Goalkeepers get overlooked in Fantasy Premier League but they can often be the difference between a good and bad season.
Unlike other positions though, the best strategy to pick goalkeepers is more debated and even unknown.
So, let’s provide some clarity surrounding the enigmas that are goalkeepers in FPL.
How are Goalkeeper Points Scored in FPL?
In addition to appearance points, bookings and goals conceded, goalkeepers get most of their points from:
- Clean sheets (+4 points)
- Saves (+1 point every 3 saves)
- Bonus points (+1, 2 or 3 depending on most BPS)
There are also points for penalty saves (+5). However, there were only 9 penalty saves in the 2021/22 season, so these aren’t common.
Of course, goalkeepers also get 6 points for scoring a goal, too, but with 6 goalkeeper goals in Premier League history, this isn’t something worth taking into account.
Which of these point methods are most important, though?
Among all Premier League goalkeepers in 2021/22 they achieved the following in FPL:
- 200 clean sheets – 800 points (33% of GK points)
- 1,918 saves – 639 points (26% of GK points)
- 177 bonus points (7% of GK points)
We can see clean sheets are the most important point scorer for goalkeepers, shortly followed by saves.
Bonus points may have only contributed 7% of GK points in 2021/22 but these are a result of clean sheets and saves.
Goalkeeper Bonus Points
Bonus points for goalkeepers are comprised of:
- Clean sheet – 12 points
- Save – 2 points
- Pass completion – up to 6 points based on passes completed and completion %
Saves are why premium goalkeepers struggle to get bonus points in comparison to their budget counterparts.
Read More: Predicted Premier League Lineups (Updated Before Every GW)
Bonus points and saves are why Ederson wasn’t the highest scoring goalkeeper in 2019/20 and 2020/21 despite winning the Golden Glove in both seasons.
Premium or Budget Goalkeepers?
Looking at the above data it would be reasonable to assume you should primarily target clean sheets when selecting your goalkeeper(s) in FPL.
However, when you look at the point differences between £5.5m and £4.5m goalkeepers, clean sheets aren’t everything.
While the likes of Alisson Becker, Jose Sa, Hugo Lloris, and Ederson Moraes all have the highest points per £m, the difference between them and £4.5m goalkeepers isn’t too substantial.
It can be argued that the extra £1.0m to spend elsewhere on your team will provide more points.
Furthermore, selecting the likes of Alisson and Ederson take away one of those all-important Liverpool/Man City player spaces.
Whether you go with £4.5m/£4.0m combinations (or 2 £4.5m) or a premium/£4.0m is fine either way. Arguments can be made for both strategies.
However, if you take Alisson’s 176 points from last season to be an anomaly, then the best value goalkeepers indeed lie in the £4.5m band.
Should You Pick a £4.0m Goalkeeper?
Given you have two goalkeeper slots and can only attain points from one of them, it is wise to select a £4.0m goalkeeper.
This enables you to spend (at least) £0.5m elsewhere, rather than having it sit on your bench.
After all, unless you have a specific goalkeeper rotation strategy then your second choice GK will rarely feature.
If you do decide to go with a premium goalkeeper, then it is even more advisable to go with a £4.0m goalkeeper.
Best Goalkeeper for FPL?
In conclusion, you should be looking for an FPL goalkeeper who plays for a team that is expected to get close to 10 clean sheets, can average nearly 3 saves a game and who costs £4.5m.
That’s easier said than done as no goalkeeper achieved this last season.
Read More: Highest Scoring FPL Players in History
Also, goalkeepers have been priced very well by Fantasy Premier League this season. This makes choosing between them a tough task.
With that said, the likes of Robert Sanchez, Vicente Guaita, David Raya, Jordan Pickford, and Illan Meslier look the best options at £4.5m.
Make sure you choose your goalkeepers with fixture difficulty in mind, though.