We’re diving straight into the Fantasy EFL Gameweek 5 action with our Scout Squad.

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INTRODUCING THE SCOUT SQUAD

Here, our resident EFL experts – Lewis, Scott, Louis and Sam Harding – get the chance to nominate a 12-man and four-team longlist for the upcoming Gameweek.

Our panel of experts share their Fantasy EFL picks. With no player prices or budgets to worry about, they’ve each selected:

• Three Goalkeepers (GKs)
• Three Defenders (Ds)
• Three Midfielders (Ms)
• Three Forwards (Fs)
• Four Winning Teams

SCOUT SQUAD: FANTASY EFL PLAYERS FOR GAMEWEEK 5

LEWIS SAID…

After a steady Gameweek 4, the three goalkeepers I’m selecting are Tom McGill (G), Grant Smith (G) and William Mannion (G). Although MK Dons have only kept one clean sheet, McGill has looked solid in net for the Dons, making 14 saves (+8) during that period, including a clean sheet and nine points against Carlisle United. With Walsall (H) up next, I expect at least save points from McGill. Smith has looked solid for Bromley, and despite losing two back-to-back clean sheets, the ‘keeper has returned more than two points every time. With a trip to Colchester United (A) up next, I expect save points at a minimum. Finally, William Mannion has been fantastic for Charlton Athletic, despite only securing one point in Gameweek 4. Until then, the Addicks had kept three clean sheets, resulting in 23 points. With Rotherham United (H) up next, I expect another clean sheet lock.

In defence, Ben Jackson (D), Mickey Demetriou (D) and James Husband (D) are my current selections. Jackson has been outstanding for Barrow this season, securing a 12-point haul in Gameweek 4. With three clean sheets (+15), 12 tackles (+6), 14 clearances (+4), one block and three clean sheets so far, I expect the Bluebirds to secure another clean sheet in Gameweek 5 against Swindon Town (H). Demetriou has been solid again for Crewe Alexandra, also securing his first double-digit haul of the campaign against Bromley in Gameweek 4. The centre-back scored (+7), made nine clearances (+3) and three blocks (+1) in their 1-2 away win at Bromley. With struggling Morecambe (H) up next, a clean sheet lock and defensive contributions seem likely. Punting this week, Husband could be a shout for Gameweek 5 for Blackpool. Although the Tangarines have been leaky at the back, Husband secured a monster 15-point haul in Gameweek 3, scoring a brace (+14) and making two tackles (+1). Even in their 2-2 draw against Wycombe Wanderers (H), he made four clearances (+1) and three tackles (+1), securing three points. With a tie against Exeter City (H) up next, who Blackpool have superior form over, and 0.1% ownership, a punt seems likely. I

In midfield, Luke Molyneux (M) of Doncaster Rovers is nailed on, barring any injury news. The highest scorer in Fantasy EFL, Molyneux scored a brace (+12) and an assist (+3) in Gameweek 4 AGAIN,, securing a huge 19-point haul. While Gillingham (H) up next is a tough fixture on paper, I expect Donny to secure a win and if there are to be goals, Molyneux is likely to be involved. I’m opting for a bonus points magnet next, Wrexham’s George Dobson (M) is in the provisional squad. The midfielder has already secured 10 interceptions (+20), and picked up his first assist (+3) in Gameweek 4. With Shrewsbury Town (H) up next, I expect the steady points earner to return. Finally, I believe it’s important to players who are on form, which is why Newport County’s Aaron Wildig (M) is in the side. In Gameweek 4, Wildig secured an 18 point haul, scoring (+6) and securing five interceptions (+10) in their 0-1 away win at Morecambe. He’s made three more interceptions (+6) so far this campaign, and scored in Gameweek 3 also (+6). With Port Vale (H) up next, who have conceded seven goals in two games, I expect a thriller at Rodney Parade.

