Sideline Quant
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Accuracy record · 2026-27 · settled

Gameweek 7

In GW7 the model missed by 2.33 points a player across the 199 likely starters it scored, and the real team scored 86.

There’s one of these for every settled GW, good or bad, and I don’t touch them once they’re up. The misses are at the top, and everything they’re worked out from is further down.

Where Gameweek 7 went wrong

  • 14 points sat on the bench and did not count (no Bench Boost).

What went right

  • Better than usual this week - the model was out by 2.33 points a player, against 2.43 across the season so far.
  • The model was closer than last season's points per game on points per player: 2.47 to 2.61 on the 148 players both scored.
  • The model was closer than last season's points per game on the big misses: 3.16 to 3.36 on the 148 players both scored.
  • The model ordered the players better than last season's points per game: 0.23 to 0.02 on the 148 players both scored.
  • The model was better than last season's points per game at spotting 6+ hauls: 70% to 52% on the 148 players both scored.
  • The model was better than last season's points per game at spotting 10+ hauls: 75% to 55% on the 148 players both scored.
  • The model ordered the players better than top-10k effective ownership: 0.30 to 0.11 on the 199 players both scored.
  • The model was better than top-10k effective ownership at spotting 6+ hauls: 72% to 52% on the 199 players both scored.
  • The model was better than top-10k effective ownership at spotting 10+ hauls: 79% to 53% on the 199 players both scored.
  • The model ordered the players better than fpl's own projection (ep_next): 0.30 to 0.00 on the 199 players both scored.
  • The model was better than fpl's own projection (ep_next) at spotting 6+ hauls: 72% to 47% on the 199 players both scored.
  • The model was better than fpl's own projection (ep_next) at spotting 10+ hauls: 79% to 70% on the 199 players both scored.
  • The team scored 86, 30 above the average manager's 56.

Not available this week

  • Only 43 players scored 6+ this week, too few to claim a result on the 6+ figure.
  • Only 10 players scored 10+ this week, too few to claim a result on the 10+ figure.

League-wide accuracy

Scored over predicted E[minutes] > 60 (n=199 of 667 player-fixtures). Every figure below is this gameweek only; the season-to-date line beside each one is the pooled figure across all settled gameweeks.

MAE
2.33
season to date 2.43 · mean absolute error, points per player-fixture
RMSE
2.99
season to date 3.20 · punishes big misses harder
Rank corr.
0.30 (0.16–0.43)
Spearman: 1.00 means it ordered the players how the week turned out, 0 means no relationship. The bracket is a 95% row-bootstrap interval and if anything it's too narrow.
Rows
199
player-fixtures scored in this gameweek's population
Σ projected
663
points the model projected over that population
Σ realised
646
points those players actually scored (the model was +17 on the total)
P(≥6) AUC
0.72 (0.64–0.80)
put a player who went on to haul above one who didn't 72% of the time; 0.50 is a coin flip. 43 hauls, too few to claim a result
P(≥10) AUC
0.79 (0.68–0.89)
put a player who went on to haul above one who didn't 79% of the time; 10 hauls, too few to claim a result

Prediction vintage: 17 Oct, 09:10 UTC run · Predictions are from the last model run before each gameweek's deadline (90 minutes before the first kickoff). A gameweek marked 'seed' is from before I kept the runs, so it's scored against the pre-season predictions I committed.

95% percentile intervals from a row-level bootstrap (1000 resamples, seeded). Player-fixtures in the same GW share fixtures and clean sheets, which makes these intervals understate the true width - read them as a floor on the uncertainty. Fewer than 50 hauls is too few to claim a result from a haul AUC.

The same error on every group of players

I never show the every-player figure on its own (SPEC §1.6), so all four are here. Whichever group you think is the right one, my number for it is on the page - just compare it with other people's on the same rows.

PopulationnMAERMSESeason MAE
Every player-fixture with a prediction6671.091.951.17
Predicted E[minutes] > 05591.312.131.36
Played at least one minute (selected on the outcome)hindsight3041.932.722.00
Predicted E[minutes] > 60headline1992.332.992.43

Reliability of the stated probabilities

In each bin of predicted probability, what fraction actually happened, with a Wilson 95% interval. A calibrated forecaster's observed column tracks its predicted column. The minutes model's P(60+) is read on every gameweek, the haul probabilities on the gameweeks whose run retained them.

