7 mistakes that get players knocked out early

The single biggest killer. No pick means an alphabetical auto-pick, and it doesn't care whether that club is away at the champions. Set an alert an hour before first kickoff and lock something — you can always change it later.

Opening week with your strongest team feels safe and is quietly expensive. You've removed your best asset for a week where three good options existed anyway.

Local rivalries are the least predictable matches on the calendar. Whatever the table says, a derby is a coin flip with extra cards. There is almost always a duller, safer option.

A title contender at a hostile mid-table ground drops points far more often than the badge suggests, especially between European fixtures. Away trips are where good survivor runs end.

Suspensions, keeper injuries and rotation before a cup tie change matches. The form guide and lineup news sit next to every fixture in the app; checking them costs a minute and saves a season.

Differentials only pay when the field is small. With forty players alive, picking against the crowd gains you nothing and risks everything. Save the contrarian pick for the final handful of survivors.

Each pick has a cost beyond the weekend: it removes a club from your future. If you only ever choose the safest team available right now, you'll arrive in March holding nothing but away fixtures at the top six.