GW 22 Mid-Season Best FPL Defenders Review

The introduction of defensive contributions has really shaken up the field when it comes to defenders this year.

In this piece, I am going to look back at the season so far and see if I can identify some trends to help us in the second half of the season.

We will look at the best teams for defensive data, consider the effect of home and away games and then look at the top 25 scoring defenders in FPL (and a few more besides).

Let’s get into it!

Starting with the Team

When it comes to picking defenders, the smartest starting point is to actually look at which defences are performing well overall. 

The biggest chunk of points for defenders still comes from clean sheets. Yes, they can chip in with a few defensive contributions or attacking points here and there, but clean sheets remain the bread and butter.

So, I’ve put together a table organized by expected goals conceded (xGC) and actual clean sheet numbers. 

Teams – Clean Sheets, GC and xGC

It’s pretty clear that Arsenal are just running away with it defensively. They’re miles ahead of everyone else. After that, you’ve got a cluster of teams like Man City, Newcastle, and Liverpool all hovering around similar xGC numbers in the low 20s, with a bit of variation in how many clean sheets they’ve actually kept.

Beyond that top tier, you’re basically looking at a big muddle of defences that are all within about six expected goals of each other until you get to West Ham and Burnley who just suck.

That means it’s hard to identify which team has  a reasonably good mid-table defence – i.e find the cheap guys you can rely on.

Home v.s. Away

But here’s where it gets interesting. When you split the data home and away, you start to see a different pattern. Arsenal are still the best overall, but then you’ve got Villa and Sunderland as surprisingly strong at home – much stronger than they are away. Sure, home form is always going to be a bit better, but in their case, the difference is really noticeable.

(I’m sorry, I can’t fix this table)

It’s potentially a good rotation strategy. You can run with a Sunderland or Villa defender at home, maybe throw in a Bournemouth or Brentford defender if the fixtures align, and pair them with a couple of Arsenal or City defenders. That gives you a solid defensive foundation that you can just set and forget until wildcard season, probably around Gameweek 30-plus.

Conveniently, the upcoming fixtures for Villa are pretty decent as well – four of their next six home games are against teams where you’d fancy them to have a real chance at a clean sheet.

The Almost as Good as Arsenals

Arsenal are just in a league of their own defensively right now. So it’s probably wise to double up on their defenders if you can. They’re the anchor of any good FPL defence.

But looking at that next group of teams is where it gets intriguing. Man City, for instance, are quietly solid. The catch, as we all know, is the eternal Pep rotation roulette. With Ruben injured now I can’t see a guy I trust besides Donnarumma.

As for Liverpool and Newcastle, that’s a tougher nut to crack. Liverpool are a bit all over the place this season, clearly in some kind of transition. They’re still a strong team, but it’s been a bit of a roller coaster. Both Joe and I took the gamble on them improving and it didn’t pay off. If you were to take that risk I wouldn’t call you crazy but I would want you to be aware that when you get Virgil you’re picking a guy much less reliable than Timber.

Newcastle, on the other hand, I’m less convinced by. They’re not particularly good home or away, and while they’re underperforming their xGC a bit, there’s just not the same sense of trust. Add in their ongoing injury issues and the Champions League schedule, and I don’t feel like you can just park a Newcastle defender in your lineup and forget about it.

Other Defenders to HODL

Beyond those premium or mid-tier defensive picks, there’s definitely room to just settle on a solid, cheap option for the long haul. I’m talking about those 4.0 to 4.4 defenders like Esteve, or the Mukiele and Alderetes of the world. These are just great value if they’re mostly sitting on your bench.

I’ve still got Estève from the start of the season. He rarely plays, but when he does, he can chip in with a few defensive contributions and maybe a few points here and there. And I’m absolutely fine with that.

I like having that one really cheap defender who just sits on the bench and frees up funds for the rest of the squad. It’s the only place in your team you can do that for less than 4.5 and get a playing guy.

The Top 25 Defenders In FPL At The Moment (and a few more)

Now, I am going to look at the Top 25 Defenders in FPL and see what we can learn from them.

Angel Gabriel and Arsenal

Gabriel at Arsenal is sitting right at the top. He’s expensive at 6.7. But, he’s got 107 points, and that’s despite missing a fair chunk of minutes. He’s been a bit fortunate with a few goals, but that’s kind of what happens to CBs.. If he’d played every possible minute at the rate he’s going, he’d be on track for 157 points. 

I’m not one to throw around the word “essential” lightly, but Gabriel is about as close as it gets. He’s a protective shield for your rank because everyone else will have him, and it’s not just about ownership – he genuinely delivers.

Now, if you look further down the list, you’ll find guys like Jurriën Timber or Calafiori. They’re good players, no doubt, and they’ve got their merits. But compared to Gabriel, they’re just not hitting the same heights. You want the guy who’s not only popular but actually top-performing, and that’s Gabriel.

Palace

After Gabriel, you’ll notice we’ve got Marc Guéhi up there, and in fact, there are a whole bunch of Crystal Palace defenders on this list – four of them firmly in the top 25 and another sitting just on the edge, so let’s say five in total. That really reflects how strong they were early on with clean sheets and also how involved some of these guys were in the attacking phases. Guéhi and Lacroix, for example, were doing really well not just defensively but also chipping in here and there.

But Palace have struggled recently. It’s pretty obvious to everyone that the fixture pile-up has hit them hard. I don’t think they’re going to bounce back to that early-season form where they were racking up clean sheets for fun. They’ll be fine, so there’s no need to panic sell all your Palace assets, but personally, I’m looking at offloading Guéhi. He’s a bit pricey for what he’s delivered lately – 14 points in the last six games is just not good enough for that price tag. And I’d rather put that money somewhere else.

