At last, the new league season is upon us - and so is Gameweek 1 of EFL Fantasy.
72 teams across the Football League are in action this weekend across the Championship, League One and League Two.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers will kick things off in the Championship on Friday night, while League One commences at Saturday lunchtime with three fixtures including Notts County's clash against Leicester City. League Two will start with two matches at 12:30 on Saturday as Newport County face newly promoted Rochdale and Oldham Athletic clash with Port Vale.
The weekend's action concludes with an all-Welsh affair between Cardiff City and Wrexham on Monday evening.
It's a clean slate for every player in EFL Fantasy and competitors will be looking to make a strong start, so we've provided you with all the information you need ahead of the first gameweek.
Captaincy options
André (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Wolves will be a popular selection this weekend as they entertain a Blackburn Rovers side who are considered contenders for relegation in the Championship this season.
The Midlands club made an assertive start to life under César Peixoto with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Port Vale in the EFL Cup and it was a fixture which highlighted André's importance for the forthcoming campaign.
Tying the Brazilian midfielder down to a new long-term contract was one of the best pieces of business Wolves conducted this summer and André will be a goalscoring threat from midfield this term, as showcased by his goal against the Valiants.
There's a bit of intrigue around who might lead the line for Peixoto as he deployed Adam Armstrong as a lone striker while Raul Jimenez came off the bench, and André is guaranteed minutes for the Molineux outfit.
Will Lankshear (Middlesbrough)
The excitement is palpable at the Riverside Stadium following an invigorating summer where Middlesbrough flexed their recruitment muscle.
Will Lankshear's purchase from Tottenham Hotspur raised plenty of eyebrows given the reported £20m fee for the striker (Middlesbrough have paid £10m up front) and while the sum of money generates heavy expectations, the 21-year-old has all of the attributes to thrive on Teesside.
Chance creation was not an issue for Middlesbrough under Kim Hellberg last season and if they can sustain their productivity, Lankshear should be able to feast - starting with the visit of newly promoted Lincoln City.
The Imps possessed the stingiest rearguard on their path to League One glory last term, but this is an entirely different level and Lankshear should expose any frailties in Lincoln's backline.
Lewis Wing (Reading)
An EFL Fantasy stalwart, it would be wrong to not kick off the new season without the inclusion of Lewis Wing.
The Reading captain top-scored in EFL Fantasy last season, chalking up 357 points at an average of 7.8 per game. Wing's influence was showcased with his 11 goal and 13 assists, while the 31-year-old complimented his tally by averaging 1.32 interceptions and 1.34 key passes per game.
Leam Richardson's Royals face a tough opening fixture at home to one of the promotion favourites Luton Town, but Wing's ability to conjure goals from nowhere make him impossible to ignore.
Differentials
Filip Marschall (Stevenage)
Owned by: 1.1%
Identifying clean sheet potential in the early stages of the season can be difficult, which is why it can be important to pick out the teams with strong defensive foundations.
Stevenage conceded the second fewest goals in League One last term and conceded the third lowest xG, making life relatively easy for goalkeeper Filip Marschall, who completed the second fewest saves of goalkeepers with 30+ appearances.
When called upon, Marschall can be an excellent shot-stopper and the 23-year-old will be hoping to improve on his tally of 19 clean sheets from last season.
Stevenage travel to Burton Albion on the opening day and with Marschall owned by just 1.1% of players, he could make an excellent differential.
Reyes Cleary (Barnsley)
Owned by: 1.1%
The fact Reyes Cleary remains a Barnsley player is a surprise to many, but returning Tykes boss Daniel Stendel will be eager to make use of the winger for as long as he remains at Oakwell.
Linked with a plethora of clubs in the Championship, the 22-year-old delivered a scintillating debut campaign for Barnsley, scoring seven goals and registering 14 assists in League One.
Cleary is expected to take his game to another level this campaign and the former West Bromwich Albion academy graduate will relish the visit of AFC Wimbledon, who are amongst the favourites to suffer relegation from the third tier.
Andy Cook (Grimsby Town)
Owned by: 0.9%
There are some strikers that you know will bag you goals and veteran forward Andy Cook slots into that category.
Loaned out to Grimsby Town for the second half of the previous season, Cook netted eight goals and two assists in 22 appearances to help the Mariners achieve a League Two play-off finish.
Joining Dave Artell's side on a permanent basis this summer, the former Bradford City marksman can capitalise on the delivery of Charles Vernam and creativity of Kieran Green against an Exeter City side rebuilding following their relegation from League One.
Teams to pick
Wolves
Promotion is the aim in Wolverhampton this season and having recruited the likes of Kieran Trippier and popular forward Raul Jimenez, there's great optimism inside the four stands at Molineux.
Wolves will need to feed off that energy in their opening fixture against Blackburn Rovers, who are back under the stewardship of Tony Mowbray after Michael O'Neill opted against taking the job permanently.
Blackburn actually fared much better on their travels than at Ewood Park last season, but they found relegated teams difficult to negotiate with the exception of Leicester City, having lost convincingly to Ipswich Town and Southampton.
Wolves should be able to get the job done on Friday night.
Bradford City
After an agonising play-off semi-final defeat to Bolton Wanderers, Bradford have recruited impressively with David Sharpe pulling the strings and the additions of Callum Connolly, Adam Phillips and Macaulay Gillesphey should stand Graham Alexander's men in good stead for another push at the top six.
The Bantams have also proven tough to beat on the opening day of a new season across the last decade, losing just once in their first game across the last 10 seasons.
Having boasted the fourth best home record in League One last term, Alexander's men entertain a Peterborough United side who still find themselves in a transitional period under Luke Williams, and the Posh have lost six of their last nine league encounters against Bradford.
Grimsby Town
Grimsby finished the previous campaign strongly to achieve a play-off spot, only to bow out in the semi-finals following Kallum Cesay's extra time winner for Salford City.
One of the clubs linked to Tony Bloom-owned Jamestown Analytics, the Mariners have made some eye-catching additions and David Artell will be targeting an improvement on last season.
Exeter City are the visitors at Blundell Park on Saturday and the Grecians are still picking up the pieces of a costly relegation from League One, where they defied their financial deficit to other clubs to survive three seasons in the third tier.
Matt Taylor's side could be in for a rude awakening on their return to League Two.
Best Gameweek 1 team for EFL Fantasy
GK: Filip Marschall (Stevenage) | ||||
DEF: Kieran Trippier (Wolves) | DEF: Macaulay Gillesphey (Bradford City) | |||
MID: Lewis Wing (Reading) | MID: Charlie Whitaker (Tranmere Rovers) | MID: André (Wolves) | ||
FOR: Will Lankshear (Middlesbrough) |
