FPL Bonus Points – How its Scored & How to Use it to Your Advantage

With DefCon proving the latest rage, it is easy to forget that FPL have updated their Bonus Points System going into the 2025/26 season. This overshadowing can sometimes result in bonus points not being factored into decision making, but in a game of very fine margins, understanding every possible scoring avenue can often prove the difference between winning and losing. As a result, understanding which players and situations can lead to bonus points can give managers a slight edge. Which makes keeping up with our Predicted Line-ups Hub even more important.

We collated everything we know about the bonus points system and speculated the rest using what we do know with a bit of help from AI.

Bonus Point Metrics

Rank	Metric	BPS Points	Status
1	Non‑penalty goal (Forward)	+24	Speculated
2	Non‑penalty goal (Midfielder)	+18	Speculated
3	Penalty goal (any position)	+12	✅ Confirmed
4	Non‑penalty goal (Defender)	+12	Speculated
5	Clean sheet (GK/Defender)	+12	Speculated
6	Goalline clearance	+9	✅ Confirmed
7	Assist	+9	Speculated
8	Penalty save	+8	✅ Confirmed
9	Playing over 60 minutes	+6	Speculated
10	Pass completion ≥90%	+6	Speculated
11	Save from inside the box (GK)	+3	✅ Confirmed
12	Match‑winning goal	+3	Speculated
13	Big chance created	+3	Speculated
14	Playing 1–60 minutes	+3	Speculated
15	Save from outside the box (GK)	+2	✅ Confirmed
16	Successful tackle	+2	✅ Confirmed
17	Shot on target	+2	Speculated
18	Pass completion 80–89%	+4	Speculated
19	Pass completion 70–79% (≥30 passes)	+2	Speculated
20	Key pass	+1	Speculated
21	Successful dribble	+1	Speculated
22	Successful open play cross	+1	Speculated
23	Foul won	+1	Speculated
24	Clearances/Blocks/Interceptions (CBI) – every 2	+1	Speculated
25	Recoveries – every 3	+1	Speculated
26	Error leading to an attempt	–1	Speculated
27	Being dispossessed / tackled	–1	Speculated
28	Foul conceded	–1	Speculated
29	Offside	–1	Speculated
30	Shot off target	–1	Speculated
31	Conceding a penalty	–3	Speculated
32	Yellow card	–3	Speculated
33	Big chance missed	–3	Speculated
34	Error leading to a goal	–3	Speculated
35	Goal conceded (GK/Defender)	–4	Speculated
36	Penalty missed	–6	Speculated
37	Own goal	–6	Speculated
38	Red card	–9	Speculated

 

Why BPS distribution is Key

 

Now it should come as no surprise that the bonus point system will often follow the total points scored, given that things like goals, assists and clean sheets carry significant weight in the BPS. Where things do get interesting however, is in the margins. A great example of this comes in the form of a player like Enzo Fernandez. Enzo currently sits 3rd highest in the league as far as total BPS points go. 4 more than FPL’s highest scoring midfielder Antoine Semenyo. Despite this, Semenyo has 6 times as many fpl bonus points as Enzo, with his 6 to Enzo’s 1.

 

 

This is particularly significant when predicting the outcome of Bonus Points. The reason for this is that Enzo’s BPS points are all spread fairly evenly between his 4 matches, whereas the vast majority of Semenyo’s points came from Gameweeks 1 & 4 where they both spiked at 42 and 39 respectively. This meant that Semenyo was able to secure all 3 bonus points in both of those games. Where Enzo was only able to secure 1 in game week 3 while missing out in the others.

So if you are a manager who does like to factor in bonus points to team construction, this new system may be one where you want to check the BPS distribution. A high total BPS does not necessarily equal more Bonus points, particularly if they are spread too thin between games. Bonus points may therefore be the one occasion where you would rather a players BPS scoring came in peaks and troughs as opposed to a more consistent average level.

 

High Powered Teammates Impact

Another key factor which can often have a negative effect on a players Bonus Point prospects, is playing on teams with other consistently high output players. Enzo suffers from playing alongside Bonus Point beasts like Caicedo and Joao Pedro, which can often raise the threshold required for BP to levels far above average.

A great example of this comes in the form of Leeds defender Gabriel Gudmundsson, who is the highest bonus point scoring defender in FPL at the time of writing, despite not registering a single attacking return. These both came in clean sheet games where defenders will naturally find themselves higher up the BPS rankings. But what’s even more significant is that he was able to secure all 3 bonus points in both games with only 34 and 35 BPS respectively. For context, Enzo scored 32 BPS in GW2 and came home with 0 bonus points to show for it.

As a result, it is clear that teams with not many superstars or consistent points magnets will have much more opportunity for FPL Bonus Point scoring to be achieved by their cheaper options like a Gudmundsson. Adding an extra layer of value onto the more budget options within average to bad teams. As they have less chance of being consistently ‘Out-shined’.

 

 

Conclusion

Bonus points are and will always be one of FPL’s biggest enigmas, but there will often be plenty of opportunity, particularly in less star-powered games and teams.

It’s a lot easier to stand out on a worse team than a good one. This is why talismanic players on bad teams hold so much extra weight, like Cunha last season. Who regularly pulled in an extra 3 points a game. So make sure you keep your eyes peeled for this years Cunha, and move quickly once they do arise to mop up all those bonus points. But in the meantime feel free to enjoy a decent chance that your average options on bad teams all have a way better shot at bonus points than average options on good teams.

 

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