After the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game opened for business yesterday, we’ve been busy assessing the Player Price List for the season ahead. Having analysed the Goalkeepers in our first article earlier today, we turn our attentions to the defenders next, beginning with the cut-price options.
After shipping 61 goals last term – more than any side bar the relegated trio – Aston Villa have been placed firmly in the budget bracket this time around, with their main men coming in at 4.5. Holland’s World Cup hero Ron Vlaar is the clear standout candidate for Paul Lambert’s side; he earned bonus on seven of the nine occasions his team produced a clean sheet, though with five of those shut-outs arriving on the road, the midlands side have proved more than a little unpredictable. Jores Okore could offer an intriguing alternative after recovering from the injury that forced him onto the sidelines for the majority of 2013/14. Elsewhere, the full-back options are currently a lottery and with Leandro Bacuna classed as a midfielder once again, there’s very little reliable attacking threat on show.
Midland’s neighbours West Brom dovetail home/away perfectly with Villa over the season and have a couple of new signings in the sub 5.0 price range that are worth keeping an eye on. Belgian international Sebastien Pocognoli sets you back 4.5 and seems poised to take on the left-back role following the departure of Liam Ridgewell. New boss, Alan Irvine, has also drafted in former Fulham man Chris Baird, though it remains to be seen whether the 4.0-priced utility man can claim a starting berth. There’s a remote possibility that he could claim a holding midfield role.
The promoted sides are always ripe with budget options and Burnley duo Ben Mee and Jason Shackell are available for 4.5 to offer an alternative to those who have baulked at Kieran Trippier’s loftier price tag. Michael Duff is even cheaper at 4.0 but it seems likely that manager Sean Dyche will replace the veteran in the heart of defence: he’s had two bids for West Brom’s Craig Dawson (4.5) rejected. For those eyeing up the Clarets after they delivered 18 shut-outs last term, they alternate home/away with Hull over the full 38 Gameweeks.
The Tigers can offer James Chester, Maynor Figueroa and Liam Rosenior for 4.5, whilst Paul McShane and Alex Bruce are even cheaper at just 4.0. If he can steer clear of injuries, Chester looks the likeliest to partner Curtis Davies at centre-half and offer a stronger security of starts than the rest of his budget team-mates. A goal and three assists in the final 12 matches of last season also underlines Rosenior’s top flight improvement.
Revisiting the promoted prospects, Leicester’s main men are nicely camped in the 4.5 bracket. Former United man Ritchie de Laet produced two goals and five assists from right-back last term and looks the best option for those eyeing up a rotation partnership with Southampton over the 38 Gameweeks. Skipper Wes Morgan is similarly priced and missed just one match last term, finding the net on a couple of occasions. Matthew Upson comes in at 4.0 after joining from Brighton earlier this month, though it’s uncertain whether the veteran has been earmarked as back-up by boss Nigel Pearson.
Southampton can offer Callum Chambers at 4.5, with the promising full-back hoping to nail down a starting berth under new manager Ronald Koeman. At present, Chambers’ game time remains uncertain but, if he can prove himself over the pre-season matches, he could be an intriguing choice, given the Saints’ excellent opening schedule. We’re uncertain on the centre-back pairing, at St Mary’s, with both Dejan Lovren and Jose Fonte subject to recent transfer speculation. This could yet bring both Maya Yoshida (4.5) and Jos Hooiveld (4.0), onto the radar.
With a transition also going on down at White Hart Lane, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Spurs shake-up. New boss Mauricio Pochettino helped Southampton to 15 clean sheets last term and if one of Kyle Naughton, Benoit Assou-Ekotto or Ezequiel Fryers can edge into the starting line-up, at 4.5 apiece they would be worthy of our attentions.
The Palace defence will inevitable be a popular source for mid-price defensive assets but, in the budget bracket, we’re limited to the fortunes of Adrian Mariappa. Bearing in mind he started each of the last 10 Gameweeks of the previous campaign, Mariappa, at 4.5, could just be the value route into a defence that delivered 12 clean sheets in the last 28 Gameweeks of 2013/14.
Palace rotate home and away with West Ham, although, from the Hammers’ squad, only James Collins is available at 4.5. Like Mariappa, he could still emerge as a Fantasy prospect but, having started just two of the final 10 Gameweeks of 2013/14, he looks to have fallen down the pecking order under Sam Allardyce and could be a risk too far. If we want to invest in a Hammers rearguard that kept seven clean sheets both at home and away last term, the mid-price bracket seems our only solution.
Newcastle’s Steven Taylor and Paul Dummett have both been priced at just 4.0 this time around. Neither is a guaranteed starter under Alan Pardew, though, and with Feyenoord’s Daryl Janmaat arriving to replace Mathieu Debuchy on the right, Dummet faces a tough task to oust Davide Santon at left-back. Fabricio Coloccini looks the safest route at 4.5. The Argentine earned bonus on six of the eight occasions he collected a clean sheet and could appeal to those considering a rotation with Sunderland over the 38 Gameweeks. The Ryan Taylor (4.5) situation is also worth monitoring – he seems unlikely to make a claim for a staring berth but, with his set-piece prowess, he could make some handy cameos once back to full fitness.
Sunderland’s new signing, Billy Jones, the injury-prone card magnet that is Wes Brown and the decidedly unexciting John O’Shea are all available for 4.5. It’s hard to justify a Black Cat defender, however. If Vito Mannone can shrug off the challenge of Costel Pantilimon and replicate the resilience that saw him average 4.6 ppg in 2013/14, it’s difficult to look beyond the Italian, whose save points strengthen his appeal over any defensive team-mate.
QPR are the final promoted side and they boast Danny Simpson, Richard Dunne and Clint Hill for 4.5. However, it remains to be seen whether either of the two centre-halves will keep their starting berths in the season ahead – the imminent signing of Rio Ferdinand underlines that Harry Redknapp is determined to significantly strengthen a defence that managed just nine home clean sheets in 23 Championship fixtures last term. Ferdinand’s price, when he lands at Loftus Road, could be of interest.
Stoke’s Geoff Cameron started 37 of last term’s league matches, yet comes in at just 4.5. The Potters’ home form particularly boosts his appeal – Mark Hughes’ side shipped just 17 goals in front of their own fans last term, producing seven of their nine shut-outs at the Britannia. As we’ve seen, the Potters afford us an excellent home and away rotation with Swansea over the season.
Indeed, the potential departure of Ben Davies could bring Swansea’s Neil Taylor onto our radars. The former has been linked with a move to Spurs since the installation of Mauricio Pochettino and if Davies makes the switch to north London, Taylor, at 4.5, looks perfectly poised to take up the left-back role and could hand us a rotation partnership with Stoke’s Cameron for just 9.0.
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