Up front, I’ve opted for Billy Sharp (F), Jodi Jones (F), and Paul Mullin (F). Donny’s talisman was the first name on my team sheet in Gameweek 1, until rumours of benching surfaced. Despite only playing 15 minutes in Gameweek 1, Sharp scored (+5) and punished my concerns! Securing a 12 point haul in Gameweek 4, scoring (+5) and assisting (+3) in their 2-3 away win at Port Vale, I expect Sharp to be involved heavily against Gillingham. Jones has been fantastic for Notts County, scoring twice (+10) and assisting twice (+6) in four games for the Magpies. Nailed on 90 minutes and on set pieces, Jones is an obvious pick, with a strong tie against Accrington Stanley (H) up next. Finally, my potential major punt of the week, Paul Mullin (F) makes the team…provisionally! Wrexham’s talisman has featured twice off the bench so far for the Red Dragons, regaining his fitness after minor surgery. IF Mullin starts in Gameweek 5, I will consider him with their favourable home game against the Shrews. If he starts, I have no doubt he scores!

To pair with my player picks, Notts County and Newport County are two near-certainties for me. The Magpies have returned 26 total points so far this campaign, and are only selected by 1.9%. They are yet to blank the season, and are undefeated so far in League Two – I expect that run to continue on Saturday! Equally, Newport have won three on the spin and secured back-to-back seven pointers in Gameweeks 2 and 3. They’ve scored 2+ goals (+2) three times against leaky Vale, I expect County to win comfortably. Crewe Alexandra and Wrexham are my alternate options. I expect the Railwaymen to beat Morecambe convincingly at Gresty Road, while Wrexham should beat Shrewsbury at the Racecourse Ground. Both sides secured nine and 11 pointers last time out respectively, I expect their strong form to continue.

SCOTT SAID…

The 3 keepers I have selected are Farman (G), Okonkwo (G) and Marschall (G). Farman has been selected because Barrow have kept the joint-most clean sheets in the division and they also play a Swindon team who have only managed 2 goals all season. Okonkwo I also feel is a good shout this week, again due to them having the most clean sheets in the division [3] and playing a Shrewsbury side, who although won 3-0 last week, didn’t manage to find the net in either of the two previous games before that. The final keeper I have selected is Marschall. Crewe have only kept 1 clean sheet this season, however, they are playing a Morecambe side who are currently comfortably the worst team in League Two, having been unable to score a goal this season.

The two main attributes I always look out for in defenders is attacking threat and clean sheet probability. Thus, the 3 defenders I have chosen all provide me with this. Starting with Cleworth (D), he has already managed 2 goals this season and is also playing in a Wrexham defence that I want to target this week, due to them already keeping three clean sheets this season. The second defender I have opted for is Barrett (D), although they are playing MK Dons (A), I feel that Barrett is still a really good option this week. This is due to him already registering 3 assists this season, he’ll also play in a Walsall team that have kept 2 clean sheets already this season. The final defender I have selected is Demetriou (D), the 34-year-old defender, who stands at six-foot-two, is for me the most nailed Crewe defender of all. He also offers an attacking threat having scored in their most recent game against Bromley, he is playing against a Morecambe side who haven’t registered a goal this season.

The three midfielders I have opted for are Molyneux (M), Crowley (M) and Phillips (M). Molyneux has been one of the players of the year so far in League Two, getting the most goal contributions of any player with six, although the fixture this week against Gillingham isn’t great, for me he is still too good to miss out on. The next selection I have gone for is Crowley. The talisman and captain for Notts County, he has managed two goals and one assist already this season, whilst also providing points scoring methods through the amount of key passes he makes. Additionally, playing Accrington Stanley this week who have been unable to keep a clean sheet and have average 2.8 goals against this season, I think this is a perfect opportunity to go for Crowley. The final midfield selection I have gone for is Phillips. This is due to him currently being in great form, managing three goals in his last two games and although it isn’t a perfect fixture against Bristol Rovers, I think he is a good shout this week, plus he is also on penalties.

The three forwards I have selected are Cook (F), Jones (F) and McGoldrick (F). Cook is Bradford’s talisman, being a consistent scorer for them for a number of seasons now. He has only managed one goal this season but the goals are bound to come. He plays a struggling Carlisle team this week, who are averaging 2.2 goals against them per game. If that wasn’t enough, he also averages the most shots per game in the League and also takes penalties – he’s a great pick this week. Jones is my next pick. He managed to break the League two assists record last year by getting 24 assists and he hasn’t stopped this year getting three already. To add to this, he has also registered two goals this year already a third of his six last season, playing a leaky Accrington this week, he will be a lock in my team. The final forward I am picking is a bit of a punt, but in my opinion, could be well worth the risk. McGoldrick didn’t start the first three games with Jatta getting the nod from Stuart Maynard. However, McGoldrick was back in the Notts County team last weekend from the start and scored a brace. For me this will warrants to start again and like I’ve mentioned above, County’s opponents this weekend, make for good reading so, if you want to go away from Jones and Crowley, Mcgoldrick could be a really good differential this week.

