@FPLReaction’s Fantasy EFL Team Reveal for Gameweek 1

In this article we take a look at @FPLReaction’s Fantasy EFL team reveal for Gameweek 1. Fantasy football whizz @FPLReaction shares his team, rationale around each pick and discusses the two teams he is backing to win for the first round.

Our Fantasy EFL team reveal for Gameweek 1 could be very helpful for fantasy managers. Knowing who our experts pick could be extremely enlightening and bring clarity to some of the decisions we have to make in our own teams.

Team Reveal

Teams to Win

Before we get into my fantasy team it could be worth mentioning the two teams I am backing. Although the +2 points award for getting an away win is tempting, I prefer targeting home sides who have a good chance of both keeping a clean sheet (+2 points) and scoring two goals (+2 points). This week I’m backing the B’s at home, Birmingham and Barnsley. Based on how much money Birmingham have spent this summer and their Gameweek 1 opposition Reading, I think we should see a comfortable win for the Blues. Staying in League One, Barnsley finished inside the play-off places last season and they clash with newly promoted Mansfield so I think we could see a another comfortable win.

Goalkeeper

My goalkeeper pick is very reflective of my Barnsley backing. Liam Roberts was number one between the sticks for Barnsley last season and his performances evidently earned him a move to Championship side Millwall. Barnsley reacted to this by bringing in Jackson Smith who is not only expected to fill the goalkeeper role but also registered an assist for former club Walsall in his penultimate match last season.

Defence

As you can see I have gone for a ‘big at the back’ formation. The additional points for tackles, blocks and clearances gives defenders a huge edge in comparison to attackers in my opinion.

You’ll also notice that I have gone for a Championship backline and one third of it is filled with Sheffield defender Anel Ahmedhodžić. The Bosnian averaged 4.3 clearances and 2.1 tackles per game last season which will add to his points total. The last time he played in the Championship he also helped his side keep 16 clean sheets and a game against Preston is a good opportunity to pick up his first.

Another player I really like for the first round is Luke Ayling. Ayling produced a huge nine assists last season which shows how much attacking potential he has going into any given game. Middlesbrough also have an opening match against Swansea at home which could mean a good opportunity to keep a clean sheet.

My final defensive pick is Cardiff’s Perry Ng. I expect the game between Cardiff and Sunderland to be quite tight and cagey, even with the fixture being played in Wales. This could bode well for Ng as he produced an average of 2.8 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and a huge 2.5 clearances per game in the Championship last season. NG isn’t exactly short of attacking potential either after bagging six goals and four assists in his 23/24 campaign. Perry NG could be one of the best defensive assets in the game based on the scoring system.

Midfield

One player you just cannot leave out is Sammie Szmodics. The Blackburn talisman was the best player in the Championship last season in my opinion. As well as getting Blackburn out of trouble with his all-around play Szmodics also racked up a whopping 27 goals and four assists. A lot of clubs are interested in Szmodics and rightly so, which could mean keeping an eye on his situation. But, with newly promoted Derby in the first round, he is simply essential for now.

Gabriel Sara’s departure from Norwich is a hugely disappointing one. For me he was one of the best midfielder options in the game. However, it is also a good opportunity to bring in a ‘punt’. With that in mind I have opted for Notts County’s Daniel Crowley. Crowley offers a good balance of assist and goal potential. In fact, he managed 15 goals and 10 assists last season.

Forward

Returning to where I started this piece and my backing of Birmingham this week, I have decided to include former Charlton man Alfie May. The 31-year-old scored 23 goals last season in League 1 and now that he’s playing for a better side in the same League I expect even better numbers. Reading have been consistently poor defensively and ultimately I think Birmingham and May could take advantage.

Captaincy

I will be attempting the captaincy ‘hack’ regardless of where my draft ends up. Sammie Szmodics plays on the first night. If he goes big in terms of points then I will sell a player who has the captaincy armband on them to a player who will not play and allow the armband to automatically switch to Szmodics. If Szmodics fails to return on the first night then I will simply captain another player, giving me two chances at captaincy. This strategy could mean sacrificing a player to secure a captaincy return.