Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast (FPL)

Blue Wire

The award-winning weekly Fantasy Premier League podcast hosted by Josh Landon and Brandon Kelley providing equal parts strategy and community for every type of FPL player. read less

Our Editor's Take

Soccer fans are more than a little well-known for their passion for the game. Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast (FPL) celebrates the world's most popular sport with vigor and a sense of humor.

The hosts of Always Cheating are Josh Landon and Brandon Kelley. The two native New Yorkers have been podcasting since the art form's early days. They are also longtime Fantasy Premier League players. This podcast began in 2015 and has had millions of downloads since its founding. It gets its name from a well-known soccer chant that is popular in England. The chant is, "Same old Arsenal, always cheating."

Always Cheating focuses on offering strategies for other Fantasy Premier League players. The podcast's goal is to help them assemble the best possible Premier League fantasy team. The two podcast hosts have been soccer fans for a long time. They have much insight to offer listeners about team selections. Even the most casual fan may know that Erling Haaland and Mo Salah are superstars. Yet just drafting both those players isn't enough to win. That's where this podcast comes in. It can help with sleeper picks and innovative lineup ideas.

One of the best aspects of Always Cheating is its sense of humor. Landon and Kelley are well aware of the fact that, as American soccer fans, they are "fish out of water." They are not afraid to lean into the comedy of that fact and make fun of themselves a bit as well. This helps to keep the podcast fun and light as they offer strategy and advice to listeners. It also makes it easier for new soccer fans to follow along with the podcast.

Always Cheating: A Fantasy Premier League Podcast (FPL) releases new podcast episodes when the Premier League is active. These episodes premiere on Monday of each week.

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Attacking the Forgotten FPL Gameweek 36

Attacking the Forgotten FPL Gameweek 36

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 stories of the weekend and then look ahead to a forgotten GW36 that's sandwiched between two doubles. It's a game-week that will likely come down to the captaincy pick, but have we learned anything about Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, or the two Manchester clubs that might give us an edge going into the next deadline? Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHiNqyShp18 #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW35 #GW36 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episodes

Attacking the Forgotten FPL Gameweek 36

Attacking the Forgotten FPL Gameweek 36

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 stories of the weekend and then look ahead to a forgotten GW36 that's sandwiched between two doubles. It's a game-week that will likely come down to the captaincy pick, but have we learned anything about Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, or the two Manchester clubs that might give us an edge going into the next deadline? Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHiNqyShp18 #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW35 #GW36 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Activating Our FPL Wildcards Ahead of GW35!

Activating Our FPL Wildcards Ahead of GW35!

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 activating their wildcards ahead of GW35 when Chelsea and Spurs will play twice. But who (apart from Cole Palmer, of course) on these mercurial teams can fantasy managers trust? Is Nicolas Jackson poised to surprise or disappoint? Can the defenses of either club produce more points than injuries? Plus, as part of our wildcard planning, we look ahead to the GW37 doubles and key teams like Manchester City, Manchester United, and Newcastle. Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6tcWr7uH0k #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW34 #GW35 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

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, but it very well could be the most pivotal, so Josh and Brandon methodically run position by position through every viable (or nearly viable) transfer option, from goalkeepers and defenders to midfielders and forwards. Arsenal and Liverpool are the marquee clubs, but does their current form and risk of rotation scare us off any players? Plus who are the sneaky picks on the lower-ranked doubling teams like Bournemouth, Wolves, Crystal Palace, and Everton? There’s much to consider, so join us and let’s figure it out together. Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfqMioyemOo #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW33 #GW34 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Weeks to Go! FPL Strategies for GW33 & Beyond

6 Weeks to Go! FPL Strategies for GW33 & Beyond

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 Europa League will have on our upcoming FPL plans. Most immediately, we discuss captaincy options for GW33, but our transfer plans for this weekend are still tied to the double in GW34. We also discuss the freshly announced double in GW35 for Chelsea and Spurs and if there are any picks amongst the rabble. Plus, we unveil our "On the Beach" rankings, which will be updated weekly through the end of the season. Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bku3Mqzviyg #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW32 #GW33 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quickfire GW31 FPL Preview

Quickfire GW31 FPL Preview

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, we give our thoughts on Sunday's big clash between Manchester City and Arsenal and consider Salah's performance against Brighton and what it portends for the midweek scores. Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORIcntARvmk #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW31 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chip Thoughts, Double Gameweek Strategy & GW30 Preview

