The big teams are the comfort blanket of FPG — back City or Liverpool at home and you'll usually score. But you only get to pick each team twice all season, and that makes your second go at a big-six side a decision worth thinking about. Use it well and it's insurance. Use it lazily and you've burned your safest card for nothing.

FPG is simple: pick one Premier League team each round. If they win, you score points.

The rule behind the decision

In FPG you can pick each Premier League team a maximum of twice a season. So every big-six team — the title-chasers and Champions League regulars — gives you exactly two bites. Once both are gone, they're off your board for good, however well they're playing.

Your first pick of a big team is easy to justify. The second is where the thinking happens.

Why the second pick is precious

Here's the catch with big teams: everyone backs them. When City win and half your league picked them too, you all score the same — you've not gained a single place. Big-six picks are rarely lonely picks (the +1 bonus for being the only backer when they win), because someone else almost always has them too.

So a big-six pick isn't really a way to get ahead — it's a way to not fall behind. It's insurance. And you've only got two policies per team, so you don't want to cash the second one in on a quiet, low-stakes week.

When to spend it

  • On a fixture you'd bet your house on. The second pick should go on a big team's kindest game — top side, at home, against a struggler. Don't waste it on a tricky away trip.
  • When you can't afford a blank. Protecting a lead late in a mini-league, or steadying yourself after a couple of bad rounds, is exactly what insurance is for.
  • On a Double Points round. If the round doubles, a safe +2 becomes +4 — a great time to lean on a team you trust.
  • When the goals could pile up. Ties are broken by cumulative goal difference, so a second big-six pick in a likely thrashing quietly banks GD for the tiebreak.

And when not to: if you're chasing the leaders and need to gain ground, a popular big-six pick won't do it — that's differential territory, where the lonely bonus lives.

Worked example (hypothetical): You used your first Arsenal pick back in September. It's March, you're second in your mini-league by two points, and Arsenal are home to a relegation-threatened side on a Double Points round. This is the moment: you spend your second Arsenal pick, they win comfortably, and your +2 doubles to +4 — enough to protect (or grab) top spot. Saved for the right week, that second pick did real work.

FAQ

How many times can I pick a big team in FPG? Like every team, a maximum of twice per season. Once both picks are used, they're locked out for good.

Are big-six teams good FPG picks? They're reliable but rarely differentials — everyone backs them, so you seldom get the lonely bonus. Treat them as insurance, not as a way to climb.

When should I use my second big-six pick? On their easiest fixture, ideally a Double Points round, or when you need to protect your position.

Got a big team in the bank? Open FPG, check their run of fixtures, and save that second pick for the week it matters.