Why Marketers Can Smash Fantasy Premier League in 2025/26

The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season kicks off this Friday, and millions of managers across the globe are getting ready for nine months of obsession, heartbreak, and last-minute transfers. Whether you’re a casual player who forgets to update their team after week two, or a spreadsheet-wielding fanatic glued to fixture difficulty charts, there’s no denying the addictive pull of FPL.

And here’s a theory… Marketers can absolutely smash it this season. Why? The traits that make for an elite FPL manager are almost identical to the ones that drive great marketing results.

If you’ve never touched FPL before, stick around; there’s plenty we can all learn from it when it comes to building strategies, making data-driven decisions, and adapting to changing circumstances.

It’s All About the Data

Ask any successful FPL manager and they’ll tell you that you can’t just pick players based on “I like him”, “He scored last week.”, or worse, “I like the kit they play in”. The best decisions are grounded in stats. Expected goals (xG), expected assists (xA), shots in the box, and fixture difficulty ratings (FDR).

In marketing, the exact same logic applies. We don’t run campaigns on gut feel alone. We dive into Google Analytics, ad performance dashboards, keyword data, and conversion rates to make smart moves.

Both FPL managers and marketers know that numbers don’t lie. And, if you know how to interpret them, they can give you a serious edge over the competition. That’s why we obsess over metrics. Whether it’s working out which striker to captain or which PPC keyword to pause, the data tells the story.

Know Your Audience (and Opponents)

In FPL, you’re always up against other managers trying to outsmart you. You’re not just playing your own game; you’re thinking about what your rivals in the mini-league are likely to do, spotting where they’re making mistakes, and finding opportunities to move ahead.

Marketing is the same. You’re never operating in a bubble. Competitors are targeting the same customers, and your job is to understand what they’re doing, where they’re strong, and where they’re leaving gaps. That insight shapes your positioning and helps you get the edge.

It’s a competitor analysis in full football kit.

Agility is Key

Salah gets injured? Arsenal have fixtures against Liverpool, Forest, Man City and Newcastle one after the other? Šeško starts banging them in for fun? The best FPL managers react quickly, making transfers and tactical changes before the rest of the pack catches on.

In marketing, agility is just as crucial. Algorithms change. Ad performance drops. Consumer behaviour shifts. The brands that win are the ones that adapt fast, not the ones that stick stubbornly to the original plan no matter what.

Patience Pays Off

Of course, agility is not the same as panic. Every FPL manager has been guilty of a knee-jerk transfer - shipping out a star after one bad game only to watch them score a hat-trick the next week.

In marketing, it’s tempting to make big changes at the first sign of a dip in performance. But sometimes the best move is to stay the course, give your strategy time to work, and avoid throwing away all your careful planning because of a blip.

The art is knowing when to stick and when to twist.

Test, Learn, Optimise

Ever gambled on a differential captain in FPL and watched it pay off? Yes, those of you who Triple Captained Jacob Murphy in Double Gameweek 32, I’m looking at you. That’s the same buzz you get when an experimental ad creative outperforms your control.

Both games reward testing. In marketing, it’s A/B testing subject lines, trialling new ad formats, or experimenting with fresh keywords. In FPL, it’s trying an unexpected player pick or rotating formations.

You try something new, measure the results, keep what works, and bin what doesn’t. Simple, but effective.

The Wildcard Factor

In FPL, you get two wildcards a season to completely overhaul your team without taking a points hit or having to use your free transfers. The timing of that wildcard can make or break your campaign.

In marketing, the “wildcard” moment is when you need a total reset — a big change to your strategy because the current one just isn’t delivering. That could be a rebrand, a shift in budget to new channels, or a change in messaging.

It’s not something you use lightly. But when the time is right, it can transform your season or your business.

Planning for the Long Game

Winning FPL isn’t about smashing Gameweek 1; it’s about staying consistent across 38 weeks. You need to plan for fixture swings, rotation risks, and keeping your team fit for the whole campaign.

In marketing, short-term wins are great, but sustainable growth is the real prize. That means having a roadmap that looks beyond the next month’s numbers, ensuring your campaigns are built to last and adapt over time.

Storytelling Matters Too

FPL might feel like a spreadsheet game, but part of the fun is the storylines… the breakout rookie, the veteran striker’s swan song, the derby-day drama.

Marketing is no different. Data drives decisions, but stories connect with people. Your campaign might be built on analytics, but it’s the creative angle, the hook, the emotional pull that makes it memorable.

The best marketers, and the best FPL managers, know how to combine cold, hard data with a sense of narrative.

The Margins Are Small, But They Matter

In FPL, a couple of points here and there can be the difference between winning your mini-league and finishing mid-table. One well-timed captaincy pick, one inspired transfer, can change your season.

In marketing, small optimisations often add up to big results. Tweaking ad copy, refining keyword targeting, or improving page speed for SEO. Success is built on stacking small, smart decisions over time.

Final Whistle

Fantasy Premier League is a game. Marketing is serious business. But they reward the same mindset… Make data-driven decisions, stay agile, understand your competition, know when to be patient, and take your big swings at the right moments.

So as the 2025/26 FPL season kicks off, remember: whether you’re trying to win your work mini-league or trying to grow your business, the principles are the same. Play smart, think ahead, and make moves with purpose.

And if you want your marketing to perform as well as your fantasy team, you know where to find us.