EFL Fantasy Football Guide Week 29
Scoring big
Last week was another so good but not good enough week. Katic, Johnson, Rooney, Molyneux and Kemp all scored well and followed my predictions. But Okonkwo and Kone didn’t play and my replacements combined for 6 points.
Argyle only picked up 3 points in a risk that did not pay off whilst Doncaster lost to Grimsby at home before picking up an away win. In the league my score it the median, whilst my current position is also midway which isn’t great when trying to catch those above.
Some good, some bad. Seems to be the norm around here. Onto this week.
As always my league is here.
Also if you want more Fantasy EFL content the Football Breakdown Fantasy EFL Gameweek 29 Preview is out. Available on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
You can also follow me on X (@DailyTalkFball) and (more so) BlueSky (@dailytalkfootball.bsky.social) to keep up to date and for any of my thoughts as the week progresses.
18 teams have double gameweeks across the EFL and that’s where the focus is going this week.
Goalkeeper
Sam Walker, Bradford City
vs MK Dons, home
vs Bromley. away
Bradford are top of the form table over the last 8 games, losing and conceding just 2 goals in that time. In fact Walker has 6 clean sheets in 7 games. This may be a set up and defensive contribution but Walker has the 6th highest save percentage this season, he’s a steady keeper who averages over 2 saves a game for those bonus points.
I don’t see any reason for MK Dons who have one win in 9 games or Bromley who have just one goal at home in 3 games to do what 6 of the last 7 teams have failed to do which is to score past Walker.
Defenders
Jordan Willis, Northampton Town
vs Bristol Rovers, home
vs Barnsley, home
This may seem a surprising pick and it is also dependent on team news as Willis came off injured against Wrexham. He is expected to be back but I will be keeping an eye out on line ups or any team news beforehand.
“we are looking after and taking it day by day. His knee got the better of him at the weekend but he is a strong character and he will bounce back from that.” - Kevin Nolan in midweek.
So why am I considering Willis considering this risk? Well, 4 clean sheets and 79 clearances in his last 6 full appearances is something I want to take a risk on. The clearances may come down to the opposition played but I think it’s also how Kevin Nolan has set up Northampton to be resilient defensively. That’s 13 clearances a game by the way with a 9 point average across those games.
I’m taking a chance but I have pre picked an alternative should he not start - Ayodeji Elerewe from Bromley who is also a great shout this week with his 7.3 point average in his 6 games so far. He is also a back up for if any of my defenders do not play. He was in my original draft but, albeit with a small sample size, he is yet to play twice when Bromley have a double gameweek.
Radinio Balker, Huddersfield Town
vs Peterborough United, home
vs Wigan Athletic, away
After a long term ankle injury Radinio Balker has returned to play his first games in League One for Huddersfield Town. He has made just 5 starts in the league but it’s the most recent three that have been impressive. A 24 point return in 3 games as he and Lees adapt to a back four has been solid. Two clean sheets, 17 clearances, 6 tackles and 4 blocks is solid and it’s the clean sheet points that I think could be the big winner here.
Huddersfield face a Peterborough side who have the second worst away record this season, 19 goals in 15 games but just 9 points returned. They then travel to Wigan who have scored just 13 goals in 15 home games, leaving them with the third worst home record in the league. Huddersfield and Balker are good enough to keep both sides at bay here.
Benn Ward, Accrington Stanley
vs Doncaster Rovers, home
vs Tranmere Rovers, away
Benn Ward is another on the list of a high average in limited game time. He signed for Accrington from Burnley in January and has started the last 6 games for Stanley, averaging 8.5 points across them. His 64 clearances stand out massively as it averages to over 10 a game. He’s also been part of 3 clean sheets in that Accrington defence already.
Doncaster provide good foil to pick up clearances with their attacking nature, whilst a trip to low scoring Tranmere gives a chance to pick up those clean sheet points.
Sam Gale, Gillingham
vs Carlisle United, away
vs Fleetwood Town, home
Sam Gale has featured quite a bit recently for Gillingham after returning from a loan at Chelmsford City. Whilst he can play as a midfielder, he has been playing in Gillingham’s back 3 so far. In his 6 games he has averaged 7.3 points, picking up 15 interceptions in that time. He also has an assist and gets up for corners to provide a threat in the box.
But this is a heavy interception pick. 2.46 per 90 played, it’s a pick where even though Gillingham are tumbling down the table Gale can benefit from a side who don’t see much of the ball.
Rubin Colwill, Cardiff City
vs Plymouth Argyle, away
vs Hull City, home
My only Championship pick this week comes from Cardiff and their young attacking midfielder Rubin Colwill. Initially this does not look like a stand out pick but I think given his fixtures a case can be made for Colwill.
Despite just one goal in the league this season he recently scored twice against Stoke in the cup, as well 2 goals in 2 league cup games earlier in the season. He does have 4 assists to his name. He takes 2.16 shots per 90 and creates 1.6 chances. Plymouth Argyle give up the most shots per 90 whilst Hull are in 7th for that stat, so Colwill will get opportunities here.
In his last game against Argyle he scored his only league goal and assisted a further two. Either side of him could be El-Ghazi and Will Alves whilst Robinson and Salech look like clinical options up top. Cardiff have enough talent to avoid Colwill being targeted to be boxed out the game, whilst if he can set up chances I would back the strikers to finish them off.
Forwards
Alfie May, Birmingham City
vs Reading, away
vs Leyton Orient, home
With Stansfield injured, the logical replacement for Birmingham is Alfie May. So for me he is a must in a double gameweek just like Stansfield would be. City are the best side in League One by a margin and whilst I still feel they could be giving more, they always create chances and have enough to win games.
May has found minutes hard to come by but Davies praised his attitude recently and said his time would come, now is the time.
Stats wise May takes 2.36 shots per 90 and in fact scores 0.58 goals per 90 - better than a goal every other game. He also creates 1.04 chances. Despite the tough fixtures Birmingham will create chances so May will get chances.
Teams to win
Huddersfield Town
vs Peterborough United, home
vs Wigan Athletic, away
I am basically just copying from above to talk about Huddersfield’s fixtures.
Huddersfield face a Peterborough side who have the second worst away record this season, 19 goals in 15 games but just 9 points returned. They then travel to Wigan who have scored just 13 goals in 15 home games, leaving them with the third worst home record in the league.
Town themselves have won their last 2 after a tough spell, but against the bottom 10 sides in the league they have won 8 out of 12 games with only Northampton beating them (twice). They won both of the return fixtures as well.
Bradford City
vs MK Dons, home
vs Bromley. away
As mentioned at the top Bradford are top of the form table over the last 8 games, losing and conceding just 2 goals in that time. They played the majority of their last league game against Newport with 10 men and still kept them at bay in a 0-0 draw. A 2-1 loss to Birmingham in the trophy in midweek also saw them show their ability.
MK Dons sit 21st in the form table over 8 games whilst Bromley are 18th. MK have lost 4 of their last 5 away games and before beating Fleetwood Bromley had back to back losses to nil at home.
So I am. confident Bradford can do the business here.
There’s the team!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments and thanks for reading!