Why you should play Fantasy Championship?
- Ever-changing. 25% of Championship teams are either relegated from Premier League or promoted from League One. While in top-tier fantasy games you pick the same faces every year, the best players in the Championship get promoted or hunted by other clubs, and you need to identify who’ll be the best next season.
- Unpredictable. Last year I said Barnsley can finish up to 6th place, which was a very bold prediction. I was wrong, they finished 5th.
- Big. 24 teams! Wide choice of players!
Why it should be on Foontasy?
Imagine a situation where a team has a lot of players unavailable for one game. You want to target this team, right? But in games like FPL you have only one free transfer which you better use for long-term gain. It’s not the case in Foontasy because you can:
- Bring a player for just one gameweek (free-hit transfers). Sold player returns to your team next gameweek.
- Bring a player in after a deadline (post-deadline transfers).
- Use 2 free transfers, one of which can be saved to the next gameweek.
And how without a wildcard?
Full rules can be read here
TOP PICKS
Josh Koroma, Huddersfield, MID 8.0
Left winger started the previous campaign with a bang scoring 6 goals and notching 2 assists in the first 16 games before injury kept him out until the last 4 games of the season in which he scored 2 more goals. His tally of 3.1 shots per game is beaten only by forwards Teemu Pukki (3.3) and Adam Armstrong (4.7).
Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham, FW 10.5
Don’t look at his last season stats. For The Cottagers he scored 38 goals in 61 Championship appearances and is tipped as favourite to win the golden boot.
Adam Reach, West Bromwich Albion, DEF 6.5
Former Sheffield Wednesday player is going to score some screamers he is famous for at left wing-back position. 5 goals and 3 assists last season. But he won’t be available for opening fixtures due to lack of pre-season training with teammates.
Joe Bursik, Stoke City, GK 4.5
Goalkeeper who played for 3 different clubs on emergency loan started the last three pre-season games meaning that he is going to be a starter, not Adam Davies who costs 5.0. Value! And furthermore, only Watford kept more clean sheets (23) than Stoke (21) last season.
And now to the part where I preview every team with their expected XIs.
Teams are sorted by how I see them finish by Christmas from bottom to top.
Player prices are assigned by the author of this preview. You can read them as my evaluations.
DERBY COUNTY
Notable departures: Clarke (CB, West Bromwich), Waghorn (ST, Coventry City)
Notable arrivals: Team can’t sign new players
Predicted place by Christmas: 24th
Jagielka (CB), Aluko (RW), Ravel Morrison (CAM), Baldock (ST) are in pre-season camp.
BLACKPOOL (promoted team)
Notable departures: Turton (RB, Huddersfield), Ballard (CB, Millwall), Kaikai (LM, Wycombe), Simms (ST, end of Everton loan)
Notable arrivals: Reece James (LB, Sunderland), Keogh (CB, Huddersfield), Connolly (CB/RB, Fleetwood), John-Jules (ST, on loan from Arsenal)
Predicted place by Christmas: 23rd
HULL CITY (promoted team)
Notable departures: Burke (CB, Luton)
Notable arrivals: Baxter (GK, on loan from Chelsea)
Predicted place by Christmas: 22nd
PETERBOROUGH (promoted team)
Notable departures: Reece Brown (CDM, end of Huddersfield loan)
Notable arrivals: Knight (CB, Leicester), Grant (LW/CDM, Lincoln City), Marriott (ST, Derby)
Predicted place by Christmas: 21st
SWANSEA CITY
Notable departures: Woodman (GK, end of Newcastle loan), Guehi (CB, end of Chelsea loan), Hourihane (CM, end of Aston Villa loan), Ayew (RW, Al Sadd)
Notable arrivals: Walsh (CDM, Bristol), Piroe (ST, PSV)
Predicted place by Christmas: 17th-20th
Head coach Steve Cooper left the club on July 21st by mutual consent. Russell Martin from MK Dons is his replacement.
