Back
Here at TMPW the end of summer can mean only one thing: the Premier League, and therefore Fantasy Premier League (FPL), is back. The business greets this with mixed emotions – some cheer, some groan and some, perhaps the majority, simply don’t care.
But this season, the big question is all about the Fantasy Premier League algorithm vs human instinct.
For those of us excited by the new season, there’s the ⚽ TMP – PeopleScout league ⚽.
Fantasy Premier League as a Workplace Benefit
The FPL is a social activity and provides a bit of fun for those taking part. But there are more benefits to having FPL at work.
It encourages cross-function relationships by boosting interaction across departments. It provides healthy competition, which has been linked to employee engagement and motivation. Surveys show colleagues who play FPL together feel more connected and report higher levels of teamwork and trust.
It’s just one piece of the puzzle that makes up the culture here at TMPW.
Human Instinct vs Algorithm Logic
This year, AI ranking apps have taken centre stage – sparking the debate of Fantasy Premier League algorithm vs human instinct when it comes to transfers and captain picks. They will find your team, rank it and suggest transfers.
However, with the unpredictability of football – whether it’s in red cards, injuries, surprise hat-tricks or Pep’s rotation roulette (not to mention the last-minute Liverpool-Isak signing) – can AI really make better suggestions than raw, gut instinct (and hours watching MOTD and YouTube FPL videos)?
With that in mind, I had to see how our teams are currently ranking compared to the algorithm.
N.B. At the time of writing, we were only at GW4, so there’s still everything to play for. Rankings are based on current squads. The table below pulls out points from GW4 (at the time of AI ranking) as well as the current table placement. It shows who our biggest over-achievers or under-performers are – or where AI got it right.
FPL Rankings: Algorithm vs Human Performance
| Team name | AI rank | FPL rank | GW4 | AI vs performance from the week* | AI vs performance overall* |
| Rice and Peas | 77/100 | 1st | 56 | 📉 Underperformer | 🚀 Overachiever |
| McGinn and Tonic | 78/100 | 2nd | 64’s been quit | 📉 Underperformer | 🚀 Overachiever |
| Mum’s the word | 77/100 | 3rd | 63 | 📉 Underperformer | 🚀 Overachiever |
| Life of Bryan | 88/100 | 4th | 86 | ✅ Spot On | ✅ Spot On |
| Recruit & Score | 88/100 | 5th | 82 | ✅ Spot On | ✅ Spot On |
| OM (can’t pull) | No data | 6th | 59 | ❌ No data | ❌ No data |
| 50 shades of Guehi | 66/100 | 7th | 72 | 🚀 Overachiever | 🚀 Overachiever |
| ChampagneStrubernova | 90/100 | 8th | 52 | 📉 Underperformer | 📉 Underperformer |
| Rutter woke nonsense | 74/100 | 9th | 70 | ✅ Spot On | ✅ Spot On |
| Greggers | 66/100 | 10th | 59 | ✅ Spot On | ✅ Spot On |
| Charli’s Angels | 81/100 | 11th | 70 | ✅ Spot On | 📉 Underperformer |
| Guvnors Choice 11 | 60/100 | 12th | 59 | ✅ Spot On | ✅ Spot On |
| Wright Said Fred | 85/100 | 13th | 70 | ✅ Spot On | 📉 Underperformer |
| dizzy from spinning | 71/100 | 14th | 55 | 📉 Underperformer | 📉 Underperformer |
| Destiny UdogiesChild | 66/100 | 15th | 52 | 📉 Underperformer | 📉 Underperformer |
| oopsie daisies | 63/100 | 16th | 43 | 📉 Underperformer | 📉 Underperformer |
| Harry’s Heroes | 66/100 | 17th | 51 | 📉 Underperformer | 📉 Underperformer |
| Claret Sam | 64/100 | 18th | 57 | ✅ Spot On | 📉 Underperformer |
| CHOSH ROVERS | 80/100 | 19th | 50 | 📉 Underperformer | 📉 Underperformer |
| Nitish United FC | 63/100 | 20th | 42 | 📉 Underperformer | 📉 Underperformer |
| Sachens | 57/100 | 21st | 46 | ✅ Spot On | ✅ Spot On |
* in my opinion
Who Has the Upper Hand?
So, what did we learn from testing Fantasy Premier League algorithm vs human instinct? The algorithm may crunch numbers with precision, but FPL should be played on more than data alone.
Injuries, surprise scorers and gut-instinct captain choices (big up Ekitike as my captain for the first two games, before turning my sights on Pedro) can turn predictions on their head.
Relying too heavily on the algorithm can result in underperformance, as AI may put more weight on fixture difficulty or long-term value. Human emotion, on the other hand, might lead to kneejerk reactions and bandwagon transfers.
Combining data with gut instinct seems to be the winning combo.
And in the Workplace?
What lesson can we take from this into the recruitment and employer branding space?
Data might get some calls spot on, but the fun comes from the unexpected overachievers – in this case, the managers who defied AI with bold punts and a bit of luck.
We’ll keep checking back and working with our AI tools but, for now, it’s humans who remind us that sometimes heart, pushing boundaries and a wild triple captain pick can beat cold hard logic in both football and work – proving once again that Fantasy Premier League algorithm vs human instinct isn’t an easy win for the machines.
