FPL 2026/27 Is Live. Draft Fantasy Is Too.
FPL 2026/27 is live. Player prices are out, first squads are being rebuilt and mini-league arguments have already started.
But if your group wants more than another season of similar squads and fixed rules, Draft Fantasy for the Premier League is live too.
FPL has also confirmed defensive contribution points for the new season and announced an official price prediction feature. Our guides explain the 2026/27 FPL defensive contribution rules and when the FPL Price Change Predictor becomes visible.
Draft Fantasy is a separate fantasy football game built for leagues of friends. Every Premier League player can belong to only one manager in your league. You can run a snake draft or a live auction, customise how your competition works and spend the season trading, bidding and fighting over waivers.
Your squad is actually yours.
Why play Draft Fantasy for the 2026/27 Premier League season?
In standard FPL, every manager starts with the same budget and can select the same players. That makes the game accessible, but it also creates template teams. Your captain, premium picks and budget players can look very similar to everyone else's.
Draft Fantasy changes the central rule: a player can only be owned by one manager in each league.
If you sign Erling Haaland, nobody else in your league can have him. If another manager gets your first-choice midfielder, you need a new plan. A breakout player on the waiver wire becomes an opportunity for one team, not an automatic transfer for the whole league.
That unique ownership makes the draft matter, gives trades real value and keeps the group chat active throughout the season.
| Standard FPL | Draft Fantasy |
|---|---|
| Managers can own the same players | Every squad is unique |
| Fixed squad-building format | Snake or auction draft |
| Fixed scoring rules | Custom scoring |
| Standard transfer system | Trades, free agents and multiple waiver formats |
| The game decides the rules | Your league decides the rules |
Auction draft: every manager has a chance to sign every player
The official Premier League fantasy draft uses a pick order and snake draft. It does not offer an auction draft. Draft Fantasy does.
In an auction league, every manager starts with the same budget. Players are nominated one at a time, managers bid live and the highest bidder signs the player.
There is no advantage from being randomly given the first pick. Every manager can bid for every player—as long as they are willing to pay the price.
Do you spend heavily to secure the best striker in the league? Build a balanced squad instead? Push up the price of a rival's favourite player and risk being left with him yourself? An auction turns squad building into the main event.
Draft Fantasy also supports sealed maximum bids when a manager cannot be online for the whole auction. Set the most you are willing to pay and the game can keep bidding for you without revealing your limit to the rest of the league.
Create a Premier League auction league.
Prefer a snake draft? You can do that too
Snake drafts are simple and fast. Managers take turns selecting players, with the order reversing after every round.
If you pick last in round one, you pick first in round two. Continue until every squad is complete.
It is an easy format for a group trying Draft Fantasy for the first time, while still giving every manager a completely unique team.
Customise the league your group wants
Draft format is only the start. Draft Fantasy gives the league creator control over the rules instead of forcing every group into the same setup.
You can customise:
- Scoring: decide how much goals, assists, clean sheets, saves, cards, passes, tackles, chances created, defensive contributions, Bonus Points System scores and other actions are worth.
- Waivers: choose weekly reset, rolling waivers, FAAB bidding or no waivers.
- Competition format: play head-to-head fixtures or rank teams by total points, set a draw threshold and add end-of-season playoffs.
- Squads and formations: set lineup and bench sizes, minimum and maximum players per position, auto-subs and the maximum number of players from one club.
- Draft controls: choose the draft timer, schedule the start, set the number of managers and create a private or public league.
- Trades: enable or disable trades and let managers negotiate deals throughout the season.
Want to follow familiar FPL scoring? You can. Want to reward defensive work more heavily, remove bonus points or create a scoring system unique to your group? You can do that too.
That flexibility has history: Draft Fantasy's Kanté Rule rewarded tackles, interceptions and recoveries in 2017, eight years before official FPL added defensive contribution points.
The result is a Premier League fantasy game that feels like your league, not everybody else's.
A full season, not just one good draft night
The draft gives every manager a starting squad. It does not decide the season.
New signings enter the player pool. Injuries create difficult decisions. Unexpected starters become valuable free agents. Managers can make trades, submit waiver claims and rebuild weak areas of their squads.
With FAAB waivers, every manager receives a budget for bidding on available players. Spend aggressively on an early breakout or save your money for the January transfer window. Other waiver formats are available if your group prefers a priority order or instant free-agent pickups.
Every important player has a market because every important player has only one owner.
How to start your 2026/27 Draft Fantasy league
- Create your Premier League league.
- Choose an auction or snake draft.
- Set your scoring, waiver and league rules.
- Invite your friends.
- Schedule the draft and build your squads.
FPL is live. Your group chat is active. Now create a league where signing a player actually means something.
Draft Fantasy FAQs
Is Draft Fantasy the same as FPL Draft?
No. Draft Fantasy is an independent fantasy football game. It is not FPL Draft and is not operated by the Premier League.
Draft Fantasy offers its own live draft room, auction and snake drafts, custom scoring, multiple waiver formats, trades and other league settings.
Can we play an auction draft for the Premier League?
Yes. Draft Fantasy supports live Premier League auction drafts. Every manager starts with the same budget and bids for players as they are nominated.
Can we customise fantasy football scoring?
Yes. A Draft Fantasy league can use familiar scoring or customise the value of goals, assists, clean sheets, defensive contributions, saves, cards, BPS and more.
Can two managers own the same player?
No. Every Premier League player can belong to only one team in each Draft Fantasy league.
Does Draft Fantasy support waivers and trades?
Yes. Managers can trade players and leagues can choose weekly reset waivers, rolling waivers, FAAB bidding or no waivers.
Ready to draft? Create your 2026/27 Premier League Draft Fantasy league.