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If you want to know who the best defenders in FPL at each price bracket are then look no further.
After looking at team defensive stats and the relative value of defenders versus goalkeepers we dive in and decide the best FPL defenders at the premium, mid and budget tiers.
This is the first of our position by position deep dives. If I am sensible enough to remember, I will put the links to the Goalkeepers, Midfielders and Forwards here too. If not, then head over to Full90FPL.com for your content fix.
Let’s get into it.
At the end of last season some genius wrote this excellent piece about stats from the 24/25 season. Oh, it was me…
In case you missed it, we ranked defences like so.
Looking at defensive team data we see another five tranches emerge:
| Team | GC | xGC | Δ |
| ARS | 34 | 35.07 | -1.07 |
| LIV | 41 | 38.7 | 2.3 |
| NEW | 47 | 46.33 | 0.67 |
| EVE | 44 | 46.91 | -2.91 |
| CHE | 43 | 47.97 | -4.97 |
| FUL | 54 | 48.16 | 5.84 |
| MCI | 44 | 48.48 | -4.48 |
| BOU | 46 | 49.31 | -3.31 |
| NFO | 46 | 49.56 | -3.56 |
| CRY | 51 | 50.33 | 0.67 |
| AVL | 51 | 50.76 | 0.24 |
| BHA | 59 | 55.1 | 3.9 |
| MUN | 54 | 55.14 | -1.14 |
| BRE | 57 | 56.12 | 0.88 |
| WOL | 69 | 58.66 | 10.34 |
| WHU | 62 | 60.6 | 1.4 |
| TOT | 65 | 64.39 | 0.61 |
| LEI | 80 | 73.27 | 6.73 |
| IPS | 82 | 74.37 | 7.63 |
| SOU | 86 | 87.18 | -1.18 |
| 1115 | 1096.41 | 18.59 |
Essentially, you want defenders from the better teams on this list.
Past performance isn’t a guarantee of future success but this is the most reliable indicator of the quality of a teams defence. None of these teams will change their strategy and entire defence so this is the best thing we can look at to identify.
If you follow the link you will see that these numbers are remarkably similar to the year before so we can back up this assertion.
The changes made in FPL generally make defenders and (some) midfielders better assets. That’s because defensive contributions fundamentally improve centre-backs and defensive midfielders. Plus, the changes to assists increase the number that will be given by about 4%.
The only beneficial change that goalkeepers have is that saves now earn more BPS depending on shot location – three points for shots inside the box, two for outside – while penalty saves now total 11 BPS. That is a pretty small change in comparison to DC.
Not worthless. Worth. Less.
That’s because relatively, they have even fewer routes and less chance of scoring points than defenders now.
The introduction of the Defensive Contribution (DC) metric has made centre-backs significantly more valuable than in previous seasons. Centre-backs are now more likely to earn steady, consistent points week after week, thanks to the nature of their defensive duties – mainly through clearances.
DC points are awarded for clearances, blocks, interceptions, and tackles (note: not tackles won). When a player records 10 of these combined actions in a game, they receive 2 bonus points. Among these stats, clearances are by far the most common and reliable to accumulate. As a result, a defender who consistently registers six or seven clearances per game is already building a strong platform for DC points.
That said, full-backs and wing-backs remain the most likely defenders to produce explosive returns, especially through attacking contributions like assists and goals. They still offer the highest potential for big hauls in individual matches.
Take Murillo, for example—he regularly hits that benchmark, making him an excellent candidate for consistent defensive returns under the new system.
| Rk | Player | Team | MP | Min | 90s | Clr | Blocks | Int | Tkl | DC | Per 90 |
| 1 | Murillo | Nott’ham Forest | 36 | 3,188 | 35.4 | 249 | 69 | 36 | 53 | 407 | 11.50 |
You can look at DC yourself here.
Still, if you saw our FPL draft rankings yesterday then you already have a sneak peak but we think that DC is going to make a significant change to the way in which we will play this game.
