Pilot Notes
FPL decisions, before deadline.
Short notes on captaincy, transfers, fixtures, chips, and rank strategy. Built to help you choose, not scroll.
FPL Defensive Contribution Picks 2026/27: The Budget Defenders Who Actually Hit the Threshold
Defenders need 10 combined tackles, blocks, clearances and interceptions for 2 defensive contribution points. These £4.5m-£5.0m defenders hit that mark in more than 40% of their 2025/26 appearances.
Latest
39 posts
Coventry City FPL 2026/27: What Pre-Season Friendlies Say About the Starting XI
Coventry have no Premier League track record, so minutes evidence has to come from friendlies. Here's who actually started across their pre-season games, and which of the £4.0m defenders are worth a squad slot.
9 August 2026 · 5 min
FPL Pre-Season Friendlies 2026/27: The Signals Worth Trusting
Not every pre-season friendly tells you something. Here's who actually earned starting-XI evidence across July and August, and why the same friendly means almost nothing at a settled club.
9 August 2026 · 5 min
FPL Fixture Difficulty 2026/27: The Best and Worst GW1-6 Runs
GW1-6 fixtures for 2026/27 are confirmed. Newcastle, Liverpool, Man Utd and Everton have the kindest opening run, Bournemouth and Fulham the toughest.
1 August 2026 · 4 min
FPL GW1 Captain Picks 2026/27: Haaland, Fernandes and the Case for Szoboszlai
The GW1 2026/27 fixtures are confirmed. Here's how Haaland, B.Fernandes and Szoboszlai actually compare on ceiling, penalty duty and fixture, with the numbers behind each.
1 August 2026 · 4 min
FPL Rules 2026/27: Squad Budget, Transfers, Chips and Scoring, Confirmed
The confirmed 2026/27 FPL ruleset straight from the live game: £100m budget, free transfer banking, chip windows and the defensive contribution rule that still catches managers out.
1 August 2026 · 5 min
FPL Budget Enablers 2026/27: The Cheap Starters That Pay for Haaland
Haaland costs £15.5m this season. These are the £4.5m and £5.0m players who started nearly every game last year and make that price affordable.
24 July 2026 · 4 min
FPL Price Changes 2026/27: The Biggest Risers, Fallers and Reclassifications
FPL has repriced the whole game for 2026/27. The premium tier collapsed from six £10m players to two, and the fallers are where the value went.
24 July 2026 · 4 min
FPL Set-Piece and Penalty Takers 2026/27: All 20 Clubs
Every Premier League club's penalty, corner and direct free-kick taker for 2026/27, with new prices. Find the cheap set-piece specialists before your rivals do.
24 July 2026 · 4 min
FPL Chip Strategy 2026/27: When to Play Wildcard, Bench Boost, Triple Captain and Free Hit
A repeatable framework for timing your FPL chips in 2026/27: what each chip is actually for, the gameweeks they pay off, and the mistakes that waste them. Grounded in how the 2025/26 season played out.
30 June 2026 · 5 min
FPL Gameweek 1 Captain: How to Choose When There Is No Form to Go On
Gameweek 1 has no current-season form, so the captaincy call comes down to ceiling, penalty duty, fixture and ownership. A repeatable framework for picking your first armband, built on the 2025/26 underlying numbers.
30 June 2026 · 5 min
FPL Template Team 2026/27: A Projection-Led £98m GW1 Draft
A live 2026/27 template built from launch prices, early ownership and FPL Pilot's first five gameweek projections, with £2.0m left for preseason changes.
30 June 2026 · 4 min
How Arsenal's Defence Won the FPL Season: The Clean Sheet Machine
Arsenal conceded twenty-six goals across thirty-seven games. Their back four delivered four of the top twenty defenders in FPL. Here's the per-player breakdown, with xG-against, defcon, and the price arc that built the title.
20 May 2026 · 6 min
Arsenal FPL 2026/27 Preview: Which Title-Winning Assets to Own
Arsenal just won the league with the best defensive record in the division. Which of their FPL assets are auto-picks for 2026/27, which are regression risks, and where the value sits at each position.
20 May 2026 · 5 min
Arsenal Won the League: The FPL Story of 2025/26
Arsenal lifted the Premier League with the best defensive record in the division. Here's which Arsenal assets actually paid off in FPL, position by position, with the xG receipts.
20 May 2026 · 4 min
Best FPL Captains 2025/26: The Captaincy Recap
A captaincy retrospective for FPL 2025/26 through GW34. Haaland was the only premium that paid off. Salah and Palmer combined for 216 points across 68 starts. Here is the full ledger.
2 May 2026 · 5 min
FPL 2025/26 Season Review: The Data Behind the Season
A data-driven retrospective of the 2025/26 FPL season through GW34. Top scorers by position, best value picks, and the xG over and underperformers shaping next season's bargain hunt.
2 May 2026 · 5 min
FPL Differentials for the Final Gameweeks: Who to Pick by Ownership Tier
Differentials win you mini-leagues in the run-in. Here are the best low-owned picks from GW35 to GW38, broken down by ownership band and position.
2 May 2026 · 4 min
FPL GW35 Captain Picks: Who to Captain This Gameweek
GW35 captain picks with Salah ruled out for the season. The Haaland case, the Bruno case, and two differentials worth the swing.
