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Football is the low-scoring cousin of cricket. A T20 produces three hundred runs and a dozen wickets to share around; a football match produces two or three goals. Fantasy points therefore gather on very few players, and one deflected shot can decide a contest. A good football team accepts that and concentrates on the few things that can be forecast.
How a football contest works
The outline is the same as in cricket. You choose a match, pick players from the two clubs within the position limits on the team screen, choose a captain and vice-captain, then enter a contest ahead of its lock time. Drem has a Football tab beside Cricket in its fantasy section. When we looked on 13 October 2026 the fixture list was built around the UEFA Champions League; it follows the football calendar, so expect it to change.
European evening kick-offs fall late at night or after midnight in India. Line-ups are usually published about an hour before kick-off, so decide in advance whether you will stay up to check them or pick only players whose place is not in doubt.
Where points usually come from
| Position | Usual sources of points | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Clean sheets, saves | The side least likely to concede, or an underdog’s keeper who will face many shots |
| Defender | Clean sheets, the odd goal or assist | Full-backs who attack; centre-backs who go up for corners |
| Midfielder | Goals, assists | Penalty and free-kick takers; the player the attacks run through |
| Forward | Goals | The first-choice striker who stays on for ninety minutes |
That is how fantasy football is commonly scored. Drem’s own values sit on its Points System page, visible after login, and it is worth reading once to see how a clean sheet is weighed against a goal.
Five principles
- Minutes come first. A regular who plays ninety minutes beats a better player who is taken off after sixty or starts on the bench. In weeks with two matches, managers rotate.
- Follow the set pieces. Penalties are converted roughly three times in four, which makes the designated taker the most reliable source of a goal on the pitch. Corner and free-kick takers collect the assists.
- Pick defences by opponent. A clean sheet depends as much on who the defence is facing as on how good it is.
- Do not bet against yourself. A striker and the goalkeeper he is shooting at cannot both have a good night. If you take one side’s attackers, take your defenders from that side too, never from the side they are attacking.
- Captain the likeliest scorer, not the best footballer. A penalty-taking forward at home to a weak defence is the standard choice.
A worked example
Team A are strong favourites at home. Team B will defend deep and try to counter.
- Goalkeeper: Team A’s, for the clean sheet.
- Defenders: A’s attacking full-back and the centre-back who goes up for corners, plus one Team B defender who always plays the full match.
- Midfielders: A’s penalty taker and main creator, and B’s free-kick taker, because B’s best chance of a goal is a set piece.
- Forwards: A’s striker, and B’s lone forward only if the limits require another.
- Captain: A’s penalty taker. Vice-captain: A’s striker.
In a large contest that captain will be in a great many teams. The alternative with a real chance of paying off is B’s lone forward, on the reasoning that if the upset happens he is the one who scores it. The logic is the same as in cricket and is set out in small contests and mega contests.
Football against cricket
| Cricket | Football | |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring events in a match | Hundreds | A handful |
| Players who usually score points | Most of the eleven | A few |
| Effect of one moment | Small | Can decide the contest |
| Knowledge that helps | Batting order, pitch, overs bowled | Starting elevens, set-piece takers, the opponent |
Because single moments matter more, football results swing harder from match to match. Keep entries smaller than you would for cricket and judge your picks over a month, not a night. If you are new to fantasy altogether, fantasy cricket is the gentler place to learn the habits.
Before kick-off
- Starting elevens checked, or only secure starters picked.
- Penalty taker identified for both sides.
- Attack and defence not pulling against each other.
- Entry inside the limit on your bankroll card.