P(plays 60+ minutes)
played 60+ minutes · every projected player-fixture whose run kept this probability (n=667 of 667)
PredictedObserved95%n
0%0%0–3134
0%0%0–666
1%1%0–867
4%3%1–1067
14%17%10–2766
38%31%22–4367
69%64%52–7466
85%91%82–9667
93%93%84–9767
P(scores 6+)
scored 6+ points · every projected player-fixture whose run kept this probability (n=667 of 667)
PredictedObserved95%n
0%0%0–3138
0%0%0–662
0%1%0–867
2%0%0–567
5%3%1–1066
9%6%2–1467
14%9%4–1866
21%27%18–3967
33%37%27–4967
P(scores 10+)
scored 10+ points · every projected player-fixture whose run kept this probability (n=667 of 667)
PredictedObserved95%n
0%0%0–3148
0%0%0–754
0%0%0–568
0%0%0–666
1%2%0–864
2%0%0–567
3%0%0–666
5%3%1–1067
10%12%6–2267

Against the comparators

The model's error next to a comparator's, on the same rows. If a comparator can't cover every row the model scored, I drop the rows it's missing and re-score the model on what's left. The model's headline number for the week isn't part of the comparison.

Comparator
Last season's points per game

Each player's total FPL points last season divided by his appearances, which is the number most of us reach for before a ball is kicked.

Different rows. This comparator scored 148 of the model's 199 rows for this GW; 51 of the model’s rows are left out because it has nothing to say about them. Every “model” number in this table is the model re-scored on exactly the 148 rows it covers. Its headline error for the GW (2.33, over 199 rows) is not the one to read against this comparator.

Population: reference arm's predicted E[minutes] > 60, imposed on every arm (n=148 of 409 player-fixtures); players with a prior-season appearance only

Last season's points per game against the model on the 148 rows both cover, Gameweek 7
MetricModel · these 148 rowsLast season's points per game
MAE
model ahead
2.472.61
RMSE
model ahead
3.163.36
Spearman rank correlation
model ahead
0.230.02
Haul AUC, 6+ points
model ahead
0.700.52
Haul AUC, 10+ points
model ahead
0.750.55

A dash means there’s no figure for that metric from this comparator, which isn’t the same as a zero. “No direction stated” means the data doesn’t say which way is better for that metric, and without that I don’t call a winner.

Comparator
Top-10k effective ownership

How much the top-10k sample owned each player at the last capture before the deadline, including captaincy. It doesn't come with a points prediction so I only score it as a rank.

Rows covered. This comparator scored 199 of the model's 199 rows for this GW, with none of the model’s rows excluded. Every “model” number in this table is the model re-scored on exactly the 199 rows it covers, which is the only like-for-like comparison.

Population: reference arm's predicted E[minutes] > 60, imposed on every arm (n=199 of 667 player-fixtures); every model row; double-gameweek rows excluded (ownership is per gameweek, the record is per fixture)

Top-10k effective ownership against the model on the 199 rows both cover, Gameweek 7
MetricModel · these 199 rowsTop-10k effective ownership
MAE
not carried by this arm
——
RMSE
not carried by this arm
——
Spearman rank correlation
model ahead
0.300.11
Haul AUC, 6+ points
model ahead
0.720.52
Haul AUC, 10+ points
model ahead
0.790.53

A dash means there’s no figure for that metric from this comparator, which isn’t the same as a zero. “No direction stated” means the data doesn’t say which way is better for that metric, and without that I don’t call a winner.

Comparator
FPL's own projection (ep_next)

The expected-points figure FPL publishes for each player before the GW, captured between the previous deadline and this one. It's a per-GW number and can't tell you anything about the second game in a DGW, so like the ownership figure I only score it as a rank.

Rows covered. This comparator scored 199 of the model's 199 rows for this GW, with none of the model’s rows excluded. Every “model” number in this table is the model re-scored on exactly the 199 rows it covers, which is the only like-for-like comparison.

Population: reference arm's predicted E[minutes] > 60, imposed on every arm (n=199 of 667 player-fixtures); players with an FPL projection captured in the pre-deadline window; double-gameweek rows excluded

FPL's own projection (ep_next) against the model on the 199 rows both cover, Gameweek 7
MetricModel · these 199 rowsFPL's own projection (ep_next)
MAE
not carried by this arm
——
RMSE
not carried by this arm
——
Spearman rank correlation
model ahead
0.300.00
Haul AUC, 6+ points
model ahead
0.720.47
Haul AUC, 10+ points
model ahead
0.790.70

A dash means there’s no figure for that metric from this comparator, which isn’t the same as a zero. “No direction stated” means the data doesn’t say which way is better for that metric, and without that I don’t call a winner.

How the comparators are scored Lower is better for MAE and RMSE, and higher is better for Spearman and haul AUC. Which way is better is stored with each metric and the verdicts just follow that. Each baseline is scored on the model's own likely starters (expected minutes over 60) and reports the model's score over those same rows, which keeps the two numbers like for like even when the baseline can't cover every row. Overall Spearman and AUC are averages over the GWs where both sides have a value. I don't pool them across gameweeks, because that would rank a GW1 blank against a GW7 haul.

