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The old bonus points was a constant source of contention for fantasy owners and while we tolerated the system, I'm not sure anyone ever really understood it. Well, credit to the developers over at pl.com who have added a layer of accountability with the inclusion of EA Sports Index as the new method of awarding points. The system aims to measure a player's all round contribution to the success of his team using six key indices: Winning performance - shares league points won by a team between the players according to the minutes they played. This will obviously favour winning teams, and to a lesser extent home teams who generally enjoy a higher winning percentage. Player's match performance - earn points for positive events (shots, tackles, saves etc) and lose them for negative events (missed shot, yellow card etc). Doesn't really favour anyone as any talented player can have a good game. Slight edge to keepers from weaker sides who may rack up more saves and clea...

I thought it might be useful to do a bit of analysis on how bonus points are awarded with a hope of getting a higher return on these valuable extras available each week. First then, let's look at the facts so far, through 7 weeks of the new season: 92% of bonus points are awarded to players from the winning side, 51% of bonus points are awarded to players who score a goal during the week, The top 5 strikers account for 36% of all points awarded to forwards. The top 5 midfielders account for just 13% of midfield points, 47% of all bonus points awarded to midfielders have been given to players who cost 6m or less. This figure is only 24% for strikers, Goalkeepers account for just 4% of bonus points awarded and Ben Foster is the only 'keeper to score any points (2) from the big four sides, 32% of all defenders' bonus points have been given to a defender that scored that day, The 'big five' teams (including City) account for 38% of all bonus points awarded; including 44...

As the debate between expensive strikers and midfielders rages on, I thought I'd look at how bonuses affect this question. To date, midfielders have earned 105 bonus points where as forwards account for 82 (for the record defenders contribute 76 and keepers 13). The big difference is how these points are distributed with the forward's points going to just 22 players, where as 41 midfielders have gained the approval of the pundits to date. At the top of each bracket, 11 players valued at 8m+ account for 30% of all midfield bonus points but for forwards this is even greater, with 10 8m+ players accounting for 55% of all forward points. This shows how the premium strikers are attracting a greater percentage of the points on offer. Taking the top three premium players at each position shows this in even harsher light: Lampard, Gerrard and Fabregas - 13 bonus points (12% of midfield total) Adebayor, Rooney and Drogba - 27 bonus points (33% of forward total) Looking at the bargains a...