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Best defenders on FPL
In this article, we will highlight the top 10 defenders worth picking up in your Fantasy Premier League side for the 2022/23 campaign.
10. Joachim Andersen, Crystal Palace (4.5m)
Joachim Andersen being one of the top 10 defenders on FPL may be somewhat odd.
However, it is worth remembering that the key to a successful team is balancing premium options, like the ones later in this list, alongside the budget players.
And as far as defenders go, the best strategy is generally to pick two 4.5m defenders and rotate them with one another each week to try and maximise clean sheets without spending a huge amount of money.
And one of the best picks for this should be Andersen. The Crystal Palace defender was the 16th-highest scoring defender on FPL last term, with every player above him now 5.0m or above.
As for Crystal Palace, they kept a solid 12 clean sheets and had the 7th-best defence in the Premier League, meaning as long as you rotate well, you should get plenty of points out of Andersen.
9. Tariq Lamptey, Brighton (4.5m)
The next player you should look to target is Tariq Lamptey of Brighton.
Lamptey is another excellent 4.5m defender pick and ranks higher than Andersen for a number of reasons.
Firstly, Brighton as a team had a better defensive record than Palace last term, boasting the 6th-best defence.
Secondly, Lamptey is a full-back, so he does have, in theory, more of a chance to push forward to earn assists.
And, whilst Lamptey did not score as high as Andersen last term, that was largely due to injury.
Lamptey did not start a league game in 2021/22 until gameweek 11 and then suffered another small injury at the back end of the campaign.
But as long as he can stay fit, he should be one of the best 4.5m defenders this term.
8. Jonny Otto, Wolves (4.5m)
The final 4.5m defender you may wish to sign on FPL is Wolves’ Jonny Otto.
Like Lamptey, Jonny’s 2021/22 was hampered by injury. However, after making his first start of the season in gameweek 28, the Spaniard went on to start the remainder of Wolves’ fixtures last term, whilst also providing two goals from the left-wing-back spot.
Bruno Lages’ team also had the 5th best defence in the top-flight this past campaign, behind only the top-four.
7. Eric Dier, Tottenham (5.0m)
Moving away from the 4.5 defenders, Eric Dier could be a great budget choice this campaign.
Spurs, despite a horrid start to the season which saw them keep just three clean sheets in the opening 10 gameweeks, managed to end 2021/22 with the third-most clean sheets of any PL team.
And now Antonio Conte is at the helm for an entire campaign, Tottenham should, in theory, improve upon that number.
As for Dier, he may not be the most flashy defender, but he is a favourite of Conte’s and is expected to maintain his spot at the centre of the Italian’s back-three.
6. Ruben Dias, Manchester City (6.0m)
Ruben Dias is an obvious option to include in your FPL side as Manchester City often end seasons with the fewest, or second-fewest, goals conceded in the Premier League.
And as Dias is a regular for Man City, he is one of their safest picks.
He loses a few places on this list, though, due to him being a centre-back, which limits his attacking returns and because of the fact, whilst he is a favourite of Pep Guardiola’s, he still falls victim to the ‘Pep roulette’
5. Matty Cash, Aston Villa (5.0m)
The best none premium defensive option on FPL this season looks to be Matty Cash.
The full-back endured an impressive 2021/22 that saw him score four and assist three in the league.
This, on top of Villa’s 12 clean sheets, made Cash the 7th-best defender on FPL last term, with all six players above him now priced at least 1.0m higher.
4. Reece James, Chelsea (6.0m)
Reece James could end up being the best value-for-money player on FPL this season.
For that to happen, though, Thomas Tuchel would likely have to stick with a back-five – there is some talk he will switch to a four – and James would have to stay fit all season.
The right-back scored five and assisted an impressive nine times for Chelsea in just 26 league games last term. A record which, if he can repeat over a full season, stands him in good stead to be the highest-scoring defender on FPL this campaign.
3. Andy Robertson, Liverpool (7.0m)
Andy Robertson is one again coming in at 7.0m on FPL and he is probably once again worth it.
Liverpool generally, barring a collapse in 2020/21 due to an injury crisis, have one of the best defences in the division.
And as Jurgen Klopp relies heavily on his full-backs to create chances, both Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold usually end a season with double-digit assist hauls.
2. Joao Cancelo, Manchester City (7.0m)
As already mentioned, Manchester City have one of the best defences in the Premier League.
What gives Cancelo his value, though, is his superb assist record – 11 in the league last term – and his versatility, which generally allows him to avoid what FPL users bud ‘Pep roulette’ for the most part.
1. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool (7.5m)
The final and best defensive option for your FPL team is, of course, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Like Robertson, TAA has been one of the best defenders on FPL for many years now. Even in 2020/21 during Liverpool’s injury woes, he still managed to score two and assist eight.
He scored the most points from defence on FPL last year and is expected to do the same again this year. He is a must-have in your side.
