Overview[]
The depth chart governs who replaces a player if a player gets injured and is forced to come off during a match. It also plays a more limited role if you have a starting player who is injured and cannot start the match, or a player who you had in as a starter but then sold so is no longer available.
If a player is injured during a match then they will be replaced by the first bench player on the Depth chart for the position the player being replaced was playing. For example, if your number 8 was injured and had to come off, then the match engine (ME) would look at the depth chart for number 8 and pick the bench player who was highest up the depth chart list to replace them. If there are no bench players on the list then the ME will use a smart replacement system and replace the player with a player on the bench that has a similar best position to the player coming off.
If one of your starting players is unavailable to play when the match begins, either due to an injury picked up in a previous match or because you have sold them and not updated your line-ups to take account of it, then the ME will look at your depth chart and pick a player on the depth chart for that position that is not already in the match 23 i.e. will pick a player on the depth chart that is not already a starter or a bench player. If there is no such player on the depth chart for that position, then the ME will select a player who is not in the current match 23 who has the highest level in the position in question.
For example, suppose you sell your full-back but forget to change the line-up. When a match starts the ME will see you have no player picked to play full-back. It will first look at the depth chart to see if there is a player that is not in the current match 23 on the full-back depth chart. If there is, then the ME will have that player start at full-back for the match. If there is no non- match 23 player on the depth chart, then the ME will pick the player with the highest level at Full-back in your squad that is currently outside the match 23.
Note: A player is in the match 23 when they are either a starter or a bench player.
Depth Chart Management[]
To access your depth charts click on the left most small blue icon with silhouettes underneath any player’s avatar on the player info screen. You will then get presented with a list of all the positional depth charts. When you open one of these up you will see all the players you have currently in that position’s depth chart.
You can add players to the depth chart by clicking on the blue plus sign at the bottom of the chart. You can remove players from the depth chart by clicking the grey X on the far right-hand side of their bar. You can also re-arrange the order of players in the depth chart by clicking and holding on a player and then moving them up or down on the depth chart and then releasing.