The four teams I have selected are Wrexham, Barrow, Crewe and Chesterfield. Wrexham have started the season gloriously, scoring goals and conceding very few. Their opponents, Shrewsbury, quite the opposite. They’ve been struggling for goals and conceding quite a few. They did have a good win against Leyton Orient last weekend however, so this could be a much tougher game for Wrexham than we would’ve predicted. Nevertheless, I still expect Wrexham to win this one without conceding and by scoring two plus goals meaning they will claim nine points. The second team I have selected is Barrow. Barrow, like Wrexham, have also been on good form and managed an aggregate of 5-0 in their previous two league games with a 1-0 win and 4-0 respectively. They also play a Swindon team who sit 23rd in the table and haven’t registered a win yet. I expect Barrow, like Wrexham, to win this one, hopefully, while scoring 2 goals and keeping a clean sheet too.

The third team I have selected is Crewe. This is down to them getting back on track last week with a 2-1 win against Bromley and also playing a Morecambe team that haven’t scored yet, losing every game this season 1-0. The final team I have picked is Chesterfield. Chesterfield have had a mixed start to the season so far winning one (0-5), drawing two, and losing one. However, they are still unbeaten at home this season and are playing a Grimsby team who have lost their opening 2 away games. I expect Chesterfield to win this one.

LOUIS SAID…

The teams I have backed this week include Wrexham, Barrow, Newport and Notts County. Wrexham play at home this week against a side who have lost all but one of their league matches. Barrow have really impressed me so far, In fact as well as winning three of their four league matches they have also kept a clean sheet. Newport go into their next match off the back of back-to-back wins in their last three matches, they play at home against Port Vale who have lost their last two matches, shipping a huge seven goals in the meantime. Notts County are another side who keep scoring and as well as playing at home they meet with Accrington who have faileld to win a single match so far this season.

My player picks are very reflective of the teams I have chosen to back this week. Barrow’s Paul Farman (G), Wrexham’s Arthur Okonkwo (G) and Newport’s Nick Townsend (G) have solid clean sheet potential this week with the above in mind.

In defence, Max Cleworth (D) is a standout this week. The Welshman has amassed an impressive four clean sheets and two goals in his first four league games. Ben Jackson (D) appears to be Barrow’s most effective defender from an attacking perspective after hitting a goal and an assist in his last five matches. Newport’s Anthony Driscoll-Glennon (D) also caught my eye. He has already registered an assist this season so combined with his clean sheet potential he could have huge potential.

In midfield there are lots of different options but I have decided to back three talismanic players. Doncaster play at home this week at their most explosive attacker is Luke Molyneux (M) who has produced an impressive five goals and two assists since the start of the season. Barnsley’s home match also caught my eye as they face-off with Bristol Rovers. Penalty taker Adam Phillips (M) is integral to the Barnsley attack, he’s banked at least one return in three out of four of his league matches so far. My final defender is Notts County’s Daniel Crowley (M). Crowley hit two goals and one assists in his recent match against Grimsby and facing a woeful Accrington defence up next could be the perfect opportunity to repeat that.

I’m really backing Notts County from an attacking perspective so Jodi Jones (F) fills a spot in the forward line. Jones seems to be in a purple patch at the moment – scoring two goals and providing two assists in his last three matches. Another easy inclusion this week was Billy Sharp (F) who scored and assisted in his previous match. The Shrewbury match could see plenty of goals from Wrexham and one player I would expect to be involved is Jack Marriott (F), he netted in his latest fixture.