Chip Thoughts, Double Gameweek Strategy & GW30 Preview

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 our strategies for maximizing points in the run-in. In this episode, the Cheaters take a closer look at the key clubs and players who will impact GW34 and how we plan to use our remaining chips. Most importantly, when are we thinking we'll wildcard? Plus, as to not forget the gameweek right in front of us, we talk about GW30 transfer targets, captaincy options, and just how quickly Salah might be playing his part. Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lR--32sRv8 #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW30 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GW29 Recap (Yikes!), FPL Look-Ahead, and Kings of the Gameweek Special

GW29 Recap (Yikes!), FPL Look-Ahead, and Kings of the Gameweek Special

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 ahead of us, we also take a beat to consider our strategies for the fantasy season's run-in, including the potential of remaining double gameweeks and chips. Then it's time to revisit our beloved feature: Kings of the Gameweek! Looking at top scorers in GW21–29, what lessons can we learn and what patterns can we discern from the teams, players, and positions that appear in the Fantasy Premier League site's often overlooked feature? Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIu9C0OqZU #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW29 #MFFA #hailcheaters #kingsofthegameweek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GW29 Preview: Free Hits, Transfer Ideas, and Under-the-Radar Picks

GW29 Preview: Free Hits, Transfer Ideas, and Under-the-Radar Picks

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 episode, we look at a potential Free Hit draft and run through the best—and perhaps under the radar—picks from each of the eight featuring clubs. Even if you don't plan to use a chip this deadline, the player and club analysis is still a useful exercise for narrowing down where to find an edge in a tricky moment. Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDSgyAqgqik&t=3837s #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW28 #GW29 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bournemouth & Luton Town Hot Take Zone Plus GW28 Questions

Bournemouth & Luton Town Hot Take Zone Plus GW28 Questions

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 not the stars of this episode as the Cheaters look ahead to the double in GW28 featuring Bournemouth and Luton Town—two clubs who rarely clog up the FPL conversation. But if we must, we will, and Josh and Brandon offer their best hot takes on viable options on each team from keepers and defenders to midfielders and forwards. Plus, there's a push to potentially triple captain Dominic Solanke with his two plum home fixtures: Is it a sensible and insane chip strategy? We also preview our own squads and strategies for the double with more green arrows on our minds. Hail Cheaters! Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M9JGn9B3Cw&t=143s #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW27 #GW28 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Making Moves for the FPL Stretch Run Plus Our GW27 Preview

Making Moves for the FPL Stretch Run Plus Our GW27 Preview

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 episode, Josh and Brandon recap where their squads are ahead of the West Ham-Brentford match and then look ahead to their strategies and captain picks for a somewhat forgotten GW27. What role will the Manchester Derby play in the upcoming gameweek? And how worried should we be about Erling Haaland's goal-scoring form when we compare the Norwegian to other tempting captains like Bukayo Saka? We also discuss the fallout from the League Cup final in which Liverpool sustained yet more injuries and Chelsea burned through some much needed energy ahead of a midweek FA Cup clash with Leeds that will play into our fantasy plans for the stretch run. Watch this episode unfold in video format on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06rBwpPUKJw&t=6s #bluewirevideo #FPL #PL #GW26 #GW27 #MFFA #hailcheaters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Triple Captain Haaland? Plus More Advice & Strategies for Double GW25

Triple Captain Haaland? Plus More Advice & Strategies for Double GW25

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 European competitions coming back into the picture, and a blank for some clubs in GW26, some fantasy decisions this deadline aren’t as easy as they look. On this episode, we look at the best transfer targets for the doublers, including Luton Town and Brentford, and what ripple effects we should keep in mind. Along with a lengthy Darwin Nunez vs Ivan Toney chat, there’s also an on-air toggle of the Triple Captain chip. #BlueWireVideo To see it unfold on video, check out video for this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN5HYMjWq9Y&t=702s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Double Gameweek Incoming! FPL Advice for GW24 & Beyond

