Assist

The straightforward case is the last pass before a goal, and a deflection along the way does not take it off you. Beyond that, FPL awards an assist to a player who wins a penalty or a free kick that someone else scores, and to a player whose shot is saved or comes back off the woodwork before a team mate converts the rebound. A touch that forces an own goal is credited as an assist too.

There is one trap worth knowing. If a player wins a penalty and then scores it himself, he is credited with the goal and no assist, because you cannot assist yourself.

Three points is the same reward in every position, so a defender who takes corners or a cheap midfielder on free kicks can return far more than his price suggests. Set piece duty and a habit of drawing fouls in the box are worth as much to an FPL score as they are invisible in a highlights package.

It also means expected assists built from open play understate the FPL value of a set piece taker or a regular penalty winner, because part of what they deliver is counted only under FPL rules. Assists feed the bonus points system as well, so the player who creates a goal is often in the running for bonus alongside the scorer.