Always loved the GAFFR Championship game, but wished you could have picked players from Leagues One and Two also? Then Fantasy EFL is the game for you.
Now you can have the thrill of EFL football, alongside the magic of Fantasy. With 72 teams and thousands of players, this first season of Fantasy EFL could be a little overwhelming. But fear not, this guide equips you with five essential tips to help you win Fantasy EFL.
1. Pay close attention to the Team Sheets
Like with the Premier League’s Fantasy Challenge game, Fantasy EFL doesn’t have a solid deadline. Managers will be able to make changes to their teams right up until the player’s match kicks off. This means that if a player isn’t named in their team’s starting XI, Fantasy EFL managers can transfer them out for a player who is starting instead.
This is also true for the Winning Teams. If managers see a team sheet and are less confident of the win they can change the team that they have selected.
Teams and players will only lock in as each of the games kick-off. Therefore it is important to keep track of the squad announcements for the players managers have picked.
2. Plan your Winning Team picks
The Winning Team picks are totally unique to Fantasy EFL.
This part of the game allows managers to pick two teams who they believe will win their match in that Gameweek. In this section, teams will score points for a number of different metrics.
If they win they will receive five points, if that win arrives away from home they will achieve an additional two points and if they score more than two goals they will achieve a further two points. Teams could achieve up to 11 points and therefore there is the potential for 22 points in this section of the game.
Managers can only select each EFL team five times across the season and so planning for the best opportunity to pick them will be key. Managers should check out our forthcoming strategy article on the winning team as well as the Fixture Tickers to help with these decisions.
3. Make picks based on the scoring system
Many of the managers playing Fantasy EFL for the first time will already have played Fantasy Premier League (FPL), UEFA Champions League (UCL) Fantasy or EURO 2024 Fantasy. In many ways, this will help managers.
However, Fantasy EFL has a scoring system that is unique to this game, therefore ensuring you know the rules and how players pick up points will be key.
For example, in FPL things like clearances, blocks and interceptions count in the Bonus Points System (BPS), but players don’t directly earn FPL points for them. However, in Fantasy EFL players will! Defenders will pick up a point for every three clearances, a point for every two blocks and a point for every two successful tackles.
This means that in Fantasy EFL managers should be thinking about the underlying stats even more because they could return huge points for players, even if they fail to keep a clean sheet or score a goal.
4. Eye test and stats
Not only is it great fun to watch players on the football pitch, but if you watch them with your scouting hat on you often pick up little nuances that the stats can sometimes miss. However, with 36 fixtures in the EFL every gameweek it will be almost impossible for Fantasy EFL managers to watch every game. This is where the stats and the eye test combined will be important.
Underlying data can give managers a complete picture of the key players in each Gameweek. As the weeks go on they will give managers a broader knowledge of the in-form teams and players who are good to target. Over on Fantasy Football Scout, we will be using the OPTA data to help you with your Fantasy season, in addition to updating tools such as the Fixture Tickers and set-piece takers to ensure managers can make the most informed decisions.
5. Have fun!
Fantasy football is a game that is often filled with emotions – good Gameweeks can bring immense highs, but a bad one can ruin your mood.
As with every Fantasy game you play, luck will play a factor in Fantasy EFL. Sometimes, despite making changes to ensure all your players are starting and doing all the right research, you can have an awful Gameweek. In those moments remember, next week is a fresh slate in Fantasy EFL and you can change all seven of those picks if you want to. Fantasy EFL looks set to be a brilliant addition to Fantasy managers seasons, so have fun, that’s the most important thing.
