We roll out our third in a series of articles analysing the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Player Price List this afternoon. Having cast an eye over Goalkeepers and Budget Defenders, we now assess what’s on offer amongst mid-price defenders:
At 5.5 Mathieu Debuchy may find himself in many a Fantasy managers’ plans for the season ahead after completing a move to Arsenal yesterday. With the Gunners’ centre-halves in the premium bracket and the left-back berth blighted by injury and rotation, Debuchy offers a very tempting option on the right of a back-four that served up 17 clean sheets (11 at home, seven away) in 2013/14. As no more than an Gunners squad member, Thomas Vermaelen’s appeal is virtually non-existent but, if recent reports are true, Louis Van Gaal is determined to step up his interest in the Belgian. A move to Old Trafford would immediately rocket the 5.0-priced Vermaelen into many a Fantasy managers’ plans – his kind price, allied with United’s opening schedule, could potentially prove excellent value from the kick-off.
In the same price bracket is Burnley’s highly-rated Kieran Trippier. The right-back is the dearest option amongst Sean Dyche’s back line after serving up a goal and 12 assists last season and offers a home/away partnership with Hull over the 38 Gameweeks, though many may choose to play him regardless of fixture, given his obvious attacking potential.
Having finished 25 points clear of any defensive team-mate last time around, Curtis Davies is again the most expensive backline option for Steve Bruce’s side. Whilst some may baulk at a 5.0 price tag, it’s worth remembering that Hull earned eight clean sheets in front of their own fans last term and, with five strikes across all competitions, the big centre-half carries the greatest goal threat amongst Bruce’s defence – with a number of cheaper options available for the Tigers, though, some may choose to shop in the budget bracket.
Crystal Palace trio Joel Ward, Scott Dann and Damien Delaney also set you back 5.0 this time around after delivering 12 clean sheets in the final 28 Gameweeks of 2013/14. With Tony Pulis at the helm, the Eagles were fairly reliable both home and away (seven and five clean sheets respectively), suggesting they could be more than just bench options when on the road. As mentioned in our previous article, though, if Adrian Mariappa (4.5) nails down the right-back berth, he looks the value route into a defence that rotates home/away with West Ham over the entire season.
Having delivered 14 clean sheets (seven at home, seven away) last season, Big Sam’s side were a regular source of defensive returns. Three of their defensive mainstays come in at the 5.0 mark, including Guy Demel and Winston Reid, though new boy Aaron Cresswell’s form clearly precedes him – two goals and 14 assists for Ipswich in the Championship in the previous campaign, supplemented by his excellent dead-ball delivery, land him with a 5.5 price tag. If James Collins can nail down a spot in the centre, however, his 4.5 price tag is a little kinder.
Everton trio Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin and John Stones will set you back 5.5 apiece after the Toffees registered 15 clean sheets in Roberto Martinez’ first term in charge. The youngster’s cost is a little surprising, given that his game time mainly came as a result of injuries to others last season, though Distin’s advancing years may afford Stones greater opportunities in the campaign ahead as Martinez attempts to battle on the domestic and European fronts. For those who are reluctant to pay a premium outlay for the Toffees full-backs, Jagielka – with an average of 4.0 ppg in 2013/14 – looks the best option here.
Liverpool’s Jon Flanagan comes in at 5.0 after a breakout season saw him start each of the final 16 Gameweeks in 2013/14. If the youngster can continue as a first-choice option under Brendan Rodgers he’d offer a cheap route into the Reds’ rearguard – a goal and two assists underlines his attacking potential but with 10 clean sheets to their name in the previous campaign, the Merseysiders’ lack of resilience is an issue.
A quintet of United players come in at 5.5 apiece. Patrice Evra is edging towards the exit door, though, leaving Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Rafael as our mid-price options at Old Trafford – with Swansea, Sunderland, Burnley, QPR, Leicester, West Ham, Everton and West Brom in the first eight Gameweeks, the Red Devils could barely ask for a kinder opening schedule next time around. If Louis Van Gaal rolls out a 3-4-3 formation, Rafael could be afforded an out of position berth if he can nail down the right flank role ahead of Antonio Valencia.
Southampton’s centre-halves Jose Fonte and Dejan Lovren both come in at 5.5 after the club picked up 15 clean sheets under former manager Mauricio Pochettino. It remains to be seen whether the Saints will be quite so resilient with Ronald Koeman at the helm, though Fonte’s three goal-haul last term underlines his potential in the opposition box. For 5.0, though, Nathaniel Clyne looks the better value route into a backline that faces just two of last season’s top eight in the opening 12 Gameweeks, though Callum Chambers’ game time needs monitoring after he was afforded a 4.5 price tag – all the more so given that Southampton rotate home/away with Leicester over the 38 Gameweeks and The Foxes main men come in at 4.5 apiece.
Ryan Shawcross sets you back 5.5 for the campaign ahead, whilst Robert Huth, Phil Bardsley and Erik Pieters are available for 5.0. Stoke’s home form (seven clean sheets and 17 goals conceded) bodes well for defensive returns but, bearing in mind the Potters kept out their opponents only twice on the road, their appeal somewhat diminishes – if Geoff Cameron continues at right-back under Mark Hughes, his price of 4.5 is hard to overlook. As mentioned previously, Hughes’ men offer a home/away rotation with Swansea over the 38 matches, and with the Welsh club’s first-choice back-four all coming in at 5.0 apiece, a double-up with Cameron looks a budget-friendly partnership. As mentioned in yesterday’s article, if Ben Davies departs the Liberty, Neil Taylor’s 4.5 price tag would work nicely in tandem with Cameron.
Tottenham offer a quarter of options in the 5.0 price bracket. Danny Rose is finally classified as a defender and will be hoping to nail down the left-back berth again, whilst Vlad Chiriches, Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul look likely to battle it out for the right to partner Jan Vertonghen in Mauricio Pochettino’s back-four. Southampton’s defensive form under the Argentine offers optimism for Fantasy managers – seven shut-outs at home and eight on the road (the same number as Chelsea away from home) suggests that at least one of the above-mentioned four could be great value in 2014/15, providing they nail down a regular role.