Double Gameweek Incoming! FPL Advice for GW24 & Beyond

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 double in GW25 that now includes Liverpool and Luton Town alongside Manchester City and Brentford. In this episode, we rate the top assets to bring in to hopefully maximize the double—a list that includes everyone from Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne to Diogo Jota and Ivan Toney—and also assess the risk of Liverpool's subsequent blank in GW26. Plus we look at GW24 transfer and captaincy options, as well as under-the-radar players (like Wolves attackers) who are becoming hard to ignore. #BlueWireVideo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FPL Returns with GW22 Questions & Our Guide to Upcoming Blanks & Doubles

FPL Returns with GW22 Questions & Our Guide to Upcoming Blanks & Doubles

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 for the fantasy season. There's also plenty of chat on GW22 captaincy options ranging from Richarlison to Foden and what risks might be inherent with transfers for De Bruyne and Diogo Jota. Plus, we discuss the impact that Jurgen Klopp's recent announcement (that he'll leave the club this summer) will surely have on Liverpool and the Premier League, as well as upcoming blank- and double-gameweek news that also involves Liverpool, among others. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An FPL Roadmap for GW22 and Beyond

An FPL Roadmap for GW22 and Beyond

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 during this staggered fixture schedule and array of international and domestic tournaments? On this episode, the Cheaters look ahead to everything we need to know about the weeks ahead, including confirmed and probable double and blank FPL gameweeks—and the potential chip strategy therein—and which clubs have the best upcoming fixture runs. Plus, we discuss Salah’s hamstring injury and potential departure from AFCON, Jota’s explosive returns against Bournemouth, and the triumphant return of Ivan Toney. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FPL Kings of the Gameweek Special: GW9–20 Reviewed

FPL Kings of the Gameweek Special: GW9–20 Reviewed

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 breath, we review gameweeks 9–20 through the lens of each week's dream team. That's right: it's once again time for the Kings of the Gameweek! What lessons can we learn and what patterns can we discern from the teams, players, and positions that appear in the Fantasy Premier League site's often overlooked feature? We’ll be back next week with our GW22 preview. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FPL GW21 Preview: What to do with Haaland, Son/Salah replacements, and (C) picks

FPL GW21 Preview: What to do with Haaland, Son/Salah replacements, and (C) picks

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 still planning a Haaland transfer? How are we replacing the players who have left for AFCON and the Asian Cup? We discuss these topics, take listener Qs, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preview of the Second Half of the FPL Season

Preview of the Second Half of the FPL Season

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, the departure of key midfielders Mo Salah and Son Heung-min (among many others) to international tournaments. How can we best replace them—and how soon? We size up the favorite options of Saka, Bowen, and Richarlison, plus a few less popular picks, and debate the significance of Arsenal's attacking form, as well as Richarlison's ability to pick up the slack for Spurs in Son's absence. There's also the small matter of Manchester City's inevitable resurgence with the return of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Answering Your FPL Festive Fixture Questions

Answering Your FPL Festive Fixture Questions

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 festive period. With this weekend having offered renewed faith in clean sheets, we debate if manager's should reinvest in their goalkeeper and defenders—and, if so, then who?—and how we can possibly ever afford the in-form-but-extremely-expensive Trent Alexander-Arnold. Plus, we update our strategies on keeping, selling, or re-buying Erling Haaland when the time is right, and we discuss Chelsea, Arsenal, and players soon to leave for international tournaments in Africa and Asia. Hail Cheaters! Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email sales@bluewirepods.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FPL Buy, Sell, Hold for the Festive Fixtures & Our GW17 Preview

FPL Buy, Sell, Hold for the Festive Fixtures & Our GW17 Preview

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 Norwegian forward is one of many long-held players we now might consider selling. To help fantasy managers reset, Josh and Brandon use this week's episode to evaluate all of the big assets and debate their value in buying, holding, or selling: With Trippier's suspension (and horrid form), does he need to go? Son is hitting a profitable scoring patch, but what does his upcoming Asia Cup duty mean for his value? Are they ANY defenders worth buying? And are form teams like Fulham and Everton suddenly worth a sniff for cheap alternatives? Plus, we look ahead to key transfers and captains for GW17. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rapid-Fire Midweek GW15 Preview & More

Rapid-Fire Midweek GW15 Preview & More

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 learn about the fantasy assets from these teams who are now embarking on a crowded holiday fixture run? On this week’s podcast, we brace ourselves for the quick turnaround of Tuesday’s GW15 kickoff and discuss Arsenal defenders, a Newcastle triple-up, and a clear frontrunner for the midweek FPL captaincy. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices