Each week, we’ll get together a gaggle of fantasy football experts (it’s a bit too early to call them Fantasy EFL experts as nobody has yet scored a point in the brand new game), and ask them to pick a squad of 12 players and four teams that are in their thinking for the impending gameweek.

Ahead of gameweek one, take a look at the team at Fantasy Football Scout's picks:

Goalkeepers

Whilst there was disagreement in many areas, one concept that did seem to appeal to the majority was getting a Birmingham City stopper, with the Blues expected to flourish in League One, and a home fixture to Reading a good starting point for a first clean sheet. Notably, there was a little dispute on who would be starting between the posts in GW1, with both new signing Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Ryan Allsop gaining nods, so you’ll definitely want to check the team-sheet before kick-off to get the right man!

Also picked from League One was Blackpool’s Dan Grimshaw, playing against promoted Crawley. They were identified by our pundit as the promoted team who scored least goals last time out – the same rationale he used for suggesting Harrogate and Blackburnkeepers James Belshaw and Aynsley Pears (who didn’t quite make this cut).

Norwich City’s Angus Gunn, Bristol City’s Max O’Leary and Barnsley new boy Jackson Smith also featured in a few selections, but we’ve decided to go safe and side with the suggestion of Leeds United’s Illan Meslier, notably the most selected goalie in the game right now (just under 29% at time of writing). Much like our pundits, other fantasy managers clearly expect the Whites to start their Championship campaign strong!

Defenders

The main reason that Meslier wasn’t a unanimous selection amongst pundits is the two-player limit on selections from any one Club, with most preferring to have a Leeds defender in their squad. New signing Jayden Bogle was the standout pick here, thanks to his pre-season attacking form of two assists in three games, but Ethan Ampadu also got a shout from one of our managers, as did Junior Firpo, so it’s a case of picking your poison!

Middlesbrough’s Luke Ayling was very much the consensus pick, appearing in three of the squads surveyed, thanks to last season’s nine assists as well as expectations for another strong Championship season and a nice home fixture against Swansea, whilst Cardiff City’s Perry Ng also managed to secure some expert agreement, thanks to 110 tackles, 96 clearances and 10 goal involvements last time out, plus a comparatively favourable opener at home to Sunderland.

Elsewhere there were lonelier, but still valid shouts for Wycombe’s left-back Luke Leahy, Sheffield United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic and Michal Helik of Huddersfield Town.

Midfielders

There was just one name that featured in every batch of pundit picks, that being Blackburn’s Sammie Szmodics. Aside from the midfielder’s incredible eye for goal (27 scored and four assists in 2023/24), pundits also pointed out his penalty duties and 47 key passes. The only concern of course is whether he’ll actually be playing in the Championship for much longer, with strong transfer interest from the Premier League. Elsewhere, the Birmingham City love-in continued, with a pair of pundits opting for Koji Myoshi. Whilst several other options were noted, including Jordan James, Junino Bacuna and newcomer Willum Thor Willumsson, Myoshi got the nod for his 12 goal involvements and 55 key passes last term (and expectation that returns will be increased in League One).

Aside from that, there was less cohesion amongst the selections, with decent shouts for Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer (14 goal involvements in a challenging Premier League campaign last time out), Zian Flemming of Millwall (12 goal involvements last season and 41 key passes) and Daniel James of Leeds United (a midfielder with 20 goal involvements last time and expected to step up in light of recent transfer activity).

Our final squad selection gives a first glimpse into League Two, with Notts County’s Daniel Crowley, scorer of an impressive 15 goals (from 33 shots on target) and 10 assists from 54 key passes in 2023/24. Notably, Crowley is facing a Tranmere side who were in the lower echelons of goals conceded tables last time out.

Forwards

The forward spots were one area where our experts found agreement, especially when it came to Alfie May of Birmingham City (featuring in three of the four squads). The Blues striker was on fire for Charlton last season, notching 23 goals from 51 shots on target as well as making 35 key passes, garnering one assist. He’s settled right into his new home too, already finding the net five times in pre-season which sets expectations high for 2024/25.

Middlesbrough’s Emmanuel Latte Lath came close behind with two votes, after 17 goal involvements (16 goals) from just 30 games last season. As one pundit noted, the Cote d'Ivoire international managed eight goals and one assist in his last six 2023/24 Championship matches.

Whilst Joshua Sargeant of Norwich City (up against promoted Oxford United) and Blackpool’s Jordan Rhodes were noteworthy shouts, the final slot has to go to a Leeds United attacker. Crysencio Summerville was one of Fantasy EFL’s most picked players (34% at time of writing), and justifiably so, but his move to West Ham means that we need to look elsewhere. One pundit went for Willy Gnonto to fill Summerville’s shoes, another for Matteo Joseph (thanks to his four goals in pre-season) and a third plumped for Joel Piroe as the man to step up, take penalties and generally build on last season’s 17 goal involvements. Who will you pick?

Winning Teams

The plan here was to coalesce around four teams that showcased the different thinking and strategy from our FFS pundits. However, it became clear in the process that the thinking was very different indeed, as there was only one shared team amongst the 16 independently selected.

Birmingham City (home to Reading) was the exception which two pundits managed to find common ground on, and with four of the player selections also hailing from the Blues, that is perhaps no surprise. Given the limitations of just five Club picks per season in Fantasy EFL, it’s also unsurprising that others evaded the ‘obvious’ picks, including Leeds United (vs Portsmouth H) who only picked up one nomination here.
Instead there was a broad swathe of ideas from League One Barnsley (vs Harrogate A) and Bolton Wanderers (vs Leyton Orient A) through to Wrexham (vs Wycombe H) and West Bromwich Albion of the Championship (vs QPR A).

Reasoning was similarly wide ranging, with some pundits targeting newly promoted opposition (for example, Crawley Town vs Blackpool) or sides that struggled last season (Exeter City vs Rotherham), whilst others actively favoured promoted sides to continue their momentum (Harrogate vs Bromley). Notably, one was much keener to play safe focusing on home ‘bankers’, whereas two others went ‘all-in’ on the away bonus, picking four options that all had away fixtures considered favourable on the fixture ticker.

All of which goes to show that there is no ‘template’ for this part of Fantasy EFL just yet, and that this is going to be a very interesting aspect of the game with managers needing time to settle on strategies and get used to the points and the restrictions. With this in mind, we’d definitely advise you to check out our feature on ‘winning team’ selections.

Gameweek One's Scout Squad