PODCAST · sports
FPL Fortress
by FPL Fortress
Two FPL fanatics have a chat about the weekend's action and look ahead to future gameweeks, throwing around banter and exchanging insight.
Episodes
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GW 6: The Wait Is Over
Although we are still fresh off a three-month-long summer break from the Premier League, the international break that began three weeks ago has somehow felt even lengthier. We’ll be the first to admit that FPL has faded into the far recesses of our minds, which means we spend this episode...
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GW 5: Class Struggle
The heart of this week’s episode lies in the question of class. With Konsa seemingly a given, which combination of players from the following “classes” of defenders offers the best way to complete your backline: a premium playing for a good team with high clean sheet odds, a Vušković-type DEFCON...
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GW 4: Too Big to Fail?
The Fortress is thrilled to return for our 7th year, awakening from a World Cup-filled summer slumber feeling energized and ready to tackle whatever the 2026–27 season throws our way. The big talking point ahead of Gameweek 4 is Chelsea’s home fixture against Hull City—and though a quick glance…
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2025/26 Season Review: Awards, Breakout/Flop XIs, Lessons Learned, and More
Everyone stop what you’re doing—yes, yes, the rumors are true, the Fortress has released our 2025/26 Season Review! We might be a little embarrassed that it’s been nearly two months since our last episode, but we’re far more excited to finally bring to you our reflections on this past year of...
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GW 36: Purging Palmer and Seeking Saka
This past gameweek, big things happened at both the top and bottom of the Premier League table, with Arsenal taking a massive step toward that elusive title and Tottenham pulling themselves out of the relegation zone. Is it time to similarly shake things up in our FPL teams? Ahead of the final...
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GW 35: Picking Up the Pieces
If you’re like us, you’ve just used your Wildcard, Bench Boost, and then Free Hit, back-to-back-to-back, thereby exhausting all of your chips for the season (and hopefully having moved significantly closer to your rank target!). Now that the dust has settled, it’s back to good ol’ standard…
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GW 34: The Name’s Porro. Pedro Porro.
Double Gameweek 33 was truly one for the ages, with both Jacob and Jiayang finishing on a whopping 124 points. The very teams that served us so well last week, however, have no fixtures this upcoming week, meaning most active managers will need to activate their Free Hit. Accordingly, we spend…
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GW 33: The Tightening of the Template
It’s a bit of a quiet week in FPL, but here at the Fortress, we’re committed to producing insightful content—week in, week out, no matter the circumstance. To that end, after reviewing Gameweek 32 and then briefly discussing single-gameweek players to consider for the upcoming double, we meditate...
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GW 32: Managing (to Survive)
After the longest mid-season break the Premier League has ever experienced (a statement that has not been fact-checked but feels undeniably true), we are finally back to discuss best strategies for the run-in to Gameweek 38. Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup, which means Wildcarding in…
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GW 31: Fill In the Blank
With both Arsenal and Man City blanking next gameweek, Jiayang’s and Jacob’s teams—both of which are tripled up on each of the two clubs—look a little worse for wear. The good news? We’re both stockpiled on free transfers. The question: how many of those free transfers should we use for the...
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GW 28: Future-Proofing the Blank
One of the good things about the FPL Fortress is that even if Jacob and Jiayang both have rotten gameweeks individually, the rottenness does not necessarily seep into the quality of our episode—in fact, one might even argue that the worse our teams are doing at any given point, the more…
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GW 27: Arsenal Bottle It Live On Air
The second half of the Wolves vs. Arsenal game was being played during the recording of this episode. When Gabriel provided an assist for Hincapié, Jacob and Jiayang—who had both triple-captained him—exclaimed with joy. Jiayang, in particular, manifested that Gabriel would finish the gameweek…
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GW 25: A New Lease on Life
Following a gameweek where the average points was finally over 50, we now turn our attention to Double Gameweek 26, which has just been confirmed with Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-final. What, then, is the best Arsenal triple-up—and is there an “objective” answer, or is it...
