Fantasy Premier League: 8 Must-Have Defenders for your FPL Team

Manchester City v Everton - Premier League
Kyle Walker

The Premier League is now just days away and we cannot contain our excitement anymore as it also signals the return of our beloved Fantasy Premier League.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was great but nothing beats the excitement of setting your FPL lineup and then anxiously following all the matches on the weekend as players from your fantasy squad take on their respective opposition.

The first and foremost task in your FPL journey for the season is squad selection from a talented group of 500 players. With high-profile names like Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and many more to select from fantasy managers are in a fix on how to manage their squad offensively and defensively.

But, we are all aware of the famous quote "Offense wins you games but defence wins you championships" and the same goes for our fantasy teams where a clean sheet can make or break our weekend.

Well here are some of the must-have defensive options for your FPL team this season:

PS: Fixture Difficulty Ranking or FDR is a method of rating fixtures on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the hardest.


#8 Kyle Walker (Manchester City, £6.5)

Walker was a phenomenon last season as he dominated at the right back position for the premier league champions Manchester City.

He was a marauding presence on both sides of the pitch as he registered 6 assists and 15 clean sheets in City's run to the championship.

City are having an easy start in their title defence as they play usual mid-table dwellers and relegation fighters Huddersfield, Wolves, Fulham, Cardiff & Brighton in 5 of their first 8 games, who record a paltry score of 2 on the Fixture Difficulty Rating.

#7 Jannik Vestergaard(Southampton, £5.0)

Southampton v Borussia Monchengladbach - Pre-Season Friendly
Jannik Vestergaard(in red)

One of Southampton's summer acquisition is 6 ft 5in danish defender Jannik Vestergaard who they acquired from Borrusia Monchengladbach for a transfer fee of £18 million.

Vestergaard was a stud in Bundesliga, he had the most number of blocks by any player in the league last season(39), third highest number of passes by a center back(1913), joint 3rd in goals scored by a defender(3) and top 10 in aerial duels won(103).

He will be an imposing figure in both halves of the pitch and with his passing and defensive abilities Vestergaard has a good chance of collecting bonus points too.

#6 James Tarkowski(Burnley, £5.0)

Burnley v Swansea City - Premier League
James Tarkowski

The 2017/18 Premier League season was a breakout season for James Tarkowski as he became a regular member in the Burnley squad which secured a spot in Europe. He was the only defender who was not a player of the 'Big 6' but still secured 10+ clean sheets.

As Sean Dyche barely tinkers with his squad, Tarkowski can be earmarked for 34+ starts and with a stingy defence like that of Burnley's another season of 10+ clean sheets can be a considered a reality.

Burnley have a relatively easy start to their 2017-18 campaign as they play Southampton, Watford, Fulham, Wolves, Cardiff & Huddersfield in 6 of their first 8 fixtures, all of whom register a favourable score of 2 on the Fixture Difficulty Rating.

#5 Patrick Van Aanholt(Crystal Palace, £5.5)

Reading v Crystal Palace - Pre-Season Friendly
Patrick Van Aanholt

Van Aanholt is part of the select few defenders who boast of scoring more than 3+ goals in their last 3 seasons. He is currently averaging 5.34 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 seasons.

Van Aanholt finished tied 2nd in the Premier League for goals scored by defenders, so if fantasy managers are looking for a cheap goal scoring defender then he is an intriguing option at £5.5 million.

With Fulham, Southampton, Huddersfield & Wolves being 4 of Crystal Palace's first 8 fixtures the fixture list is relatively easy for the Eagles as all of them register a total of 2 on the Fixture Difficulty Rating, Van Aanholt will be ready with his shooting boots come match day.

#4 Marcos Alonso(Chelsea, £6.5)

FC Barcelona v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg
Marcos Alonso(in White)

No defender has been as productive as Marcos Alonso since his arrival into the league in the 2016/17 season, he has averaged 6.5 goals and 3.5 assists in his last 2 seasons at Chelsea.

Alonso was the top scoring defender during the 2017/18 season as he finished with 7 goals along with 2 assists and 13 clean sheets to record 165 points in total. He is the primary set-piece specialist for The Blues and will be a constant source of points again this season.

With relegation battlers Huddersfield & Cardiff being 2 of Chelsea's first 5 fixtures, Alonso will be one to watch out for.

#3 Andrew Robertson(Liverpool, £6.0)

Liverpool v Brighton and Hove Albion - Premier League
Andrew Robertson

Andrew Robertson was acquired by Liverpool from Hull City for £8 million and was expected to be an understudy to Alberto Moreno but an injury to Moreno made Robertson the starting left back for Liverpool in the December of 2017.

Since then, Robertson has transformed into one of the better left backs in the league and was only behind Hector Bellerin for most touches in the final third of the pitch by a defender.

He had 5 assists and 1 goal along with 10 clean sheets last season and with Allison now taking over the goalkeeper duties Robertson has the license to attack freely.

#2 Tim Ream(Fulham, £4.5)

Aston Villa v Fulham - Sky Bet Championship Play Off Final
Tim Ream

Tim Ream was one of the major reasons why Fulham made it to the Premier League. He was was their rock at the back as Fulham conceded just 46 goals in a 46 match campaign.

Ream will be expected to play an important role for Fulham as they return to the Premier League after a 4-year absence. Ream has excellent defensive and ball playing skills.

He averaged 6.1 clearances and 0.7 blocks per match, the most among Fulham defenders. His passing accuracy of 88.3% and 59.5 passes per match were 2nd and 3rd highest among championship defenders last season. All of these attributes will be crucial in acquiring bonus points.

Ream is a cheap way into the Cottagers defence and will provide a quality attacking option in your defence at a budget price.

#1 James Tomkins(Crystal Palace, £4.5)

Huddersfield Town v Crystal Palace - Premier League
James Tomkins

James Tomkins is a cheap choice from Crystal Palace defence who can provide attacking returns at a bargain price.

In his last 2 seasons, he has averaged 3 goals per season and is a huge goal threat from set pieces. He also had 9 clean sheets and finished with 99 points last season.

Crystal Palace is one of the teams to boast a decent fixture list in the beginning of the season with Fulham, Southampton, Huddersfield & Wolves being 4 of their opponents in their first 8 fixtures scoring just 2 on the Fixture Difficulty Rating.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith