Having checked in on the Goalkeepers in our previous Watchlist review, we now turn our attention to the defenders.
Our Watchlist rankings can be found in your sidebar on desktop, or via your slide-in menu on mobile or tablet.
They give an indication of our thinking on player selection for each position, listing the factors that are contributing to the given rank.
Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi (5.9) soars to the summit of our updated standings.
Now the top scoring defender in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the Argentine has supplied two goals, six clean sheets and five bonus points in the opening nine Gameweeks.
As a result, more than 132,000 have snapped him up since last weekend, taking him to 18% ownership – the third most popular defender.
For all the hype surrounding the City attack, only two team-mates – Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero with 59 points – have bettered Otamendi’s total of 55 points. And no defender has managed more than his nine attempts in the box.
Pep Guardiola’s men have conceded just four goals, have allowed fewer shots (27) than any side and already registered shut-outs against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.
That’s as fixture-proof as it gets, and with Vincent Kompany still stuck on the sidelines, Otamendi looks a very secure pick as the league leaders face West Brom, Arsenal, Leicester, Huddersfield, Southampton and West Ham over the next six.
Charlie Daniels (4.9) is another on the rise as Bournemouth prepare for a strong schedule from Gameweek 11 onwards.
Eddie Howe’s side have admittedly struggled at the back, with just one clean sheet so far, but once the weekend clash with Chelsea has passed, they are handed a run of six matches (new HUD swa BUR SOT cry) that look conducive to Fantasy returns.
Daniels – who produced seven goals and eight assists over the previous two seasons – already has a goal and assist to his name. The left-back has created more chances (eight) than any team-mate and has fired four efforts on goal – more than any other Cherries defender.
Jan Vertonghen replaces Ben Davies as our preferred Spurs defender after the latter was only named on the bench at home to Liverpool. The Welshman’s two starts in five, allied with the return to action of Danny Rose, creates far too many question marks over his pitch-time currently.
Meanwhile, Burnley’s Stephen Ward (4.7) is second only to Otamendi in terms of value for defenders.
Only Arsenal’s Nacho Monreal (eight to seven) has claimed more bonus points than Ward, who sits on 44 points thanks also to a goal, assist and three clean sheets.
And he has the schedule to maintain that steady start, with four favourable home matches (NEW SWA WAT STK) allied with trips to Southampton, Bournemouth, and Leicester in the next eight Gameweeks.
His team-mate Ben Mee (4.5) is a viable alternative, sitting joint-top for efforts in the box (nine).
Man United’s Phil Jones (5.3) takes a slight tumble ahead of clashes with Spurs and Chelsea. After limping off at Huddersfield, he’s now expected to feature in the weekend’s clash with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, meaning that most owners will be prepared to hold with the schedule turning in his favour from Gameweek 12.
Palace’s Scott Dann and Brighton’s Shane Duffy both offer a compelling goal threat ahead of some kind fixtures, with eight attempts inside the box apiece bettered by only three other defenders.
With 10 points in the first nine Gameweeks, Dann has been far from our Fantasy radars but now offers four home fixtures (WHM EVE STK BOU) and trips to Brighton and West Brom in the next seven.
He comes in at 4.7, though Julian Speroni (4.0) has now started each of the last two ahead of Wayne Hennessey in goal. With 19 goals against and no clean sheets, though, the Eagles still need to convince us of their potential.
Duffy (4.5), meanwhile, is our preferred Seagulls defender ahead of fellow centre-half Lewis Dunk (4.4). He sits second for clearances, blocks and interceptions and has returned three clean sheets and four bonus points ahead of home clashes with (SOT STK CRY) and a trip to Swansea in the next five.
Maya Yoshida (5.1) finally usurps Cedric Soares (5.0) as our Southampton defender of choice after partnering the fit-again Virgil Van Dijk in each of the last three Gameweeks.
The Japan international is joint-top among defenders for shots in the box (nine) and has returned a goal, assist, four clean sheets and six bonus to this point.
He’s superior to Soares in the Bonus Points System (BPS), too, and now faces Brighton, Burnley, Everton and Bournemouth in the upcoming six.
Further down, Watford’s Kiko Femenia is set for ten strong fixtures (STK eve WHU new bur cry HUD bha LEI SWA) in the next 12, taking us all the way up to Gameweek 21.
Only back-to-back home clashes with United and Spurs in Gameweek 14-15 look testing for the in-form Hornets. Priced at 4.5, he’s collected two bonus points on all three occasions that his side have kept a clean sheet.
Liverpool have a similarly favourable schedule all the way up till Gameweek 21, with only clashes against Chelsea (Gameweek 13) and Arsenal (Gameweek 19) looking troublesome.
Yet their problems at the back – summed up by Sunday’s capitulation at Spurs – means that no Reds defender is owned by more than 2% of FPL managers.
Having started the last four, Joe Gomez could now be set for an extended run, particularly if he’s moved to centre-half at the expense of Dejan Lovren.
At 4.5, he may yet prove value given the rest of the Reds’ fixtures (HUD whu SOT stk bha EVE WBA bou SWA LEI bur) over that period.
Despite their troubles on the road, Jurgen Klopp’s side have conceded just once at Anfield so far. Alberto Moreno – also at 4.5 – is the other consideration. The Spaniard boasts some attacking potential, although Andy Robertson remains an option at left-back for Jurgen Klopp and just taints our view on Moreno at this current time.
Elsewhere on Merseyside, Phil Jagielka (4.9) may also emerge as decent value if Everton can improve at the back following the departure of Ronald Koeman.
Like Liverpool, they also boast some fine fixtures, with eight promising match-ups (lei WAT cry sot WHU HUD new SWA) in nine.
Geoff Cameron (4.4) is our new Stoke defender of choice after the similarly-priced Kevin Wimmer dropped to the bench to accommodate the fit-again Ryan Shawcross last weekend.
Faith in the Potters’ rearguard is understandably low after they shipped 20 goals in the opening nine, yet fixtures with Watford, Leicester, Brighton, Palace and Swansea in the next six Gameweeks could force a reassessment.