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GW 24: Eli Junior Kroupi.Jr
After the sixth successive gameweek with an average score of fewer than 50 points, it’s hard not to feel a little discouraged; but still, we must trudge on with the hope that someday in the near future, we’ll hop back over the fence to the good side of variance. Michael Carrick’s spirited...
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GW 23: Stop and Smell the Rose(nior)s
In an otherwise not-so-exciting gameweek, Manchester United defeated their Mancunian rivals 2-0, marking a fourth blank in five matches for Haaland, a fifth blank in as many matches for O’Reilly, and a sixth successive blank for Foden. Liverpool are experiencing a slump, drawing their fourth…
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GW 20: Reflections and Resolutions
On this fine New Year’s Day, Jacob and Jiayang gather with their friend Nicolas to watch some fine Premier League fixtures—but unfortunately, although the company was very fine indeed, the fixtures were not so. Despite watching a combined 270 minutes of soccer, we witnessed not a single goal that...
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GW 18: We Don’t Talk About Bruno (but we do talk about Bruno replacements)
Jacob has concluded his adventures in Oceania and Asia, and both of us are back in New York to hunker down for the Festive Fixtures. (And to closely follow AFCON with a keen eye toward any innovations in neck tension relief. Looking at you, Patson!) Hugo Ekitiké is on the forefront of most FPL...
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GW 12: Questioning Quality
It’s perhaps fitting that the international break would fill our teams with flags. But even though I would consider myself an amateur vexillologist—at one point, I was able to identify nearly all the national flags in the world—I’m not loving the yellow flags that have appeared next to many of my...
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GW 11: The Midfielder Drought
Thanks to Ndiaye and Xhaka respectively, Jacob and Jiayang both enjoyed successful Bench Boosts. Our overall solid gameweeks, however, owed little thanks to our starting midfielders, none of whom got a single return. Which leads to the question: are we in the midst of a midfielder drought? Five…
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GW 10: Recalibrating Our Fixture-o-meters
I can’t remember the last time a Manchester United player other than Bruno Fernandes was a viable FPL asset, but Cunha and especially Mbeumo finally appear to be hitting their stride. Could it be time to invest? In the striker department, Haaland is of course unnegotiable currently; Mateta isn’t...
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GW 8: The Wildcards of the Wildcard
We have been building up to this moment for a few weeks now: Jacob has decided to activate his Wildcard! We work our way through the options from the bottom up, going through the locks and then discussing the shortlisted players for each position. Given the healthy selection of attractive…
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GW 7: An Element of Whimsy
Gameweek 6 brought with it many juicy fixtures, whether that be Man City’s 5-1 demolition of Burnley (Haaland Triple Captainers rejoice), Crystal Palace’s dismantling of Liverpool, or Arsenal’s dogged comeback against Newcastle. But none of these events can rival the miracle that was Aston…
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GW 6: Chalking Out the Chips
Amidst all the recent talk surrounding the impact of DEFCON on the game, the other rule changes this season have taken a backseat. As a reminder, managers will be given five free transfers in Gameweek 16 in light of players departing for the Africa Cup of Nations. This means that managers will…
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GW 5: The Villains from Birmingham
Aston Villa are the only team in England's top seven divisions to still be without a goal at this stage in the season. And Jiayang, along with nearly two million FPL managers, has owned Ollie Watkins since Gameweek 1. Villa have given us no signs of hope—so should we keep the faith ahead of three...
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GW 4: Definitely Consider DEFCON Defenders
Wake up, wake up, the first international break of the season is over! First, we refresh our memories of what happened in Gameweek 3, including Liverpool’s tight victory over Arsenal, West Ham’s upset over Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United’s last-gasp win against Burnley (which contributed...
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GW 3: How Soon Is Too Soon?
Let’s face it: it’s not been a particularly bountiful start to the season, and Gameweek 2 was especially unforgiving to Jacob and Jiayang. How can managers in similar positions turn things around? Could it be time to activate an early Wildcard, or do we not have enough information yet to be...
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2025/26 Season Preview: Formulating the First Draft
In the blink of an eye, summer is practically over and we’re less than two weeks away from the start of Gameweek 1! In this first episode of our sixth season, Jacob and Jiayang finally get the gears turning again in order to assemble a first draft together. In the process, we talk through key...
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2024/25 Season Review: Awards, Breakout/Flop XIs, Lessons Learned, and More
Dear listeners, it’s that time of year again—welcome to the final episode of our 2024/25 season, our illustrious Season Review! We recognize that Gameweek 38 in fact happened over three weeks ago and apologize for keeping you waiting until now—but this also means that we’ve had more time to mull...
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GW 35: Captaincy Roulette
All in all, I think it’s safe to say most FPL managers enjoyed quite a successful Free Hit, predominantly thanks to Wolves and Newcastle assets, as well as a certain Ryan Sessegnon. In unprecedented fashion here at the Fortress, we have made the executive decision to cut the Dilemma Deliberations...
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GW 34: 16, 13, … 6?
Excerpted from last gameweek’s episode description: “We certainly hope that Double Gameweek 33, possibly the largest double gameweek of the season, ushers in more shout-outs than whisper-ins next week.” Update: that did not happen. Double Gameweek 33 was underwhelming, to say the least: the only...
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GW 33: SHOUT-OUTS & whisper-ins
KEVIN DE BRUYNE! marco asensio. ANTOINE SEMENYO! chelsea fc. What’s this, you ask? A textual demonstration of our latest innovation, of course: the shout-out and whisper-in mini-segment, which will now be embedded within the Gameweek Review. We certainly hope that Double Gameweek 33, possibly the...
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GW 32: Nordic Hamstring Curls
Last gameweek’s average score, a measly 34 points, was the lowest one we’ve seen all season. Indeed, every single player more expensive than Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.7m) blanked, and the savior of the gameweek was Jacob Murphy (£5.1m). Thankfully, there are exciting times ahead: Newcastle and...
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GW 30: When the Fixtures are Fabulous but the Players are Poverty
In the midst of what has undoubtedly been a prolonged lull in the game, Jacob and Jiayang look ahead to the final stretch of the season. Jacob wildcarded last gameweek, unfortunately to little success. How can FPL managers who still have their second Wildcard (like Jiayang!) take full advantage…
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GW 26: The AssMan is Ass, Man
This may not be the first time you heard this, and it probably won’t be the last: the Assistant Manager chip has to go. Adding a manager adds another dimension to the game, overcomplicating it and distancing it from the beautifully simple yet also endlessly stimulating concept of picking the...
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GW 24: Embracing Uncertainty
Bournemouth have become somewhat of a juggernaut of late, and FPL managers have the tricky task of weighing three fantastic budget midfielders in Semenyo, Kluivert, and Ouattara. Each of them have their own pros and cons, but which one tickles your fancy? After discussing whether transferring...
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GW 23: What Is a Game in Hand, Anyway?
As Liverpool and Everton’s double gameweek gets ever closer, we really drill into the question of who our third Liverpool asset should be—and note the use of the word “asset” instead of “player,” because that asset, other than Díaz, Gakpo, or Konaté, could very well be Arne Slot! As for Everton?...
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100 for 100
Welcome to the 100th episode of the FPL Fortress! Our first episode was released all the way back in March of 2021, back when we were sophomores in high school. Now, we’re sophomores in college, and we thought we’d take this moment to reflect on the past four years of FPL by creating a list of…
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GW 22: Your Very Own Personal Mikel Arteta
In this first episode of 2025, we go back in time ten years—Mikel Arteta is back on the menu! With the brand new Assistant Manager chip, FPL managers can earn points from having Mikel Arteta in their team again—though this time, it’s in a managerial capacity. (Speaking of Premier League managers...
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GW 19: Boxing Day Blanks
In FPL, much like with the study of history, we must analyze the past to better inform our actions in the future. We must never repeat the same mistakes—such as buying Diogo Jota. He was part of a combined Liverpool and Arsenal sextuple-up that netted me a grand total of two returns. How…
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GW 18: A Parched Landscape
As the midway point of the season approaches, both Jacob and Jiayang find themselves in the rather strange position of still having their first Wildcard and yet lacking any desire to use it. We try to discuss the best options position-by-position, but are quickly faced with the slightly…
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GW 13: Pep's Lost His Pep
Title says it all, really. Five losses and a draw after being up 3-0 … there has surely never been a bleaker moment in a Pep team. Maybe Rodri really is just that important, as Jacob explains through an insightful “field tilt” visualization. Our first Dilemma Deliberation is more theoretical...
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GW 12: Three Unanswerable Questions
The Premier League may have taken last weekend off, but here at the Fortress, dilemmas have been brewing—and this is the episode where we bring them to the fore. To start, we revisit the idea of selling Haaland by exploring other permutations that the extra cash can fund. Regular listeners will...
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GW 11: Should We Live In the Future?
Today’s episode centers around a single Tweet from FPL 420 (@420fpl) at 5:45 PM on October 27, 2024: “😂Your GW10 points were mostly decided weeks ago mate.” Despite the seemingly light-hearted, jovial tone evoked by the laughing emoji, the statement struck us as being quite profound. There is...
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GW 10: Hot and Warm vs. Warm and Cold
For the most part, I try to employ a well-balanced mixture of professionalism and wittiness when writing these episode blurbs. But from the bottom of my heart, that was one of the most enjoyable episodes I’ve ever had the pleasure of recording. Regular listeners will know that the Fortress enters...
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GW 9: These Are the Questions
This week, Jiayang had to get a lot off his chest. His transfer in Solanke accumulated a grand total of 0.11 xGI in a four-goal demolition of West Ham, Calvert-Lewin and Eze continued to contend for the coveted title of Biggest Twat in his team, and his captain Haaland decided to do his best...
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GW 7: Money is of the Essence
Today, Donald Trump mentioned UTDTrey in a Tweet—which can only spell disaster for Trump’s campaign, since nobody can escape the Trey jinx. It’s no surprise, then, that the team he reps has steadily been on the decline since he joined Twitter. As Jacob says, United are towing the line between…
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GW 6: Assessing Arsenal’s Assets
Mikel Arteta almost pulled off the low block of the century against Man City, condemning City to feed their onslaught through Rúben Dias—hardly the most creative player in their team. Due to the nature of this low block (and perhaps due in part to his ghosting tendencies), Kai Havertz completed a...
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GW 5: Digging Through the Bargain Bin
The talk of the town is the Gameweek 6 Wildcard. Are Arsenal’s and City’s good fixtures enough to warrant pressing the button? Just how in the mud does your team need to be in order for the Wildcard to be worth it? In this episode, we try to work through these questions and analyze the cheap Isak...
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GW 3: So, Your Team Flopped. Now What?
To borrow a phrase from Noni Madueke: everything about this game is s***. Well, not really—in fact, FPL is a really compelling, well designed game, especially with this year’s pricing—but it can feel pretty awful when the team you spent the entire summer tinkering with, and one that looks quite...
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2024/25 Season Preview: Rule Changes, Player Pricing, and First Drafts
Welcome to our fifth season here at the FPL Fortress! And believe it or not, despite being in the business for so long, it’s our very first season preview. We’re very excited to share our thoughts in a couple of different areas: we’ll start with all the new rule changes, then we’ll talk about...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does FPL Fortress have?
FPL Fortress currently has 136 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is FPL Fortress about?
Two FPL fanatics have a chat about the weekend's action and look ahead to future gameweeks, throwing around banter and exchanging insight.
How often does FPL Fortress release new episodes?
FPL Fortress publishes regularly with 136 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to FPL Fortress?
You can listen to FPL Fortress on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts FPL Fortress?
FPL Fortress is created and hosted by FPL Fortress.
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