2 May 2026 · 3 min
FPL GW36 Captain Picks: City Double, One Armband, No Excuses
City have a double in GW36 and the captaincy choice is straightforward. The only question is whether to triple captain Haaland or Cherki, and what happens to the differentials.
2 May 2026 · 4 min
FPL GW37 Captain Picks: The Penultimate Setup for GW38
GW37 captaincy with the City DGW behind us and one weekend left to set up the GW38 chip play. The case for Bruno, the case for Gibbs-White, and what to avoid.
2 May 2026 · 4 min
FPL GW38 Preview: Captaincy and Chips for the Final Gameweek
Framework for the highest-traffic gameweek of the FPL season. How to make the GW38 captain call, common end-of-season mistakes, and differential logic by mini-league position.
2 May 2026 · 4 min
FPL Injury Update GW35 to GW38: The Run-In
Every major FPL injury heading into the final 4 gameweeks. Sell, hold, or trust calls on Salah, Cunha, Eze, and the rest.
2 May 2026 · 3 min
FPL Price Changes: End-of-Season Risers and Fallers
The price moves that matter in the final 4 gameweeks. Top 5 risers, top 5 fallers, and which to act on before the GW38 cliff.
2 May 2026 · 3 min
FPL Rank Recovery: How to Climb in the Final 4 Gameweeks
A tactical playbook for climbing FPL rank in GW35 to GW38. When to take hits, how to pick differentials by ownership band, and when to stop chasing and lock in.
2 May 2026 · 4 min
FPL Set-Piece and Penalty Takers 2025/26: All 20 Clubs
Every Premier League club's penalty and set-piece taker for 2025/26. Updated for the run-in. Use this to find the cheap pen takers and the corner specialists you are missing.
2 May 2026 · 4 min
FPL Transfers GW35: Buy the City DGW, Sell the Salah Hole
Salah is out for the season and City have a double in GW36. Three buys, three sells, and one hold for the run-in.
2 May 2026 · 3 min
FPL Transfers GW36: After the City Double, Setting Up GW38
Three buys and three sells for GW36 to GW38. The City DGW is the anchor, but your free transfer this week is mostly about GW38 setup.
2 May 2026 · 3 min
When to Use Triple Captain in FPL: Final Gameweeks Guide
How to deploy your Triple Captain across GW35 to GW38. Real EV math from current projections, the DGW36 question, and the GW38 trap that costs managers rank every season.
2 May 2026 · 4 min
FPL Transfer Watchlist: Gameweek 34 Price Movers and Targets
Best FPL transfers for GW34. Joao Pedro, Anderson, and Senesi lead the price risers. Bruno Fernandes tops the projected points chart.
11 April 2026 · 3 min
FPL Gameweek 34 Preview: Captain Picks, Transfers & Chips
Bruno Fernandes leads the captain picks for GW34 with a home fixture against Brentford. Key transfer targets and fixture analysis inside.
11 April 2026 · 3 min
FPL Fixture Difficulty GW31-36: Best and Worst Runs
Which teams have the easiest and hardest fixture runs from GW31-36, and how it affects your transfer strategy.
12 March 2026 · 3 min
FPL Injury Update GW31: Key Doubts and Transfer Advice
Latest FPL injury news for Gameweek 31. Status changes, replacements, and transfer advice.
12 March 2026 · 2 min
FPL Transfer Watchlist GW31: Price Risers and Targets
The players worth buying, selling, and watching ahead of Gameweek 31.
12 March 2026 · 2 min
FPL Gameweek 31 Preview: Captain Picks, Transfers & Chips
Key fixtures, captain options, and transfer targets for Gameweek 31.
12 March 2026 · 2 min
When to Use Bench Boost in FPL 2025/26
The right time to play your Bench Boost chip, what squad to build, and how to maximise expected value.
12 March 2026 · 3 min
Best FPL Transfers for Gameweek 30: Price Movers and Targets
The FPL transfers worth making ahead of GW30. Top targets, players to sell, and fixture-driven price movers, based on 5 March 2026 data.
5 March 2026 · 3 min
FPL GW30 Captain Picks: Who to Captain This Gameweek
The best captain options for FPL Gameweek 30. Fixture analysis, expected points, and differentials, based on 5 March 2026 data.
5 March 2026 · 3 min
When to Use Your FPL Wildcard: Timing, Squad Build, and Expected Value
The optimal timing for your FPL wildcard, what squad to build, and how to avoid wasting your most powerful chip. Evergreen guide for the 2025/26 season.
5 March 2026 · 4 min
What Pilot Notes covers
Four calls, one briefing, every gameweek.
Pilot Notes is the written side of FPL Pilot. We turn the weekly data into a short, decisive read: who to captain, who to sell, when to chip, and how the template is about to shift.
- Captaincy Captain picks, differentials, and the reasoning behind each call.
- Transfers Transfer watchlists, price rises, and fixture-based targets.
- Chips Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain, Bench Boost. When each actually pays.
- Fixtures Real fixture difficulty from xG, not the default 1-to-5 scale.
- Rank Strategy Template decisions, differentials, and climb math.
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