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With less than ten days to go for the 2020/21 season of the Premier League, FPL managers are busy drafting their FPL teams. The arrival of new players in the transfer window and the reclassification of some popular FPL players don't make their job any easier.
It's pretty common to hear FPL managers exclaim, "£100 m is not enough." To fit in more expensive FPL assets, managers look for cheap starters from the bottom, known as enablers. Such budget-friendly picks have always been popular among FPL managers, take, for, example, John Lundstram last season.
So on that note, let's now take a look at the five best budget defenders this season.
Note: Only players costing £4.5 m or under have been considered.
#5 Tyrick Mitchell (CRY)(£4.0 m)
Tyrick Mitchell could become a popular FPL asset this season owing to his cheap price of £4.0 m. The left-back is set to be the cheapest starting defender this season following injuries to Patrick van Aanholt and Nathan Ferguson. He has received a lot of praise from manager Roy Hodgson and even started the last two Premier League games last season.
He has been the starting left-back for most of Palace's pre-season fixtures, and he could become a real cut-price gem in FPL. They also have some decent fixtures at the start of the campaign and having Mitchell in your team could allow you to squeeze the extra £0.5 or £1.0m you might need to get a premium asset into your team.
#4 Adam Webster (BHA)(£4.5 m)
Brighton center-back Adam Webster is a good budget option to consider in your FPL team. He costs £4.5 m and looks set to start every game now that Shane Duffy is on loan to Celtic.
He was the second-highest points-scoring defender for the Seagulls last season, with 88 FPL points. He offers a lot of goal threat from set-pieces, and scored three goals and provided one assist as well in 2019/20.
He could be considered as a more cut-price alternative to club captain Lewis Dunk, who's another major goal threat from set-pieces.
While Brighton doesn't have the easiest of fixtures at the start of the campaign, they are a reliable defensive side, and Webster could emerge as a standout value option once their fixtures become easier.
#3 Kyle Walker-Peters (SOU)(£4.5 m)
Kyle Walker-Peters has become a very popular FPL option already, after Southampton's impressive PL 19/20 campaign. At the time of writing, he is owned by close to 10% of FPL managers. He is the Saints' first-choice right-back this season after being signed by the club from Tottenham Hotspur.
Southampton kept nine clean sheets last season and showed great signs of improvement in the second half of the season. With the addition of players like Mohammed Salisu, they are certainly on their way to becoming a defensively solid side. Walker-Peters has also been a good source of creativity playing at right-back, and he could get some attacking returns as well as increased bonus points.
At £4.5 m, he should be a name you should consider picking for your FPL team, especially considering Southampton's good opening fixtures.
#2 Charlie Taylor (BUR)(£4.5 m)
While he's one of four Burnley defenders to be priced at £4.5 m, Charlie Taylor looks the most attractive option as he is expected to be their first choice left-back. Taylor made the position his own and ousted Erik Pieters, who later played in left midfield, following some injury concerns.
However, with most of the squad fit to play, Taylor seems to be the best option from a side that is very defensively sound. He also showed signs of his creativity though he could register just one assist last season.
Despite Burnley's GW 1 blank, their opening run of fixtures look quite encouraging, and their defensive solidity should make you pick Taylor without thinking twice.
#1 Ruben Vinagre (WOL)(£4.5 m)
Ruben Vinagre is undoubtedly the best budget defender this season as he's set to play as left-wing-back for the Wolves following regular starter Jonny's injury. The 21-year old Portuguese full-back shows great promise for FPL managers as his role guarantees attacking returns in addition to the clean sheet points from the solid Wolves defense.
With Matt Doherty being sold to Spurs, there is doubt over who will start at right-back, and while it does open the possibility for the likes of Max Kilman(£4.0m) to secure a starting role, it is too early to predict with any certainity.
So all things considered, Vinagre is the best defensive FPL option from Wolves, at least for the time being, as he's the cheapest among the lot while also being the player with the opportunity to get the most attacking returns. His potential has already been spotted by FPL managers, with over 18.2% managers including him in their side.
