How rank moves

Your overall rank compares your total with every other manager. If a popular player scores 12 and you own him, you gain 12 points but barely move: most people got them too. If a player almost nobody owns scores 12 and you have him, you climb fast.

Ownership

• Ownership is the share of managers who have a player in their squad.
• Effective ownership (EO) also counts who starts him and who captains him. A player owned by 60% and captained by half of them has an EO well above 60%.

If your stake in a player is higher than his EO (you captain him, most don’t), his points move you up. If it’s lower (you don’t own him, most do), his points move you down.

Template and differentials

• Template: the players most managers own. Owning them keeps you level when they score.
• Differential: a player few others own. He can lift you a long way, or quietly cost you if the popular choice scores instead.

Most good squads are mostly template with two or three differentials. Pick differentials because you think they’ll score, not just because nobody else has them.

Mini-league strategy

In a mini-league, only your rivals’ squads matter, not the whole game’s.

• Leading? Cover your rivals’ big players, especially their captain. You win by not losing ground.
• Chasing? Own players your rivals don’t, and take the odd calculated risk on the captain.
• Watch their chips. A rival who still has a Bench Boost or Triple Captain left can make up a lot in one week.

Across the season

Early on, don’t worry about rank: there are months to go, and good decisions add up. Risk matters most near the end, when you know how far behind you are and how many weeks are left.

On Pitchline: Leagues shows your friends’ public teams side by side, and Ownership shows the most and least owned players and this week’s transfers.