With the first three rounds of Fantasy EFL fixtures now over, and after many excellent team performances, we can start to look at some of the key findings and top scorers from Gameweek 3, beginning here with the pick of the bonus points.
There were many surprising results, Sunderland keeping a clean sheet against this free-scoring Burnley side being one of them, making the Black Cats the only team in the division who are yet to concede!
An eventful South Wales derby wrapped up this round of fixtures, with Swansea City and Cardiff City scoring one apiece to bring Fantasy EFL gameweek 3 to a close, leaving Cardiff in last place in the Championship table. These surprising outcomes serve as a powerful reminder of the EFL’s unpredictable nature, where past performance can mean very little, and underdogs can step up when it matters. Such results emphasise the need for thorough research and the courage to take risks when choosing Fantasy EFL players and club selections.
It has become clear that making the most of the bonus points system in Fantasy EFL can be an effective strategy. We’ll be probing a little deeper into this strategy and selections as we prepare for Gameweek 4, highlighting the EFL best performers so far with the highest numbers of Interceptions (+2 for mids), Blocks (+1 every two for defenders), Clearances (+1 every three for defenders) and Shots on Target (+1 every two for forwards and mids) from the previous two Gameweeks.
Don’t panic if you’ve not started yet: there are still 37 Gameweeks to go (including 10 doubles and one treble) and plenty of chances to win monthly prizes as well as the whole game – so sign up here!
IMPRESSIVE INTERCEPTIONS
Millwall have solidified their position at the top of the Championship’s interception charts, accumulating a substantial 33 interceptions. Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday and Watford are close behind, each recording 29 interceptions.
Several Championship midfielders impressed this gameweek with their defensive contributions, earning bonus points for their interceptions and goal involvement. Alfie Doughty (M) leads the league with eight total interceptions, tied with three defenders who don’t receive points for this statistic. Doughty has recorded consecutive double-digit hauls, with his recent success largely attributed to seven interceptions, earning him and his owners 14 bonus points in the past two Gameweeks.
In League One, Bristol Rovers top the standings with a staggering 41 interceptions, the highest total in the EFL, followed by Lincoln City and Northampton Town with 37 and 36 respectively.
Krystian Bielik (M) was once again a standout, intercepting the ball four times (+8 points) to help Birmingham City to a 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient. He leads the EFL in interceptions so far this season with 11. Ethan Erhahon (M) has accumulated 26 Fantasy points this season, significantly boosted by his +20 points from interceptions. He is currently tied with Bielik for the most interceptions with 11. Stockport County’s Callum Camps (M) closely follows with 10.
Port Vale take the lead in League Two, with 36 interceptions heading into gameweek 4.
Seamus Conneely (M) of Accrington Stanley has recorded seven interceptions, the third-most in the Championship but the most among midfielders, the only position that earns Fantasy points for interceptions. Despite Accrington’s recent struggles, Conneely’s consistent intercepting has contributed to his total of 22 Fantasy points.
BRILLIANT BLOCKS
Plymouth Argyle are storming ahead with 25 blocks, picking up nine last week vs Queen’s Park Rangers and defending well, despite being hit with two red cards.
Brendan Galloway (D) has been instrumental in Plymouth’s defensive dominance, with 10 blocks to his name. The defender exemplifies the value of investing in defence, accumulating 22 Fantasy points despite Plymouth’s failure to keep a clean sheet this season.
Stockport County, currently leading League One with 15 points, have relied on their formidable defence to maintain a clean sheet this season, despite being newcomers to the second division. They share the top spot in the club blocks table with Wycombe Wanderers and Mansfield Town.
Mansfield Town’s Aden Flint (D) has seven, leading the League One player blocks chart and helping his team to 15 total. The Stags were just battered 4-1, but the defender’s three clearances and two blocks still gained his owners a couple Fantasy points.
Finally, Newport County are leading in League Two, totalling 15 blocks over three matches.
There are six players in League Two who are tied first with six blocks apiece, but the standout is Gillingham’s Max Clark (D), who has been selected by just 0.2% of managers despite scoring a massive 25 Fantasy points.
CRACKING CLEARANCES
Plymouth Argyle currently lead the Championship with 98 clearances, a testament to the intense defensive pressure they’ve faced in their first three matches.
Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown (D) leads the league in clearances with 22, narrowly edging out teammate Sam Long (D). Despite a double-concession against Blackburn Rovers in Gameweek 2, the duo contributed significantly to their Fantasy points with 10 and eight clearances respectively.
Bristol Rovers have an astonishing 112 clearances in League One, far above Northampton Town’s 83.
Emmanuel Fernandez (D) and Peterborough United won 2-1 in Gameweek 3, with the defender recording a staggering 15 clearances to bring his total for the season to 27. The clearances gained him +5 bonus points and he also ended the game with a goal (+7) and 2 blocks (+1). Jon Guthrie (D), Marc Roberts (D) and James Wilson (D) have all recorded 25.
Harrogate Town have 109 clearances through three games, recording at least 30 in each game so far. Anthony O’Connor (D) has been a significant part of this Harrogate defence, notching 37 clearances of his own this season, far ahead of Mickey Demetriou (D) at second place with just 23. O’Connor’s clearances alone have earned him a huge 13 Fantasy points in just three games, bringing his total points to 25.
SENSATIONAL SHOTS ON TARGET
Queen’s Park Rangers have the most shots on target in the Championship with 19, though they have scored just four times from these shots. The majority of their shots on target came in Gameweek 3, where they had 10 in their 1-1 draw to 9-man Plymouth Arygle.
Middlesborough’s Finn Azaz (M) leads the Championship shots on target player chart with six, despite being a midfielder in a division of prolific strikers. In his most recent game, his two shots on target were saved, although he picked up an assist on one of his seven created chances.
League One side Peterborough United have recorded the most shots on target in the EFL with 21, closely followed by Stockport County’s 20.
Leyton Orient’s Charlie Kelman (F) has seven shots on target, the most in the EFL. The bulk of these came in Gameweek 1, where he registered four on target and his only goal of the season so far. Bolton’s Dion Charles (F) follows him with six.
Accrington Stanley, Chesterfield and Colchester United are all tied with 18 shots on target each at the top of the League Two chart. All three of these teams have effective attacks, but there is room for improvement on their defences. James Berry (M), Andy Cook (F) and Dan Crowley (M) have all recorded six shots on target, with Berry being the most clinical with three goals scored. He is in just 0.4% of teams, and could be an exciting differential.