Traditionally, Fantasy Premier League managers would select (at least some) defenders based on their rotation potential and upcoming fixture schedules, swapping them in and out to maximise clean sheet opportunities. However, the introduction of DC has added a new layer of complexity to this strategy.
In theory, DC makes it viable to hold onto a defender long-term, even through tougher fixtures, because consistent defensive actions can still yield points regardless of match difficulty. This shift challenges the usual approach, particularly with budget defenders, who were often rotated in and out depending on the fixture. Now, if a cheap defender regularly racks up DC stats, they may be worth keeping in your squad permanently.
I think I will still try and develop a rotation strategy. After all, clean sheets are worth more than DC and I still think we should chase them. BUT, I think we can be a bit more relaxed about needing to make transfers. If you have a guy who can get DC and you only need to get through one week for example then I’d happily just play him against Bournemouth or someone similar. On the other hand, I don’t want to have to play guys who will end up with a ceiling of 2 points because they make a load of tackles but concede four goals.
Okay, enough waffle…
The top of the premium bracket of defenders is now 6.0 following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid. And its his former club that has me most interested at this price bracket.
Virgil van Dijk is absolutely nailed to play every minute that he is fit. Most importantly, he should get an extra two points for his defensive contributions every 3 games (ish). That adds another 16-24 points onto a guy that already finished fourth overall for all defenders. No other premium defender on this list will be able to match this DC because none of them make the number of clearances that Virgil does.
Frimpong and Kerkez will also cost you 6.0. These are Liverpool’s new full-backs and they both have attacking pedigree. Frimpong got 5 goals and 5 assists in 33 starts and 2314 mins (38×90 =3420) in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen last year. And he did better the year before. Kerkez got 2 goals and 6 assists across 38 starts and 3316 mins in the PL for Bournemouth in his first full PL season.
Still, I am not as high on these guys as maybe some others for a couple of reasons. Firstly they are new – Frimpong is new to both the team and the league. Secondly, Frimpong has never played more than 2500 mins in a domestic season and I am not sure he will play 90 mins very often, especially as Bradley is just sitting there. We like 90 mins. It’s the title of our website. Coincidentally, Bradley is a bargain at just 5.0 if Frimpong gets injured.
As for Kerkez, that left side of defence was more defensive than the right. There is a risk that he is the more defensive guy. FPL towers is also so worried that Kerkez isn’t the guy that they have priced Robertson at 6.0 too but he is old, tired and a hard avoid for me.
Outside of Liverpool we are looking at the other elite defence in the league: Arsenal. If you played at all in the last few years then Gabriel, Saliba or both were regular stalwarts of your team. Both were/are capable of 13+ clean sheets and can contribute with the occasional goal. The trouble is, VVD can do all of those things and should beat them both comfortably on defensive contribution. Still, they are both great.
Even though Man City had a “bad season” by their standards they still matched the clean sheets of these other guys (technically Liverpool got one more). At City we have Ait-Nouri and Gvardiol to pick from at 6.0. I am expecting Ait-Nouri to start at wing-back and Gvardiol to play at centre-back but its the classic Man City problem that there are just too many players to pick from and Pep loves rotation.
The only guy left is Cucurella at Chelsea. Cucurella made out list of five players to watch next year at the end of last season. He was the 6th highest scoring defender overall, beating out the Arsenal duo above, and nobody really owned him. Chelsea are a defensive side so they could improve on their 9 clean sheets last year but really you need him to deliver attacking returns to match these other guys. He got 5 goals and an assist from an xGI of 5.19 last year but that is the first time he has ever done that well.
For me, it is clear Virgil is the best. He has the goal threat and ability to get clean sheets of all the CBs listed but he outdoes them all on DC. Gabriel is probably next because of his solid dependability and he is slightly better than Saliba on goal threat. Then its three slightly riskier picks with Ait-Nouri, Cucurella and Frimpong who could all spike big attacking returns but it won’t be that every week.
FPL Towers have already called some of these guys out so let’s start with the obvious shall we?
