If you have read any of my previous articles in the past few years, then you have seen VAPM now and then. It’s a key metric used when making decisions and player selections in FPL. VAPM is something I found on Reddit three years ago, used it the last few years sparingly, but have delved deep this year, using it exclusively to set up my starting XI and see how players I own are progressing after each game. It’s not much different than FPL managers using any number of metrics available to help narrow down player selections in an attempt to field the best players, giving them the best opportunity to score points.
The last few years there was a site that updated after each game week that tracked players in the Premier League, based on key factors; price, points and games played. While that database is now defunct and I don’t know the first thing about programming, I’ve spent a big of time creating my own Excel charts that tracks the most effective players based on VAPM through the first four game weeks.
WHAT IS VAPM?
VAPM is “value added per million” or the points per million after you subtract the 2-point value for appearance. You can read Think Different: An FPL Tale Part 2 for background information on this key metric ahead of this season. The Reddit thread is archived, but the information and example is still relevant. I won’t go into the all details, as I’ve done that in the past. The key number I look for in a player is one that scores 0.35 VAPM. This number is based on the total points I expect to score (2300) by the end of the season. The season is still young and some of the numbers are quite inflated. For example, Jorginho has a 1.37 VAPM. Compare him to Sadio Mane at 0.53 VAPM. Both players have similar minutes and points, but are separated by £6.8, a determining factor when it comes to calculating VAPM.
CURRENT EXAMPLES
If we look back at last season, using 2000 minutes as the minimum number of minutes a player needed to make this VAPM list, Kevin De Bruyne finished the season with a 0.49 VAPM. He scored 251 points in 2791 minutes and was priced at £11.5. Defensively, Trent Alexander-Arnold finished at 0.46 VAPM scoring 210 points in 3175 minutes, priced at £7.5. VAPM between 0.49 and 0.35 represent the best players for that season based on key factors of price, points and games played.
Creating my own table at Fantasy Football Scout, I was able to get the basic categories needed to easily calculate some of the most commonly used metrics when measuring players. While I focus on VAPM, the table does include points scored per 90 minutes (PP90), points scored per match (PPM), points scored per match per £1M and value added per million (VAPM). I’ve also included current price, club, games played, points and minutes played.
How you use this table is up to you. It will be updated at the conclusion of each game week and posted. Since player prices are constantly changing, there might be a short delay in providing the most accurate figures. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
NOTES
Players highlighted bold indicate at or above 0.35 through GW4.
Player default sorted by VAPM.
Players must have played a minimum of 180 minutes.
Players must have scored a minimum of 4 points.
$$$ – Current player price (as of 7 October 2020)
VAPM – Value Added Per Million
PPMM – Points Per Match Per £1M
PPM – Points Per Match
PP90 – Points Per 90 Minutes