clean sheet

12

Saving a penalty

15

Save

2

Successful open-play cross

1

Creating a big chance (where the receiving player should score)

3

Every 2 clearances, blocks, and interceptions (total)

1

Every 3 recoveries

1

Key passes

1

Successful tackles (net)

2

Successful dribble

1

Scoring the goal that wins the match

3

70-79% pass completion (at least 30 passes attempted)

2

80-89% pass completion (at least 30 passes attempted)

4

90%+ pass completion (at least 30 passes attempted)

6

Conceding a penalty

-3

Missing a penalty

-6

Yellow card

-3

Red card

-9

Own goal

-6

Missing a big chance

-3

Making an error which leads to a goal

-3

Making an error which leads to an attempt on goal

-3

Being tackled

-1

Conceding a foul

-1

Being caught offside

-1

Shot off target

-1

Notably, net successful tackles refer to the total of all successful tackles minus the unsuccessful tackles.

The bonus points system is calculated and finalised up to an hour after the final whistle of the last match on a given day. So, be patient and wait for those bonus points to roll in.

What if there's a tie?

If a few players get the same amount of bonus points, the Premier League breaks it down as follows:

  • If tied for 1st, the first and second-place players get 3 points each. Third place gets one point.
  • If there is a tie for second, Player 1 gets 3 points. Players 2 and 3 get 2 points each.
  • If there is a tie for third, Player 1 gets 3 points, Player 2 gets 2, and Players 3 and 4 get 1 point each.

What if your captain gets bonus points?

In Fantasy Premier League, your captain gets double points, so what happens when they get bonus points?

They're doubled! So, if a player gets one bonus point according to the bonus points system, you get two points if that player is your captain.

If you have used your triple captain chip, it's even better, with triple the points to go around.

How to get more bonus points

You can get more points by selecting the best players for the job. Try to pick players who are highly likely to be playing over 60 minutes and those who can rack up a great score in the bonus points system.

It's not enough to pick someone who will make a goal attempt and miss (Darwin Nuñez, we're looking at you); you need them to score. Try to pick a likely goal scorer or someone who will put in a stunning successful open-play cross like it's nothing.

Who got the most FPL bonus points last season?

Last season, Harry Kane collected the most bonus points, with 48 in total. Of course, he's no longer in the Premier League. However, runner-up Erling Haaland, with an impressive 40 points, is still available to rack up those points for your FPL team.

How to dominate your mini-leagues

Want to conquer your FPL league? Get extra points with a system that helps you understand who will score and when. Better FPL gives you stats on the Premier League website, including form indicators like who kept a clean sheet, got 90% pass completion, and more.

With one simple Chrome extension, you can own your mini-leagues and get more points than ever before. Try it for free today.