Daniel Munoz at Palace was an attacking beast last year with 10 goal involvements from an xGI of 8.38. And, he does surprisingly well from DC. He made the most tackles in the league last year at 123 and then chuck in another 108 clearances and we are well on our way to an extra 10 or so DC points, maybe more.
Besides him, we have two great options at Everton. I know, I know. 5.5 feels like a lot to pay for an Everton defender but Tarkowski and Branthwaite are excellent on DC. According to FPL Towers, Tarkowski “would have been the No 1 defender for this metric in each of the last FOUR seasons.” Tarko went straight in my first draft when I read this but I am not 100% sure of his fitness at the time of writing. Fortunately Branthwaite isn’t far off his team mate and he is being overlooked because his total DC numbers aren’t as good because he missed about 8 games or so last year. In my opinion, this makes Pickford a complete avoid as you can get exposure to their defence with much higher upside in these two.
Speaking of guys who are getting overlooked. Let’s talk about Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly at Arsenal. We think Lewis Skelly is the left back and nailed. He is a bit of an unknown as he has only played 1300 PL mins. One to watch in regular FPL and one to pick up mid to late draft in that version. White had a dreadful injury problem last year but the year before he put up 182 FPL points thanks to clean sheets and nine attacking returns. He is capable of doing that again if he can stay fit. The trouble will be that TImber seemed to have locked down that spot last year. Probably one to watch in pre-season.
Another elite teams defender to be found at this price is Konate. I am so enamoured with Virgil that I cannot see why you would bother with this guy. Still, he has the same ability to get cleans but less of a goal threat and less ability to get DC.
At Newcastle you could look at Schar and Hall. Schar is the CB who loves a 30 yard screamer but also has good enough DC. Hall is more of a traditional FPL pick at wing-back. Hall probably has the higher upside, after all he managed 7 assists in just 2188 mins so he could beat that this year if he plays all the games.
Finally, we have the defensive darlings of last year in Murillo and Milenkovic. Both play for Notts Forest who were a great defensive team last year. Murillo was number one for actual defensive contributions (407) in the league last year even if he wouldn’t have got the most points. Milenkovic’s DC is also pretty good but he also scored 5 goals and assisted a further two last year. Still, Forest were tailing off a bit last year and they will probably have depth issues when European football starts.
We all started the season last year with Pedro Porro. This year, I can’t see it being the same. His attacking threat is still present but Spurs woeful defence really puts me off spending 5.5 on a defender for them.
I think it is very hard not to have Munoz as your top pick at this bracket. He is just so fun and has the attacking threat + DC combo which I love. Murillo is more boring but appears like he will be super consistent. Tarkowski jumps in next as the top DC scorer in every one of the last four years (that’s insane). And then Milenkovic for his goal threat and Hall for the potential high upside.
Again, let’s start with FPL towers chosen assets.
Collins won’t be flying under the radar here after being called out by Official FPL in their defensive contributions piece. He would have got an extra 32 points and finished on 159 which is insane considering how poor Brentford’s defence was/is. This is most likely helped by a ludicrous 7 assists from an xA of 1.57. I’m not saying avoid him but be careful.
I’m also watching Lewis-Potter at Brentford, mainly because there is a small chance he ends up playing out of position in the front three. In the 23/24 season I believe he was playing as a backup to the left wing. He played 1400 mins and got 8 xGI. If he could double those mins and double that xGI whilst playing as a 5.0 defender I think we should take notice.
Another guy called out by official FPL was Lacroix. He would have got an extra 34 points from his defensive contributions. That is on top of a decent , if not overwhelming,114 points. The most interesting thing about him is the price. He is 0.5 cheaper than Munoz and 0.5 more than Guehi. He is also the same price as Sosa and Mitchell at Palace. If it were me, I’d rather spend the extra 0.5 for Munoz or spend less and get Guehi who also has pretty good DC (more on that later).
I think there is a lot of fun value in the 5.0 wing backs. Some of you may have noticed Mykolenko is here and 0.5 cheaper than Tarkowski and Branthwaite. He isn’t that attacking but his DC is good enough. Livramento is very similar. He has had such promise and I know he is still young but his attacking output is piss poor.
