Goalkeepers are often the toughest picks to make in fantasy football. You can only pick one to play each week and want someone who’s going to make consistent appearances and ideally, in a defensive unit that will keep some clean sheets or at least not leak a lot of goals.

Then again, you’re also going to be rewarded heavily for consistent shot-stopping, so a keeper who makes nine saves but ships one goal will actually return more than a stopper behind a tight defence that keeps a clean sheet but only has two saves to make all game.

To help you out, we've outlined who we think are some of the best selections in each of the three divisions. Suffice to say, this is based on previous form and early appraisal of fixtures and these picks may evolve throughout the season and around specific matchups.

Championship

An obvious method for this upcoming Championship campaign would be to choose goalkeepers playing for the sides which are favourites for promotion. In theory, the likes of Leeds United, Sheffield United, Luton Town and Burnley will concede the least chances and goals.

Illan Meslier (Leeds United)

The young Frenchman has spent four years with Leeds United, having spent some time in between the sticks at Elland Road during their time in the Premier League and has been a consistent figure in the Leeds United starting XI since being relegated to the Championship in the 2022/23 season. The 23-year-old started 44 matches last season, conceding only 40 goals all season, which averaged at 0.92 goals against per match – a very low tally – which suggests he could contribute some decent clean sheet points to your teams. He also made 83 saves last season, which gave him an overall save percentage of 67.8%. One possible drawback is his penalty save percentage – out of the 21 penalties he has faced in his whole career, he has only managed two saves.

James Trafford (Burnley)

James Trafford displayed great performances last season, despite playing in a struggling Burnley side. He made 28 appearances in the Premier League and will be aiming to get back the Clarets' top flight status in this upcoming season as Burnley target for promotion. He conceded 62 goals last season, averaging 2.21 goals per game which is remarkably high but, in the Championship, they will be one of the strongest sides meaning this should drop significantly. Burnley have also sold goalkeeper Arijanet Muric to newly promoted Ipswich Town, therefore Trafford is likely to be a regular starter for the Club.

Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town)

Kaminski played a significant role in Luton’s campaign last season. Although the Club struggled to compete in the Premier League, the Belgian goalkeeper was able to make many saves and keep the Hatters in contention in most games. He made 38 appearances in the Premier League, faced 221 shots on target and managed to make 140 saves, providing an overall save percentage of 63.3%. He only managed two clean sheets last season, but this was against the top sides, therefore dropping a division should see the Luton defence being somewhat less exposed.

Ivo Grbic & Adam Davies (Sheffield United)

Sheffield United really struggled in the Premier League, with Wes Foderingham being the first choice stopper for much of the season. However, since the Blades have been relegated, Foderingham has made a switch to West Ham United, therefore the goalkeeper position is currently hanging in the balance between Adam Davies and January signing Ivo Grbic. Both goalkeepers featured during the pre-season fixtures, therefore it is difficult to say who is likely to start but in this division, Sheffield United are likely to be competing for promotion, so once a pecking order becomes clear, the number one would offer a clear option.

Max O’Leary (Bristol City)

Although Bristol City may have finished mid-table in 2023/24 and are not widely expected to be vying for the title this season, they can boast some impressive stats between the posts, with Max O’Leary possessing a 75% save percentage (the top of any keeper remaining in the division) with 138 saves, 13 clean sheets and just 51 goals conceded (1.11 p/90, one of the division's lowest) and he also picked up a penalty save. Whilst Plymouth, Blackburn, Swansea and Coventry keepers also put up decent stats, O’Leary’s were just a little better, and he’s a very solid starter.

Lukas Jensen (Millwall)

Lincoln had a decent season in 2023/24, just missing out on the Play-Off spots, but no fingers could be pointed at Lukas Jensen whose 78% save percentage was an EFL record for the year. He produced 135 saves from 173 shots, an average of just 0.87 goals per game and 19 clean sheets all add up to a lot of points for fantasy managers if he can deliver again this season for Millwall.

League One

Recently relegated Birmingham City and RotherhamUnited  are amongst the sides who are favourites to earn promotion once again. Despite only just being promoted, Wrexham are another team being described as a promotion favourite.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Birmingham City)

Peacock-Farell spent last season with Danish Superliga side AGF. He made 21 appearances for the Club, conceding 32 times and averaging 1.61 goals conceded per match. He faced 91 shots on target, but managed to make 65 saves, which gave him a save percentage of 70.7% – a promising stat for the Blues which led to securing his signature in this summer window. One drawback is his penalty saving ratio, conceding all five of the penalties he faced last season.