PRESTON
Notable departures: none
Notable arrivals: none
Predicted place by Christmas: 17th-20th
BLACKBURN
Notable departures: Douglas (LB, end of Leeds loan), Harwood-Bellis (CB, end of Man City loan), Trybull (CDM, end of Norwich loan), Holtby (CM, free agent), Elliott (RW, end of Liverpool loan)
Notable arrivals: Pickering (LB, Crewe)
Predicted place by Christmas: 17th-20th
COVENTRY CITY
Notable departures: Ostigard (CB, end of Brighton loan), McCallum (LWB, end of Norwich loan), Matty James (CM, end of Leicester loan)
Notable arrivals: Maatsen (LWB, on loan from Chelsea), Waghorn (ST, Derby)
Predicted place by Christmas: 17th-20th
CARDIFF CITY
Notable departures: Joe Bennett (LWB, free agent), Harry Wilson (CAM, end of Liverpool loan), Ojo (AM, end of Liverpool loan)
Notable arrivals: Giles (LWB, on loan from Wolverhampton), Collins (ST, Luton)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
BARNSLEY
Notable departures: Sollbauer (CB, Dynamo Dresden), Mowatt (CDM, West Bromwich), Dike (ST, end of Orlando City loan)
Notable arrivals: none
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
MIDDLESBROUGH
Notable departures: Bettinelli (GK, end of Fulham loan), Saville (CM, Millwall), Marvin Johnson (LW, free agent), Bolasie (LW, end of Everton loan), Kebano (LW, end of Fulham loan), Assombalonga (ST, Adana Demirspor)
Notable arrivals: Lumley (GK, QPR), Payero (CM, Banfield), Crooks (CM/CAM, Rotherham), Ikpeazu (ST, Wycombe)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
BIRMINGHAM
Notable departures: none
Notable arrivals: Sarkic (GK, on loan from Wolverhampton), Woods (CDM, Stoke), Graham (RM, Gillingham), Chong (LM, on loan from Man Utd), Aneke (ST, Charlton)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
LUTON
Notable departures: Pearson (CB, Huddersfield), Dewsbury-Hall (CM, end of Leicester loan), Collins (ST, Cardiff)
Notable arrivals: Allan Campbell (CM, Motherwell), Lansbury (CDM, Bristol City), Onyedinma (LW, Wycombe), Jerome (ST, MK Dons)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
MILLWALL
Notable departures: Woods (CDM, Birmingham),
Notable arrivals: Ballard (CB, on loan from Arsenal), Saville (CM, Middlesbrough), Afobe (ST, on loan from Stoke)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
QUEENS PARK RANGERS
Notable departures: none
Notable arrivals: Dunne (CB, Burnley), McCallum (LWB, on loan from Norwich) and also permanent transfers of de Wijs (CB), Johansen (CDM) and Austin (FW)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
STOKE CITY
Notable departures: Collins (CB, Burnley), Norrington-Davies (LB, end of Sheffield United loan), Mikel (CDM, free agent),
Notable arrivals: Wilmot (CB, Watford), Vrancic (CM, Norwich)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
HUDDERSFIELD
Notable departures: Keogh (CB, Blackpool), Eiting (CM, end of Ajax loan),
Notable arrivals: Lees (CB, Sheffield Wednesday), Sinani (RW, on loan from Norwich), Rhodes (ST, Sheffield Wednesday) and acquisition of reserve back four of Turton-Pearson-Colwill-Ruffels
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
BRISTOL CITY
Notable departures: Hunt (RB, free agent), Rowe (LB, free agent), Mawson (CB, end of Fulham loan), Paterson (CAM, free agent), Diedhiou (ST, Alanyaspor)
Notable arrivals: Atkinson (CB, Oxford United), James (CDM, Leicester), King (CDM, Leicester)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
READING
Notable departures: Richards (LB, Bayern Munich), Olise (CAM, Crystal Palace)
Notable arrivals: Team can’t sign new players
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
Yakou Meite (RW) is not mentioned here due to his long-term ACL injury.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Notable departures: Christie (RB, end of Fulham loan), Ribeiro (LB, free agent), Garner (CDM, end of Man Utd loan), Knockaert (RW, end of Fulham loan), Krovinovic (CAM, end of Benfica loan), Ameobi (LW, Middlesbrough)
Notable arrivals: Brennan Johnson (CAM, back from Lincoln loan)
Predicted place by Christmas: 5th-16th
BOURNEMOUTH
Notable departures: Begovic (GK, Everton), Carter-Vickers (CB, end of Tottenham loan)
Notable arrivals: Marcondes (CM, Brentford)
Predicted place by Christmas: 3rd-4th
Arnaut Danjuma (LW, 29.8/17/7), wasn’t involved in pre-season and expressed his wish to leave.
SHEFFIELD UNITED (relegated team)
Notable departures: Lundstram (CM, Rangers)
Notable arrivals: none
Predicted place by Christmas: 3rd-4th
FULHAM (relegated team)
Notable departures: Areola (GK, end of PSG loan), Aina (RB, end of Torino loan), Andersen (CB, end of Lyon loan), Loftus-Cheek (CM, end of Chelsea loan), Lookman (LW, end of RB Leipzig loan)
Notable arrivals: Harry Wilson (RW, Liverpool)
Predicted place by Christmas: 2nd
WEST BROMWICH ALBION (relegated team)
Notable departures: Yokuslu (CDM, end of Celta loan), Gallagher (CM, end of Chelsea loan), Maitland-Niles (CM, end of Arsenal loan), Diagne (ST, end of Galatasaray loan)
Notable arrivals: Clarke (CB, on loan from Brighton), Reach (LWB, Sheffield Wednesday), Mowatt (CDM, Barnsley)
Matheus Pereira (RW, 28.7/11/6) wasn’t involved in pre-season and expressed his wish to leave
Predicted place by Christmas: 1st
Team of the author
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