We are continuing to go through each of the options currently on our Watchlist.
The players that can be found in the widget on our side-bar are options that we believe Fantasy Premier League managers should be monitoring for a place in their own squads.
After looking at goalkeepers earlier this week, we now move onto defenders.
Andrew Robertson (£6.4m) keeps his place at the top of the Watchlist after securing a second double-figure haul of the campaign in Gameweek 12. The Liverpool left-back has offered a spread of points so far in 2018/19 with high clean sheet potential, creativity and propensity for bonus points.
Marcos Alonso (£7.1m) is the only defender to have recorded more FPL points this season than Robertson but stays second on account of Chelsea’s fixtures. While Liverpool face Watford, Everton, Burnley and Bournemouth in the next four matches, Chelsea travel to Spurs and host Manchester City in that time, with Fulham and Wolves in between. Despite that tricky run, Alonso remains another reliable option this season, also with multiple points-scoring avenues on offer. In the first 12 matches of 2018/19, it’s one goal, seven assists and six clean sheets.
Wolves’ fixture swing has pulled Matt Doherty (£4.9m) into third place on the defenders’ Watchlist. Matches against Huddersfield (home), Cardiff (away), Chelsea (home) and Newcastle (away) are too good to ignore. We know that Doherty is another defender with plenty on offer, his advanced positioning as the wing-back in Wolves’ 3-4-3 system underpinning his assist and goal potential. However, his 16.5% ownership will have to pay close attention to the news between now and the Gameweek 13 deadline as he is considered a doubt as a result of the facial injury picked up against Arsenal.
The recent news about Benjamin Mendy’s knee surgery has pushed him off the Watchlist, to be replaced by team-mate Aymeric Laporte (£5.9m). The centre-back was the option we put on in place of Mendy when he was absent for a weeks earlier this season. As the only outfield player to have been involved in every single minute of Manchester City’s Premier League campaign thus far, he warrants some investment. The Frenchman has collected seven sheets in 2018/19, more than any other City defender mainly on account of how often he has played. There’s a lot to be said for having a City option that seems immune to Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy.
Shane Duffy (£4.6m) holds off competition from team-mate Lewis Dunk (£4.4m) to be the primary Brighton defender for the Watchlist. While the latter has two goals in his last two matches, there still seems to be more potential from Duffy. Indeed both players have had two shots on goal in the last four Gameweeks, with both on target for Dunk and no accurate ones for Duffy. However, the Irishman has touched the ball in opposition penalty boxes seven times to Dunk’s four in that time. That suggests his goal threat is more clear long-term. Obviously clean sheet potential plays a big part too, with Brighton top of the defensive Season Ticker for the next four Gameweeks still.
Lucas Digne (£4.8m) looks the best Everton defensive asset for their upcoming promising run of matches. They host Cardiff in Gameweek 13 and Newcastle and Watford in the two matches after their Gameweek 14 trip to Anfield. His price is a key factor as it means he is easier to bench for the Merseyside derby, but he also has fantastic assist potential with his role in set pieces and advanced positioning this season.
Ben Chilwell (£5.1m) has finally emerged as the Fantasy asset we were hoping for at Leicester. After registering strong underlying figures in the early part of the campaign he goes into Gameweek 13 on the back of two assists and two clean sheets in his four previous appearances. In that time he has averaged six points per game. Leicester’s fixtures have stiffened a little but still hold some promise with Brighton, Watford and Fulham their next three opponents.
Kieran Trippier (£6.2m) drops a few places as Tottenham’s run of games gets harder and he struggles with a thigh injury. Spurs now rank 17th on the Season Ticker for defensive potential and it is not known how long Trippier will be plagued by this knock. He has pulled out of the England squad for the next round of matches.
DeAndre Yedlin (£4.5m) remains the go-to Newcastle defensive option despite missing out on a third successive return in Gameweek 13. The American right-back has still averaged five points per game since Gameweek 10 and still benefits from an appealing run of games. Only Brighton and Wolves rank higher than Newcastle for defensive potential on the Season Ticker between now and Gameweek 16. Meanwhile, Kiko Femenia (£4.3m) stays at the foot of the list having averaged 5.5 points in his last four appearances.
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