A Blank Gameweek forces every Fantasy EFL manager to make do with fewer fixtures than usual, which raises the stakes attached to each selection. With several clubs sitting out the round, the players and teams that do feature carry disproportionate weight for squads chasing points, and that scarcity is reflected in how closely aligned this week's contributor picks have become.
Consensus Builds Around Two Clubs
When four independent contributors land on the same goalkeeper and the same pair of team picks, it signals more than coincidence. Chesterfield's Ryan Boot was selected unanimously, a reflection of the Spireites' underlying defensive numbers and a home fixture against Tranmere Rovers that looks favourable on paper. Chesterfield themselves were one of two clubs to receive unanimous backing, built on returns of nine Fantasy points in consecutive Gameweeks before a blank against Cheltenham Town interrupted that run.
Grimsby Town supplied the other unanimous team pick. Twelve goals scored and four clean sheets kept across the opening Gameweeks make the Mariners a side capable of contributing at both ends of the pitch, a quality that matters more than usual in a Blank Gameweek when fixture choices narrow. Their meeting with Shrewsbury Town at home gives both attacking and defensive assets a reasonable platform.
Defensive and Midfield Value
Jack Fitzwater's underlying numbers stand out even in a defender pool usually judged on clean sheets alone. Seventy-eight points at an average of 9.8 per match, including three consecutive returns of six, ten and seven, point to a player contributing well beyond standard defensive scoring, with Rotherham United's visit to St James Park offering a further opportunity. Cameron McJannet's recent form, including back-to-back double-figure returns, adds weight to Grimsby's case as a team pick in its own right.
In midfield, the captaincy goes to Lewis Wing, whose three assists and 13 key passes give him more than one route to points against Bradford City. Kieran Green's recent returns of nine and 12 points reinforce Grimsby's appeal, while Charlie McCann's seven goals and one assist from midfield mark him as arguably the format's standout attacking performer ahead of a trip to Accrington Stanley.
Why Scout Picks Matter, and Their Limits
Fantasy football panels like this one exist to distil form, fixtures and underlying statistics into a manageable shortlist, which is useful given how much data now surrounds lower-league English football. Joe Taylor's five goals, one assist and 15 shots on target make him the clear forward and vice-captain choice this round, built on a run of output rather than a single highlight performance.
It is worth remembering that these are informed judgments, not predictions with any guarantee attached. Form can shift sharply in a single Gameweek, clean sheets depend on variables no statistic fully captures, and a Blank Gameweek compresses the sample size managers have to work with. Scout picks are best treated as a starting point for research rather than a substitute for it, particularly when fixture congestion or absent clubs narrow the available choices as sharply as this round does.