SAM H SAID…

I believe that this Wrexham side pose a serious threat, and we have seen this so far in League One with the club securing 10 points out of a possible 12 and still unbeaten. It’s certainly impressive considering they only secured promotion to League One last season. The reason they have been so good is because of their defensive stability and part of that is down to their No.1, which is Arsenal loanee Arthur Okonkwo (G). They face Shrewsbury Town at the Racecourse Ground, and I am sure that Wrexham will be too strong for them in this one, therefore saves and a clean sheet potential makes him the perfect pick for Gameweek 5. My other picks include Charlton Athletic’s Will Mannion (G) and Barrow’s Paul Farman (G) who both have winnable matches, with a chance at securing a clean sheet, but I think Okonkwo is the most favourable of them all.

My first defensive pick for this round of fixtures must be Max Cleworth (D). He has been excellent for Wrexham so far this season and with his side back at the Racecourse Ground I think he is likely to be heavily involved. In Gameweek 4 Cleworth managed to also provide an attacking threat, scoring one of the goals in their 2-0 victory at Peterborough. For this reason, he has to be included in my team this week. Charlton had a disappointing previous match, losing 2-0 away to Reading, which is why I am backing them to bounce back this week against Rotherham at home. Rotherham certainly pose an attacking threat, which is why I expect Lloyd Jones (D) to be heavily involved in the fixture. He has had some excellent returns in Fantasy EFL so far and I believe this is a match where he could really display his defensive and attacking abilities. Similarly to Jones, Mickey Demetriou (D) offers both an attacking and defensive threat. Demetriou has been excellent for Crewe and managed to contribute a goal in his last outing for the club. Crewe take on Morecambe at home, which is certainly a winnable fixture and one that I expect Demetriou to be influential in.

With the limited number of matches this week there is no doubt that Luke Molyneux (M) is likely to be included in almost every manager’s fantasy EFL teams. Last week he produced an outstanding 19-point haul bringing his total so far up to 46 points. Doncaster face Gillingham, which certainly won’t be an easy fixture, therefore Molyneux will need to perform to his very best in this one! Another name that has become established in the EFL is Wrexham’s Elliot Lee (M). He has been a huge asset for them in previous seasons and this has continued in League One with the playmaker contributing 24 points overall so far. I think he must be included with Wrexham hosting Shrewsbury in a favourable match at the Racecourse Ground. James Berry (M) has been influential in the middle of the park for Chesterfield so far this season. He has earnt an impressive 29 points so far, and with a favourable fixture against Grimsby Town I expect him to be impactful in Gameweek 5.

Jodi Jones (F) is another name that has been excellent for fantasy managers so far this season. He has provided his backers 29 points overall so far and was involved again when Notts County travelled to Swindon where Jones provided an assist. They face Accrington Stanley at home next, which is a fixture that I expect Jones to flourish in. Doncaster have had a positive start to their League Two campaign and there have been standout players for them so far, with Billy Sharp (F) certainly amongst their best performers. Against Port Vale, Sharp managed to provide both a goal and assist, overall returning 12 points to his fantasy backers. Although they face Gillingham, I firmly believe that Sharp could be influential. Andy Cook (F) is my final forward pick with Bradford hosting Carlisle at home. Cook opened his account in Bradford’s previous match, therefore he will be full of confidence approaching this one. Cook is even more of an obvious pick with the popular attackers such as Alfie May ruled out due to the Blues match postponement.

My club picks for Gameweek 5 include Wrexham, Walsall, Chesterfield and Notts County. 

With Wrexham hosting Shrewsbury Town at home, I strongly believe the Welsh side will be too strong for them and have every chance of securing maximum points with 2+ goals scored and a clean sheet, especially after a convincing win away to a strong Peterborough side. Walsall are more risky but have been excellent so far this season, securing three wins out of four and with MK Dons having a slow start to the campaign, I believe Walsall have a good chance of winning this one. With them being away from home, also means that more points become available. Chesterfield are hosting Grimsby Town who have both started the season in similar ways. Both posses an attacking threat, but seem to struggle in a defensive sense, therefore I expect this to be a high scoring game. However, with Chesterfield being the home side I think they will triumph in this one. My final club pick is Notts County who have a very favourable fixture against Accrington Stanley at home. Notts have just come off the back of a win against Swindon Town, therefore I think they will be brimming with confidence and will be too strong for Accrington who have only secured two points from their first four matches.