Still, all things being equal, I’d rather have Robinson at Fulham who got a mega 10 assists last year. His points total was only 106 as Fulham finished 17th for clean sheets despite being 6th for xGC, ahead of Man City and Forest. I think Fulham are therefore under priced in this game so I would be very interested.
Alongside him you have both Aina and N. Williams from Forest offering great value. If you can’t afford a Murillo or Milenkovic then I love both of these guys. I have Williams ahead because he is pretty good on DC.
And, now we are left with three pretty solid defenders. Burn at Newcastle is first. They were the third best defence in the league last year on xGC and he was the 17th best defender on DC last year.
Romero at Spurs is a hard avoid for me at the start of the season because of how poor their defence was last year. I’ll keep an eye on him though as his DC is the best from that team. At Bournemouth we have Zabarnyi who was 13th for DC overall. Their defence is okay too.
And then finally Colwill at Chelsea. He is okay on DC but really you are relying on Chelsea’s defensive quality. Unfortunately, Chalobah is not nailed otherwise we might be able to get him.
I’m higher on the attacking threat for this price bracket and the main reason will become obvious in a second but as a preview, you can get high DC exposure to Brentford and Palace for 4.5.
Traditionally this 4.5 spot is one we will rotate. So, rather than go through every single 4.5 (like I have done for the other price brackets) I am going to look at the few that jump out to me and also look at some rotations.
Let’s start with Guehi. As trailed above, I don’t know why he is 4.5. I think its a mistake because he was the 14th highest defensive contributor from the entire league last year. And he is linked with Liverpool and a bunch of other teams. If it were me, I would get him over Lacroix.
After him, I really like Pinnock. I thought I was the only genius to notice that he has excellent per 90 stats but those fuckers at Opta also saw it. His hit rate is actually higher than Collins but he played fewer games last season which is probably why he slipped through the cracks. Another one that potentially slipped through the cracks is Senesi. With Huijsen gone I think he takes that defensive spot back and his DC per 90 is over 10.
After them we have Van de Ven and Udogie. As I said above, I hate this defence because of how awful it was last season but they do play Burnley in the first game so maybe you could consider it at this price point.
Finally, Wan Bissaka is the other defender that made our five players to watch in 25/26 piece at the end of last year. And here is what we wrote:
“What? Is it 2019 again? No. It turns out all you really need to do to be successful in football is not play for the toxic shithole that is Manchester Reds.
AWB was a stalwart of our teams when he played for Palace all those years ago. He was a defensive beast and nobody could get past him. Then United ruined him. And now Graham Potter has given him a new lease of life.
Wan B got two goals and six assists from 1.2xG and 2.7xA this year. The trouble is that he plays for a shit team/defence. But he should be 4.5. If they have a good fixture run or you can leave him on the bench a lot then you have a player who has a small chance of an attacking return for your 4th defender slot.”
I’m only really looking at the first six gameweeks because I don’t think it is worth considering much longer than that. Plus, I expect many of us will wildcard in gameweek seven or even before at that point. Here is the list:
All of these teams have 4.5s that are available to purchase and should start. These are:
| Brentford | Pinnock, Ajer |
| Sunderland | Ballard, Hume |
| West Ham | Wan Bissaka, Kilman |
| Fulham | Andersen, Tete |
| Villa | Konsa, Pau |
| Spurs | Udogie, Van de Ven |
I believe there will be nailed 4.0s in the promoted teams. Esteve played 46 games in the championship for Burnley last year so we presume he is nailed on.
Similarly, Rodon played 46 times in the championship for Leeds. They also just spent 10mn on a left back which people believe will start Gudmundsson.
Luke O’Nien was this guy for Sunderland but he is injured so I think only Cirkin is a 4.0 option for them – he played 36 games for them in the championship last year.
Let’s see if anyone else emerges.
In this piece I have covered the best FPL defenders for the 25/26 season. DC has made a big change to the game and now the best pick is a centre-back – what a world we live in.
Let’s hear your thoughts!
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