It might take some time to get used to seeing West Ham in the Championship, given the size of the club, but the expectation is that they will bounce straight back up to the top flight.

While they have sold a couple of key players early in the transfer window, the club’s stance seems to be one of keeping the core of their squad together.

Jarrod Bowen is confirmed to be staying at the club, which is a massive boost for the Hammers.

West Ham have the most valuable squad in the Championship, with massive financial advantages which give them the edge.

This price of 3.0 is quite short for them to top the standings, but they have more than enough quality to do so over the course of the 46-game season.

The Premier League sides were always going to be favourites to go back up, but Burnley look a little undervalued here relative to Wolves.

The Clarets are the underdogs of the relegated trio, but they did finish above Wolves last season, and they have a bit more experience when it comes to navigating a successful Championship campaign.

Managing the fixture congestion in the second division is key, and that is where the Burnley players have experience - they retained a lot of their core squad who got them promoted in the 24/25 campaign, which is a bonus for the Clarets.

Burnley have been a yo-yo club over the last few seasons - after getting relegated from the Premier League in the 21/22 season, the Clarets finished top of the Championship in the next.

They then secured second spot in 2025, which is a positive sign for them.

Derby's position looks a lot more secure than Watford’s heading into this new season, and they will be hoping to push for promotion.

The Rams narrowly missed out on the play-off spots by just four points last season, which ultimately came down to the final day, but the expanded play-off spots from four to six could benefit Derby.

John Eustace has emphasised that he wants his team to aim high, and Derby have managed to permanently secure the services of Bobby Clark following his loan spell at the club last season.

They have also added some experienced heads, notably Charlie Taylor on a free transfer - that kind of shrewd business is another positive sign.

Derby have strengthened their position from last season, so there is an expectation for them to improve on their points tally of 69 to compete in the playoffs.

Watford endured a dismal run to close out the 25/26 season, with five losses on the spin, which saw them slip to 16th in the standings.

They were ten points above relegation in the end, but their situation has shown no signs of improving, and there is uncertainty regarding their new manager, Alessio Dionisi.

He was previously at Empoli, but was sacked in March after winning just five of his 22 matches. This will be his first stint in charge of an English club, and it promises to be a real challenge.

To make matters worse, Nestory Irankunda is on the verge of leaving.

The former Bayern Munich man is arguably Watford’s best player, and he played a role for Australia at the World Cup recently, which means Sporting and Everton are vying for his signature.

Blackburn had a dismal 25/26 campaign and were fortunate to escape relegation.

They finished with a points tally of 52 - putting them just five points above Oxford United, who were relegated.

It was a poor season for the Rovers, who alternated between 19th and 20th for the majority of the campaign.

They slipped into the bottom three briefly in January, but were able to recover.

There is value in this price, as Lincoln are taking up such a large portion of the market at 2.75 to finish bottom.

The promoted League One sides coming into the Championship were always going to be the favourites to go back down, but Lincoln finished top of League One last season, with 103 points from their 46 matches.

This season will be a step up for them, but 2.75 looks too short, which has created value on the other teams.

Blackburn are a team who have problems; their squad looks weak, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them dragged into another relegation dogfight.