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 side. Some of these takes might be hotter than others, but the Cheaters pin their feelings to the mast from top-of-the-table Arsenal all the way down to last-place Burnley. How many will you agree with; and how many, shall we say, less so? Let us know! Plus, of course, we look ahead to the key transfer targets and captaincy options for GW14 and the upcoming run of festive fixtures. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 results tell us about GW13? And what's the best way to set up our fantasy squads for what looks like a tricky slate of fixtures? A key decision will be the captaincy with the two standard picks Haaland and Salah facing off in the gameweek's first kickoff, it could be a good moment to be different and give the armband to Son—or even Solanke. Do we have the guts? Plus we discuss cheap defender options, Chelsea's epic upcoming run, and a "Clásico of sorts." Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 comeback charge up the league table. We also give our impressions of the London Stadium and Selhurst Park after our visits to those grounds, which also delivered engaging matches. Plus, more on our appearance on the Premier League’s Fantasy Show and highlights from our listener meet-up in London Bridge. We’ll return next week with a full GW13 preview and more regularly scheduled programming. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 with their upcoming trip to the U.K. and a GW12 filled with fixtures that will hopefully be easier to predict. Maybe? On this episode we discuss Arsenal's form and injury crisis, as well as Darwin's double personality, Doku's sudden emergence, and Watkins' mysterious track record. If you're in the London area, please join us for a listener meet-and-greet this Friday, November 10, at The Dugout at Belushi's London Bridge starting at 7:00 PM. No ticket required, 18+ venue, cash bar. Hope to see you there! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Brandon first unpack their GW10 strategies and scores and then discuss the key themes and trends we've seen emerge since the game kicked off in August. That's everything from xMins to Vibes FC and what sort of value managers are extracting from the top-tier, most expensive assets. Plus, we look ahead to GW11 fixtures, transfer targets, and captaincy favorites. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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, while Spurs, Chelsea, and even the mighty Manchester City are in for a rough patch. In this week’s episode, we discuss how the upcoming Premier League schedule could impact active wildcards. Plus we weigh the urgency of bringing in both in-form players Mo Salah and Ollie Watkins—and if it’s reasonable to sacrifice Erling Haaland in the process. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 strategy, we need to leave the first eight week’s of this season behind and start with a blank slate and positive outlook. Josh and Brandon start this week’s episode discussing how we can achieve that aim and then look ahead to important decisions for GW9 and beyond: Which clubs are entering into good fixture runs? Should Salah be everyone’s priority? Just how far has Haaland fallen in the FPL ratings? And is Son worth a look for the captaincy against Fulham? Join us for all this and more—and Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 of the Gameweek. What lessons can we learn and what patterns can we discern from the teams, players, and positions that appear in the FPL site's often overlooked feature? We also discuss our scores from GW8, Brandon's wildcard satisfaction levels, and the increasingly insistent case for Mohamed Salah. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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's episode to look at some of the biggest fantasy picks in the game—from Salah and Son to even Erling Haaland—and reassess whether each of them is currently overrated, underrated, or properly rated by the general FPL community. Plus, Brandon's on a wildcard as we look ahead to the GW8 fixtures and our key transfer targets and captaincy options. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 this season's first double gameweek featuring Burnley and Luton Town. Those aren't the most enticing clubs to tie your FPL fortunes to, but this episode really is all about the pros and cons of pursuing the upside of just about any double gameweek. So, is this one "just about" enough for us? Listen to find out. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 this Premier League season, fantasy mangers have lost all patience—notably with Nicolas Jackson, Ben Chilwell, Bruno Fernandes, and a few others. Of those players, who are we prepared to fully turn our backs on? And which ones might prove us all wrong and score FPL points in the coming weeks? Plus, the Cheaters debate the urgency of transferring in Mo Salah and which midfielders we should consider sacrificing in order to squeeze the Egyptian in. (Is that sacrifice Son Heung-min?) Then we look ahead to GW6 fixtures and our key transfer targets and captaincy picks. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 already planning his first wildcard and in this episode the Cheaters debate which Premier League players have stood out, have great fixtures on the horizon, and have hopefully not traveled too far with their respective national team. Plus, we praise an in-form Spurs side, zero in on question-mark teams like Chelsea and Manchester United, and check back in on the mess of goalkeeper picks. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Maddison, others will be panicking and weighing the benefits of an early wildcard. With Josh away, special guest co-host Sam Danby Bailey joins Brandon to search for clues in the season's first four weeks as to which players and clubs are heading in the right direction: Was Sterling always a trap? Can Son capitalize on his hat trick? Is there any hope at all for clean sheets? Plus, Sam catches us up on life and football culture in Norway and shares some stories about his encounters with the great Erling Haaland. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 take the game by storm? Can we trust the West Ham attack to remain this potent? What happened to Brentford and Brighton on Saturday? And which of the stock Manchester United and Arsenal midfielders would we be will to part with in favor of an in-form guy like James Maddison? To sort this all out, we play another round of buy/sell/hold debating other alluring midfield options, budget defenders, and the still-fuzzy goalkeeper picture. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 continued to score points—not to mention the "we knew they had it in them" guys like Luis Diaz and Solly March who have started this new season in incredible form. How do we manage to overlook the potential of some options while convincing ourselves to stay the course with others? This week, we discuss the plan for GW3 and if (or for how long) we can continue to ignore the high-flying player we don't yet have in our FPL squads. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 in GW1 and how it changes the calculus as we look ahead to GW2 and beyond. We also rate the plethora of midfielder options still vying for our attention and consider updating our goalkeeper strategies. Plus, we talk about impressive showings for Ben Chilwell and James Maddison, upcoming fixtures for Liverpool, a strong start for Newcastle, and Erling Haaland's eternal grip on the FPL captaincy. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 emerge victorious. The Cheaters react to the result and give their impressions of performances from notable players like Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Bukayo Sake, and even Kai Havertz. Did anything from the match change our thinking for GW1 and our early FPL drafts? Plus, we reveal our latest GW1 drafts and field a number of last-minute questions about Harry Kane, Mo Salah, João Pedro, and what punts/differentials we might be missing out on. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 questions came exclusively from Always Cheating's Patreon supporters—visit patreon.com/alwayscheating to support the pod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 fantasy point floors and ceilings, injury and rotation risk, surrounding squad quality, and that all-important fun quotient. Always Cheating is trying something new this pre-season by working with our very own "data" model for fantasy picks, weighing factors that are uniquely important to our listeners. Listen back to our ranking of top 10 forwards and top 10 midfielders and tune in next week for our blockbuster GW1 deadline preview. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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, surrounding squad quality, and that all-important fun quotient. Always Cheating is trying something new this pre-season by working with our very own "data" model for FPL player picks, weighing factors that are uniquely important to our listeners. Listen back to our ranking of top 10 forwards and tune in next week for our defender and goalkeeper previews. Hail Cheaters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices