In FPL, goalkeepers are often an overlooked part of the team. They can quietly collect points in the background and rarely receive much attention. There’s a lot of value to be found, as you can often discover £4.0m gems. Careful planning can help you rotate keepers so that they play a favorable fixture every week.

Read on to find out how goalkeepers score points in FPL and what a good strategy looks like regarding goalkeepers when planning your FPL team.

How Goalkeepers Can Score Points

Goalkeepers have several ways to score points:

  • Minutes Played: Like all other players, goalkeepers can earn a maximum of 2 points for playing over 60 minutes. It’s extremely rare for a goalkeeper to be subbed off unless injured, so this is almost always guaranteed.
  • Clean Sheets: If a goalkeeper keeps a clean sheet, they will score 4 points.
  • Saves: For every 3 saves a goalkeeper makes, they will get 1 point. What counts as a save can sometimes be a controversial topic. FPL takes their stats from Opta, who define a save as a goalkeeper stopping a shot on target.
  • Bonus Points: Goalkeepers are eligible for a maximum of 3 bonus points as per the bonus points system.
  • Penalty Saves: Goalkeepers score 5 points for saving a penalty.

How Goalkeepers Can Lose Points

Goalkeepers can lose points for the following events:

  • Conceding 2 Goals: -1 point
  • Yellow Card: -1 point
  • Red Card: -3 points
  • Own Goal: -2 points

Goalkeeper Strategy in FPL

There are two main strategies to help you get the most out of your goalkeepers in FPL: 1 premium and 1 budget, or 2 budget.

1 Premium, 1 Budget

For this strategy, you’d choose a goalkeeper from a team you think would keep the most clean sheets, such as Man City, spend £6m on their goalkeeper, and have your bench goalkeeper as the cheapest option, usually £4m.

  • Pros: You don’t need to rotate often because top teams like Man City are usually favorites for every match. This saves you from the frustration of leaving lots of points on the bench.
  • Cons: If the premium goalkeeper you chose gets injured or doesn’t play for any reason, you’re usually forced into a transfer. This is often a more expensive tactic than using 2 budget goalkeepers, as £6m + £4m = £10m.

2 Budget Goalkeepers

Having 2 budget goalkeepers that you rotate is often a favorite strategy. It can save you money and give you a chance to get the most out of each player.

  • Pros: You save money, as 2 budget goalkeepers cost around £9m total (£4.5m each). You are covered if one gets injured, and you can often access more save points. Having a goalkeeper from a team that concedes many shots can be beneficial because FPL awards 1 point for every 3 saves made. Careful planning can help you choose 2 goalkeepers with great fixtures on alternate weeks, maximizing your points.
  • Cons: It requires more planning to ensure you always have a favorable fixture each week.

By choosing 2 goalkeepers who have favorable fixtures on alternate weeks, you can ensure that when one goalkeeper has a tough match, the other has an easier one, thus maximizing your points.