Bonus points are additional fantasy football points awarded to the best-performing players in a match. They are designed to reward outstanding all-round performances and can make a significant difference to your overall gameweek score.

Many fantasy football games use a bonus points system, although the exact rules vary between platforms. In most cases, the three highest-rated players in a match receive extra points once the final statistics have been confirmed.

How Bonus Points Work

Bonus points are awarded after the final whistle based on a player’s overall performance during the match. Goals and assists are important, but they are not the only factors considered. Defensive contributions, passing accuracy, saves and other key statistics may also influence who receives bonus points.

Because the calculations are based on official match data, bonus points are usually confirmed after all statistics have been verified.

Bonus Points in Fantasy Premier League

The official Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game uses the Bonus Points System (BPS), which is based on Opta performance data. Players accumulate BPS throughout a match for positive actions such as scoring goals, creating chances, making saves and keeping clean sheets, while negative actions such as yellow cards, own goals and errors reduce their total.

At the end of each match, the three players with the highest BPS scores receive:

• 3 bonus points – Highest-rated player
• 2 bonus points – Second highest-rated player
• 1 bonus point – Third highest-rated player

If players finish level on BPS, Fantasy Premier League applies tie-break rules to determine how bonus points are shared.

Why Bonus Points Matter

Bonus points can often decide mini-leagues and overall rankings. A player who scores a goal, keeps a clean sheet and earns maximum bonus can finish with a much higher fantasy score than expected.

Managers should therefore consider players who regularly produce strong all-round performances, rather than focusing only on goals and assists.

Bonus Points in Other Fantasy Football Games

Many daily fantasy football games and other fantasy football platforms also award bonus points, although the scoring systems differ from site to site. Before entering a contest, it is always worth checking the game’s scoring rules so you understand exactly how bonus points are awarded.