Cameron Dawson (Rotherham United)

After losing goalkeeper, Viktor Johansson to Stoke City, Rotherham have secured the signing of Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper, Cameron Dawson. With the loss of Johansson, Dawson is likely to become the new number one. He made 18 appearances last season where he averaged 1.56 goals conceded per game. He faced 62 shots on target in this time and made 35 saves, providing a save percentage of 56.5%, which we’d expect to improve further in a side who look set to be in a stronger position in this division.

Arthur Okonkwo (Wrexham)

Wrexham have let go of goalkeeper Rob Lainton this window, who is now currently without a Club. However, they have managed to secure the full signing of previous loanee Arthur Okonkwo from Arsenal, as well as Callum Burton from Plymouth Argyle. Whilst both goalkeepers are likely to play an influential role in this upcoming season, we predict Okonkwo to start most gameweeks between the sticks and deliver some decent points for your fantasy sides.

Lee Nicholls (Huddersfield Town)

Unfortunately for Nicholls, he was the man between the sticks for the majority of Huddersfield Town’s disappointing 2023/24 season. They ended the campaign in 23^rd position after struggling to compete in the Championship. He made 37 appearances last season, conceding a relatively sizeable 64 goals. However, having faced a total of 162 shots on target, he managed to make around 100 saves, giving him a save percentage of 62.3% and overall securing seven clean sheets. This seaso,n we’d be confident of more clean sheets, with Huddersfield being one of the favourites to make an immediate return to the Championship.

Corey Addai (Stockport County)

After dominating the charts in League Two with 170 saves and a 76.2% save rate in 2023/24, hopes for Addai to chip in a decent volume of bonus points in a more competitive League One will be high. The fact he saved one penalty out three taken against him also can’t hurt his appeal, making him worth a look for Stockport County this season.

League Two

Based on last season’s success, the favourites for promotion to League one include Chesterfield, MK Dons, Gillingham and Carlisle United and we feel again these make ‘safer’ early options for goalkeeping selections.

Tom McGill (MK Dons)

MK Dons have secured the loan signing of Canadian goalkeeper Tom McGill who is likely to feature as the Dons' first choice goalkeeper next season. He joined from Brighton on a season-long loan after Accrington Stanely secured the signature of Michael Kelly. He played a total of 10 matches last season between Carabao Cup and Premier League 2, keeping four clean sheets but conceding 11 goals. MK Dons will need him to show his abilities once again as they aim for promotion this season.

Jake Turner (Gillingham)

Turner made 37 appearances for Gillingham in the last campaign and managed a stunning 108 saves of a possible 148 shots on target that he faced. This provided him an overall save percentage of 72.3%, despite his team finishing mid-table in last season’s campaign. If the Club can find a way to increase their attacking threat, then they are likely to be one of the top sides in this upcoming League Two campaign, but even without that, we’d expect the Gills’ number one to be a solid choice for Fantasy EFL managers.

Harry Lewis (Carlisle United)

After suffering a very disappointing season in League One, Carlisle will be keen to get back to winning ways and make an immediate return. Goalkeeper Harry Lewis made 20 appearances last season, conceding 43, which averaged at 2.15 goals per 90 minutes. He faced 91 shots on target and managed to save 49 of them, providing a relatively average save percentage of 54.9%. Although these individual stats do not sound great, we’d expect a marked improvement in League Two.

Alex Bass (Notts County)

Alex Bass delivered some of the best stats of any in the division, with the exception of the sides who were promoted with AFC Wimbledon, with 110 saves from 156 shots, 70.5% save percentage, a goal-per-90 rate of just 1.07 and 16 shut-outs. Definitely one for the watch-list for Notts County this term.

Jay Lynch (Fleetwood Town)

Despite a torrid season for the team, Jay Lynch stood out with some eye-catching figures for Fleetwood Twn, making 144 saves from 205 shots on target (68% successful save rate) and registering nine clean sheets when his team only won 10 games all season. With a slight lowering in the opposition levels, you may hope for those clean sheet numbers to jump a little and the average goals per game to drop markedly from 1.61. Probably one to filed under ‘wait and see’, but interesting nonetheless.

Insights provided by the team at Fantasy Football Scout, the leading voice in fantasy football who’ll be providing coverage on teams, player picks and strategy for the EFL Fantasy game throughout the season here and on their own dedicated EFL channel. We’ll be adding key data to these profiles through the pre-season, but now you’ve got some insight, it’s time to put it to work in the game!