Experienced Fantasy Premier League managers know that the key to a quality FPL defender has less to do with their on-field defensive skill than their involvement in the opponent’s end. Unlike our real-world counterparts, there’s no hairdryer treatment for a fullback who fires in endless crosses or bombs recklessly into the opposition box chasing the odd goal.
The top shelf prices that the elite two-way players command means you can likely only afford one of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) or Joao Cancelo (£7.0m) unless you tighten the belt, hold your nose and reach a bit deeper in the bin for your other three defenders. It is also important to qualify “discount” in this context. While there are £4.0 defenders available, they’re not likely to earn you many points. Across the whole of last season, the highest point total for any £4.0 defender was Brandon Williams’ 36 point; Japhet Tanganga was next with 29. It’s true that they’re the least expensive by price, but those returns are very poor.
So, we’re sticking at £4.5m, and targeting players who can return good fantasy points per £1.0 invested. There are no names offered here who you wouldn’t feel comfortable sticking in your starting XI. Maximum potential to maximize return.
Fantasy Premier League's best-value FPL defenders:
1. Tariq Lamptey (£4.5m)
There is no player in the Prem who has more potential, or burned more FPL managers, than Tariq Lamptey. Brighton’s mercurial right wing-back has struggled mightily with injury in his young career. How young? Despite debuting for Chelsea back in 2018/19, he is still only 21 with 34 Premier League starts under his belt.
In those injury-limited minutes, Lamptey’s averaged 0.16 non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists per 90 minutes (npxG+xA/90 – just rolls off the tongue). That’s a good number but not elite – for comparison, Andy Robertson has averaged 0.23/90 across the last five seasons. Because of his ample time on the trainer’s table, Lamptey is a mere 3.2% selected offering you a low-cost, sparsely owned alternative in your back line.
Any discount defender is only as good as their schedule and Lamptey’s Gulls open away to Manchester United but then face seven softer opponents on the spin including home matches against Newcastle, Leeds, Leicester and Palace while travelling to Premier League new boys Fulham and Bournemouth. That’s a run softer than a 99 in July.
If Lamptey’s injury history concerns you, you can always to the south coast and add Joel Veltman (95pts last season) or Lewis Dunk (92) who are both priced level with Lamptey at £4.5m. Teammate Marc Cucurella is the most appealing to own from a point/£ perspective scoring 126 points last season, but he’s priced up one tier at £5.0. Cucu’s 25.2 points/£1.0 cost is nearly elite which suggests Pep Guardiola plays a bit of FPL himself. Any move to Man City mutes Marc’s ample FPL potential, so keep one eye on the back page if you add him to the squad now.
2. Ben White (£4.5m)
Fullbacks, or better yet the newer model wing-back, are often selected over their central partners but it’s not always the right choice. The most selected Arsenal defender is Takehiro Tomiyasu (£4.5m), the 23-year-old Japan international who has made 20 Premier League starts for the Gunners after joining from Bologna.
Despite 1,649 minutes in the EPL Tomiyasu didn’t make much impact offensively. He registered only 0.6 expected goals and 0.8 expected assists, in total, while failing to score an actual goal and notching a lone assist. That’s all really bad for fantasy value. Despite his presumptive best position being right fullback, the defender has only five league goals and six assists across 155 total appearances in Belgium, Italy and England.
If you’re set on investing in Arsenal defenders it’s likely down to price and schedule. Mikel Arteta’s team face five favorable opponents in August: Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham and Villa. That run makes Ben White (£4.5m) an attractive prospect. The center back made 32 starts and was a part of all 13 of Arsenal’s Premier League clean sheets.
Last season’s point total was modest but still kept White on pace for 127 points which nets out 28.25 points per £1.0m. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 208 points are massive, but when you factor in his £7.5m cost your return is 27.75 pts/£1.0m. FOMO has us doling out princely sums on luxury items, but you’ll win by maximizing returns from the H&M staples in your starting XI and bench.
3. Kieran Trippier (£5.0m)
If you’re buying a wing-back, buy a proper one. Kieran Trippier is back in England, penciled in for 30+ starts with Newcastle United after a three-year sojourn with Atletico Madrid, Trippier returned to England in January.
In February, the back pages proclaimed his season potentially over due to a foot injury, but not before he recorded two goals in back-to-back clashes against Everton and Aston Villa. Trips did return before the final match and played the full 90 against former club Burnley to close out the year.
Priced £5.0, the 31-year-old isn’t quite the marauder he was in his early days, when he racked up 23 total assists across two seasons of Championship football with The Clarets. The England international recorded 10 La Liga assists - split 4/6 - in his first two years with Atleti but failed to score a goal across 63 appearances in Spain’s top flight. At this price he represents value; adding in his ownership (16.0% at time of writing) and you’re betting on earning points and early season price rises helping build out your bankroll.
4. Matty Cash (£5.0m)
If you’ve been frugal with your other selections moving up £0.5m to the £5.0m tier for a defender or two is well within your budget. Popular picks here will include Aaron Cresswell and Arsenal's Gabriel, but Aston Villa’s Matty Cash is unquestionably worth the slight premium. At age 24, Cash is just entering his prime and has already demonstrated superb two-way ability. For our purposes bargain hunting, the attacking contributions are most important.
Last season Cash started a perfect 38 EPL matches, making him the perfect Set and Forget defender. He finished the year with 147 total points, 7th at his position, and scored four goals with three assists. The raw numbers are good, but the underlying numbers are gold. Cash averaged a shot every 90 and generated 1.44 shot-creating actions per game. That puts him in the mix for goals and assists every time he steps on the pitch.
All told he recorded a full century of touches in the opponent’s penalty area and made 94 crosses, constantly posing a threat in the attacking third. Though he will have his bad games, Cash is as good as money in the bank. But him this summer and start him every week.
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