Legal-squad Team of the Week

Picked from the last model run before the deadline, at the prices captured before it, then scored on what actually happened.

Not comparable with the real entry. A fresh £100.0m squad bought from scratch every gameweek - it never pays a transfer hit or banks a price rise and nothing carries over from the week before. Think of it as a weekly check on the model's picks within the real squad rules. Nobody could run a team this way in practice, so it's not comparable with a managed entry.

XI projected
55.6
with captain 62.4
XI realised
65
with captain 78
Capture
51%
of the 128-point hindsight XI, a ceiling that ignores the budget and the club cap
Spend
£98.1m
of £100.0m · 4-3-3
The legal-squad Team of the Week for Gameweek 7
PlayerClubPosPoints
RayaArsenalGK9
Van HeckeSpursDEF4
GuéhiMan CityDEF1
GabrielArsenalDEF8
VuskovicBrightonDEF11
CherkiMan CityMID0
SakaArsenalMID3
GroßBrightonMID5
Haaland(C)Man CityFWD13
GonzaloFulhamFWD2
Calvert-LewinLeedsFWD9
Bench (does not score)
DubravkaSpursGK0
CrooksHull CityMID2
van EwijkCoventry CityDEF1
HughesCrystal PalaceMID1

Against the real entry

TOTW
78
XI with the captain doubled
Entry
86
before hits; none were taken this week
Difference
−8
not a like-for-like contest

Don’t read this as a head-to-head. A fresh £100.0m squad bought from scratch every gameweek - it never pays a transfer hit or banks a price rise and nothing carries over from the week before. Think of it as a weekly check on the model's picks within the real squad rules. Nobody could run a team this way in practice, so it's not comparable with a managed entry.

Deadline 17 Oct, 10:00 UTC · prediction 17 Oct, 09:10 UTC (run) · prices 18 Jul, 13:53 UTC–17 Oct, 09:10 UTC (174 from an earlier capture) · pool 667 of 667 predicted

The real entry · Sideline's Team

This is the squad the model actually ran. Unlike the Team of the Week above, it has to live with its transfer hits, its bench and whatever it carried over from the week before.

Points
86
no hits taken
vs average
+30
field average 56 (FPL publishes it before hits)
vs top 10k
+12.4
sampled average 73.6 from 544 managers, sampled as of the capture
Overall rank
801,107
gameweek rank 163,429
Projected
57.8
Σ multiplier × xP over 15 of 15 picks, from the last pre-deadline run (17 Oct, 09:10 UTC)
Bench
14
left on the bench
Transfers
2
0 paid
Squad value
£98.9m
£1.4m in the bank · captain Haaland
The entry’s squad in Gameweek 7
PlayerClubMinsBonusPoints
RayaArsenal9039
GabrielArsenal9008
CalafioriArsenal9006
De Cuyper(V)Brighton9006
WirtzLiverpool9005
TavernierBournemouth78210
E.Le FéeSunderland9004
MbeumoMan Utd9018
Haaland(C)Man City90313
BarryEverton9002
João PedroChelsea9002
TzolakisbenchHull City9003
CastagnebenchFulham9028
AjayibenchHull City9002
HughesbenchCrystal Palace901

Transfers Tarkowski, Szoboszlai → Castagne, Wirtz

Cumulative after this gameweek: 484 · captured 20 Oct, 08:44 UTC · 4 squad captures

Where these numbers come from

Predictions are from the last model run before each gameweek's deadline (90 minutes before the first kickoff). A gameweek marked 'seed' is from before I kept the runs, so it's scored against the pre-season predictions I committed.

Population scored: predicted E[minutes] > 60 (n=199 of 667 player-fixtures).

This page is a slice of the same /performance/live payload that drives the full record, which means a GW page and the season page can’t disagree. The projections themselves are published in full at /data/gw/7.

The exact rows this GW was scored on (the last run before the deadline, as it was served) are at fpl-quant-api.fly.dev/performance/live/gw/7/predictions with sha256 ca838128…1cd9. The digest is of the rows array alone as compact JSON (no whitespace), rows sorted by player then fixture, and the response says so beside it. You can recompute any number on this page from them.

What this record measures, on which rows, against which comparators and at which checkpoints was fixed in advance: the pre-registration (sha256 27307797…ba4f, checkpoints GW10, GW19, GW38).

Every settled gameweek has a page: GW1, GW2, GW3, GW4, GW5, GW6, GW7.