How do players score points differently?
This fresh season, the main difference will be in how outfield players’ defensive contributions can see them accrue points – in the words of the Premier League themselves: “Since clean sheets can disappear so quickly, the go-to options have often been offensive full-backs, while centre-backs have frequently been rated according to their ability to score goals from set-pieces rather than their main job of protecting their own penalty box.
“Meanwhile, defensive midfielders have largely been overlooked entirely in FPL because of a lack of regular attacking returns, and because they only get one point for a clean sheet.”
This season, defenders will earn two FPL points if they register a total of 10 or more combined clearances, blocks, interceptions, and tackles (CBIT) in a single match.
It works in a similar way to the save points system, where goalkeepers receive one extra point for every three saves they make. However, unlike save points, outfield players’ defensive contribution points are capped at a maximum of two per match.
Midfielders and forwards, meanwhile, accrue these points slightly differently – in addition to their clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles, their ‘ball recoveries’ within a game will also count towards their total of defensive contributions (CBIRT), which must reach 12 to get the two extra points – having a greater variety of ways to do so, of course. A more detailed example of the change in action can be found here.
