For Fantasy Premier League enthusiasts, having a good weekend in the realm of FPL can be almost as important as their teams getting the results they need in the real world.
Only in FPL can you get joy out of a rival bagging a hat-trick, squeezing in a last-minute assist or even simply staying on the bench to activate an FPL substitute.
Part of the bizarre world of fantasy football is bonus points. But how do they work, and who are the masters of picking them up week in, week out? In this article, we've broken down how it is calculated and who the best performers are this term, as well as shared the greatest bonus-point hauls in FPL history.
All data correct as of 5th March 2024.
How the FPL Bonus Points System works
For every Premier League game, the top three players are handed bonus points related to their individual performance. Based on stats from Opta, players can receive up to 3 bonus points on top of their FPL score.
A separate points system is used to rank players for each match, with the top performer earning 3 points, the second-best player getting 2 and the third-best receiving 1. In the event of a tie, multiple players can earn a singular point.
To calculate these points, players are awarded for a variety of performance-related metrics through the Bonus Points System (BPS), including more standard things like scoring goals and keeping clean sheets, as well as more in-depth elements such as having a high pass completion rate and creating big chances.
Players can also lose points for match actions under the BPS like conceding penalties, making errors that lead to goals and being caught offside. Of course, some actions are more valuable (and detrimental) than others, as the table below shows:
Action
Points
Forward scoring a goal
24
Midfielder scoring a goal
18
Saving a penalty
15
Goalkeeper/defender scoring a goal
12
Goalkeeper/defender keeping a clean sheet
12
Assists
9
Playing over 60 minutes
6
90%+ pass completion (min. 30 pass attempts)
6
80-89% pass completion (min. 30 pass attempts)
4
Playing 1-60 minutes
3
Creating a big chance
3
Scoring the goal that wins a match
3
Save
2
Net successful tackles
2
70-79% pass completion (min. 30 pass attempts)
2
Successful open-play cross
1
Every two clearances, blocks and interceptions
1
Every three recoveries
1
Key pass
1
Successful dribble
1
Error which leads to an attempt at goal
-1
Being tackled
-1
Conceding a foul
-1
Being caught offside
-1
Shot off target
-1
Conceding a penalty
-3
Yellow card
-3
Missing a big chance
-3
Error which leads to a goal
-3
Missing a penalty
-6
Own goal
-6
Red card
-9
Players with the most bonus points in FPL this season (2023/24) Pascal Gross (Brighton & Hove Albion) – 26
Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross has been in exceptional form recently, with the German securing at least 2 bonus points in four of the last five GWs until the Seagulls' recent defeat at Fulham. Nevertheless, his haul leaves him as the league's current bonus points king.
Scoring once and assisting four in that time, he is comfortably Brighton's best performer (at least in FPL terms) at present, having over twice as many BPs as closest challenger Joao Pedro (11).
Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) – 25
Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has collected bonus points galore this term, helped no end by his goalscoring exploits from the middle of the park (and the penalty spot).
Indeed, 25 of his 130 FPL points this season have been bonus ones, picking up 7 in the month of February alone. It almost beggars belief that someone priced at just 5.6 is owned by just 11% of players, particularly when you consider Villa's form in 2023/24.
He holds on to second spot despite drawing a blank in terms of bonuses last weekend, when a teammate of his certainly stole the show…
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 24
Ollie Watkins continued his superb form this season with another double at Luton Town as Aston Villa snatched a late victory. Grabbing the three-pointer following his latest brace, he overtook Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka's bonus points totals. He also stretched his lead as the leading FPL scorer with a total of 183, seven clear of the Arsenal ace. Those bonus points are certainly making a difference.
Players with the most points under the Bonus Points System this season Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 621
Now the leading overall points scorer in FPL this season, there's little surprise over Ollie Watkins raking in the bonus points. Lagging just behind the league's best in that regard with 21, he is certainly doing his best to put himself in the conversation.
Of course, goals massively help the Aston Villa striker's cause, and racking up even more before the season's end will surely see a rise in bonus points as Unai Emery's side chase a Champions League place.
Phil Foden (Man City) – 615
He's certainly the man of the moment, and Phil Foden's exceptional form has not gone unnoticed in the bonus points system. He's now taken the maximum of 3 for a second gameweek running, and that's been helped by picking up plenty of points under the BPS. He scored 54 last weekend – a value he has only topped once this season after his hat-trick against Brentford when he posted a pretty insane 73.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 610
Saka is proving to be more than just Arsenal's main man this year. The 22-year-old has amassed BPS points galore this season, though he has dropped from top spot despite recording two assists in the 6-0 rout of Sheffield United on Monday night.
Indeed, the winger was taken off at half-time as a precaution, with Mikel Arteta claiming he was feeling unwell, and he ended the night with just 23 BPS points. That he only managed 28 the week before when scoring against Newcastle shows what could have been as the Gunners ran riot at Bramall Lane.
Players with the most bonus points in FPL history
According to fantasy football blog ALLABOUTFPL, the most bonus points a player has received in a single season is Cesc Fabregas, who grabbed 54 for Arsenal in the 2006/07 season, although they were calculated in a different way to today's system.
Since FPL's creation in 2002/03, only 11 players have notched as many as 40 bonus points in one campaign. That includes, unsurprisingly, Manchester City's Erling Haaland, and former Spurs supremo Gareth Bale.
Robin van Persie and Harry Kane have the almost-unique distinction of having reached that tally twice, while Eden Hazard is the only other title winner (along with Fabregas, Haaland and Van Persie) to hit 40 BPs.
Season
Player
Club
Points
2006/07
Cesc Fabregas
Arsenal
54
2012/13
Gareth Bale
Spurs
50
2012/13
Robin van Persie
Man Utd
49
2022/23
Harry Kane
Spurs
48
2011/12
Robin van Persie
Arsenal
45
2014/15
Eden Hazard
Chelsea
42
2010/11
Charlie Adam
Blackpool
41
2013/14
Luis Suarez
Liverpool
40
2022/23
Erling Haaland
Man City
40
2019/20
Danny Ings
Southampton
40
2020/21
Harry Kane
Spurs
40
Given we are now entering the business end of the season, it seems unlikely anyone will trouble those numbers this year.