Chelsea and Everton

You’ve got Chalobah and Reece James on here and Cucurella and Malo Gusto hovering just outside the top 25 too. It might look like a lot of Chelsea representation, but if you saw the xGC table, you’ll know they’re just not a particularly good defence this season. They’re basically smack bang in the middle of the pack – not awful, but nothing special. They’ve probably been a bit lucky to get the clean sheets they’ve got, and to be honest, I’d just steer clear. 

They don’t defend well enough consistently to justify the spend when you can get someone like James Tarkowski for 0.2 more than Chalobah. Tarkowski is just a defensive contributions machine and always has been. Everton have tightened up recently, and he’s looking like great value, likely finishing the season with a hefty tally of defensive contributions.

The only guy calling that into question is Michael Keane at Everton as well, who’s cheaper and also pretty solid. The risk with Keane is that once Branthwaite is back, he might not be nailed. But if you want to save the money, it’s an option. Personally, I’m happy sticking with Tarkowski and happy to know I don’t have to make this decision.

Sunderland

In tenth, we’ve got Mukiele at just 4.3. The guy started the season at 4.0, which is just kind of wild. As we talked about, the Sunderland defence isn’t that impressive overall if you look at the xGC, but they’re fantastic at home. So like I said before, I’m perfectly happy to have one of these guys as a fifth defender and even consider rotating them in for home games going forward.

You’ve got Ballard and Alderete also floating around on the list, and honestly, I’d probably just pick Alderete because he’s cheaper at 4.1 and not far off what Mukiele is doing. 

I’ve struggled all season to trust Sunderland, and they’ve made me look like a fool at times, but I still trust the underlying numbers more than the actual clean sheet tally. That said, I’m finally at the point where I’m willing to rotate them in for those home fixtures. Probably should’ve gotten there a bit earlier, but better late than never!

Spurs

Micky van de Ven. Look, his stats are definitely padded by a couple of those crazy goals from earlier in the season, but let’s give Spurs a bit of credit. They’re technically the fifth-best defence in the league by the numbers, though to put that in perspective, that also makes Man United the sixth-best, so take that as you will. I don’t hate van de Ven as an option simply because he’s cheap. I wouldn’t go near Romero since he’s more expensive and not really offering anything extra. And Porro, sure, maybe he’s got a bit of attacking potential, but Spurs just aren’t that fun or attacking right now. It’s hard to see the appeal.

Maybe once there’s a managerial change and they find some spark, it’ll be a different story, but right now I just can’t wrap my head around actively wanting a Spurs defender. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m just not seeing the excitement there.

The Rest

Now, we come to Senesi at Bournemouth. He’s another one who started the season strong but hasn’t really kept that same form going. The good news is he’s racked up a ton of defensive contributions – 32 of them, hitting those marks in 16 out of 21 gameweeks. And Bournemouth’s fixtures are getting better. The catch is that their nicer fixtures are mostly away from home, and Bournemouth are pretty dreadful away in terms of goals conceded. So I’d be cautious about that.

I mean, I’ve got Petrovic and I’m not rushing to sell him, even though it might not be the smartest move. But I definitely wouldn’t double up on a Bournemouth defender and goalkeeper. If you want to gamble on Senesi at 4.8, you could, but I’d almost rather take a punt on someone like Truffert who’s a bit cheaper and only a little behind in points. Truffert’s more attacking in real life than the stats show, and he could be a fun pick.

But honestly, for the same price as Senesi, I’d look at Matty Cash. He’s 4.8 as well, and while he’s overperforming a bit, we know he’s got that attacking flair. He can shoot from outside the box, he’s nailed on for minutes, and Villa’s home fixtures are pretty solid for clean sheets. His defensive contributions are terrible, but you’re really getting him for the attacking upside. And if you’re rotating him, pairing a 4.8 with a 4.1 is basically like rotating two 4.5s. So I’d lean towards someone like Cash if you want a bit more excitement and a player you can trust a bit more consistently.

Collins at Brentford is sitting 15th on the list. I did highlight him at the start of the season because he looked good for defensive contributions, and he still does. But I just don’t like Brentford’s defence overall, and I know that might not be entirely logical given their decent home numbers. The problem is I never want to play them away from home, and at 5.0, I don’t want a guy I can only trust half the time. Maybe I’ll revisit him later in the season when Brentford’s fixtures get better around Gameweek 27, but for now, I’m passing.

Skipping ahead a bit, we’ve got Van Hecke at Brighton. It’s a similar story. I just don’t trust Brighton’s defence. They’re the seventh worst by xGC, and while they’re okay at home, they’re pretty poor away. Van Hecke’s got a few goals, but his defensive contributions aren’t that great. I’d rather just save the money, go for someone like Alderete, and ignore the headache.

And then there’s Anderson at Fulham. A few weeks ago, I liked him as a top 4.5 option, but now the fixtures have turned a bit, and that window’s kind of closed. His defensive numbers are still solid, but he hasn’t produced any attacking returns. If he had, he’d look a lot better on paper, but right now I’m not that interested.

And lastly, Newcastle. I just can’t be bothered with them. I’m not paying 5.1 for someone like Malik Thiaw. Sure, on paper they’re a decent defence, but they’re not good enough at home or away to justify the price. So I’m just not interested.

That’s It.

I think the advice from this piece is pretty clear – get two defenders from Arsenal (maybe one from Arsenal and one from Liverpool/City/Newcastle. Then look to some of the cheaper guys to fill the next one or two slots in your defence – try and focus on a good rotation like the Villa/Sunderland one above. That means games at home, not just games against poor opposition.