Today we roll out the second in our series of End of Season articles. With Michel Vorm running away with the Goalkeeper poll – the Swansea man gathered 62% of the votes cast – we now turn our attentions to the defenders. You’ll find the poll in the middle of the main screen, just below the Captain Poll for Gameweek 38:

As always, bear in mind that the vote is from an overall Fantasy perspective – total points, price, performances and FPL value should all come into consideration here. Also be aware that each person is entitled to vote for four defenders here..

Danny Simpson
Starting the season priced at 4.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the Newcastle right-back has been a solid performer for Alan Pardew’s side. Simpson’s campaign has been cut short by an ankle injury over the last couple of weeks but he featured in the Magpies’ first XI for the first 35 Gameweeks, offering a cut-price route into one of the league’s most solid backlines. His attacking returns have been minimal – just a couple of assists – but a total of 14 clean sheets has proved exceptional for a player now priced at 4.7, with Simpson ranked as top value defender for the season so far.

Vincent Kompany
While Roberto Mancini’s rotation policy is always likely to affect his full-backs, the City skipper offers Fantasy managers assured starts in the league’s meanest defence. Kompany began the season at just 6.0 in FPL, having been classified as a midfielder in the previous campaign, but has been worth every penny. Despite missing seven games through injury and suspension, he still sits in second place in the defender rankings, and has produced the goods at both ends of the pitch – 15 clean sheets at the back, in addition to three goals, two assists and 12 bonus points.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto
The Cameroon international was the cheapest of the Tottenham full-backs as the season kicked off, coming in at 5.0 compared to Kyle Walker’s 5.5. It’s easy to see why – Assou-Ekotto had failed to produce any attacking returns at all in 2010/11 but this time round, he provided plenty threat from the back, with a couple of goals and five assists – Walker has two goals and a single assist in comparison. With 12 clean sheets also picked up, his price rose as high as 6.3 before a shoulder injury put paid to his season in Gameweek 35, though the left-back still sits comfortably in the top five for defenders after accruing 135 points; a full 45 more than his previous FPL high, back in 2009/10.

Jonny Evans
Nemanja Vidic’s injury-plagued campaign has afforded the Irishman the chance to establish himself at the heart of the United defence. Price at just 4.5 at the start of the season, Evans’ cut-price potential is obvious – over his 28 appearances, he has picked up 14 clean sheets. In his most successful Fantasy campaign by some distance, Evans also provided a goal, three assists and nine bonus points for his Fantasy owners and, with 115 points so far, is the top value player in Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.

Gareth McAuley
The West Brom centre-half has proven to be a strong cut-price candidate, particularly at the Hawthorns. Starting at 4.0, McAuley’s home form has afforded Fantasy managers the option of a reliable means of rotation, with eight of his nine clean sheets coming in front of his own fans this term. Having established himself as a first-team regular from Gameweek 6 onwards, McAuley has missed just one game since and, with a couple of goals, an assist and 10 bonus points, is second only to Simpson in terms of value this term for defenders.

Ryan Taylor
While his game time has been somewhat curtailed in recent matches, there’s no denying Taylor’s impact on the start of many a Fantasy season. He kicked off the campaign as Alan Pardew’s first-choice left-back and, with set-piece duties also in the bag, his attacking potential saw him leap in price from 4.0 to as high as 5.4, with two goals, five assists and 13 bonus points making him the second most popular defender in the FPL, with a current ownership of 26.9%. His versatility has also see him afforded a role on the Magpies right wing but with no starts in the last 10 Gameweeks, his time as a regular looks to have come to an end.

Thomas Vermaelen
His season has been affected by ankle and calf injuries but, when fit, Vermaelen’s potential for points at both ends of the pitch is almost unequalled. The Belgian has started 27 games for the Gunners, scoring six times – more than any defender – and providing a single assist. He’s returned double figures on four occasions for his Fantasy owners, in addition to picking up 14 bonus points. His absence at the back has been sorely felt by Arsene Wenger’s side – Arsenal have returned a clean sheet in 11 of the 27 games Vermaelen has started, compared to just a couple in their other 10 Gameweeks.

Patrice Evra
The United man leads the way in the defender rankings with just one game to go, having accrued a total of 153 points – 40 more than last season’s tally. Starting at 7.0, Evra is far from cheap but after missing the season opener at West Brom, he has started every one of United’s fixtures – the only player to offer a consistency of selection in Sir Alex Ferguson’s backline. As a result, he has returned 18 clean sheets – three more than any other defender – and has provided six assists, in addition to picking up seven bonus points.

Steven Caulker
Having been sidelined for ten Gameweeks with a knee injured sustained in the Gameweek 4 defeat at Arsenal, the on-loan centre half returned in time to offer Fantasy managers a winter wildcard route into the Swansea backline. With the likes of Ashley Williams soaring to 5.1, Caulker has never risen above 4.1 in comparison, despite being a first-choice pick when available for Brendan Rodgers. A total of 25 appearances has harvested nine clean sheets and, with an assist and eight bonus points also thrown in, Caulker has averaged 3.3 points per game; the most impressive of any Swansea defensive option.

John Terry
The Chelsea skipper’s 7.5 price tag will always deter many Fantasy managers and, with a mere nine clean sheets to his name, defensive returns have been underwhelming. Luckily, Terry has been at his most prolific in front of goal, finding the net on five occasions – the sum total of his previous two seasons for the Blues. The centre-half also seems to be suited to the EA SPORTS PPI scoring system – a total of 16 bonus points is second top for defenders and, as a result, he’s averaged 4.3 points per game, far superior to second placed Ashley Cole’s 3.5 in the Chelsea backline.

Leighton Baines
Let’s face it – the Everton left-back hasn’t been at his creative best in 2011/12. In spite of his constant delivery from the flank, Baines has provided just a couple of assists this term, compared to 11 in the previous campaign. Similar to Terry, however, his game is tailor-made for the new bonus system; Baines’ 18 points leads the way for defenders and, with four goals and nine clean sheets also thrown in, he still finds himself in the top five for defenders, with 133 points so far.