After looking at goalkeepers and budget defenders, our next delve into the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game player list brings us to mid-price defender options.
For this group of 5.0 and 5.5-priced players, FPL managers should expect a significant upgrade on those in the budget bracket.
Rotation pairs are still at play but perhaps less prevalent – few FPL managers will entertain the idea of benching a 5.5 asset on a regular basis.
A mid-priced option should ideally afford us greater potential for clean sheets, be assured of starts and offer the prospect of attracting bonus points by impressing FPL’s Bonus Point System (BPS).
Ideally, a good mid-priced defender should also be in the mix for attacking points via goal and assist returns.
Sunderland’s Patrick Van Aanholt was undoubtedly in a class of his own in this respect.
The Dutchman led the way amongst defenders for both goals (six) and attempts (46) and also finished the campaign with three assists. If he can mirror last season’s output going forward he could be worth every penny of his 5.0 price tag.
There are a couple of caveats, however.
Sam Allardyce’s seemingly inevitable appointment as England manager will force a change in management which, in turn, could see a shift in emphasis and tactics that may possibly shackle Van Aanholt’s attacking instincts.
In addition, the availability of both Vito Mannone in goal and Lamine Kone as 4.5 options, offer decent alternatives for that crucial 0.5 saving. Given Sunderland’s defensive record and erratic early season fixtures, many will be questioning Van Aanholt’s price, although 8% have brought him into their initial squads.
Manchester United’s Luke Shaw (5.5) is so far proving to be a far more attractive proposition, attracting 18% ownership to this point.
Shaw will be desperate to re-establish himself under Jose Mourinho after suffering a long-term injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of the campaign.
Despite being limited to just five starts, Shaw showed enough to whet our appetite for a strong returns in 2016/17: over his limited starts he still managed an impressive 5.4 points per game, more than any other United player.
Shaw certainly looks the preferred route into Mourinho’s rearguard, although Phil Jones (5.0) could provide a tantalising alternative.
United swooped for Villareal’s Eric Bailly (5.5) in the summer but it’s rumoured that Mourinho will start the season with Jones as his first choice partner for Chris Smalling (6.0). We’ll need to rely on pre-season before we can be certain how this will pan out; right now Bailly has himself claimed 9% ownership.
Found in 19% of squads, Leicester skipper Wes Morgan (5.0) has proved the most popular mid-price defender to this point. While Morgan will undoubtedly be a mainstay in Claudio Ranieri’s rearguard, we’re being cautious with our pre-season assessment.
The Foxes have lost the midfield wrecking ball that is N’Golo Kante and it’s uncertain just how his loss will expose the Leicester defence. Along with a rigorous schedule, bloated by Champions League football, there are growing concerns that Ranieri’s men will struggle to show the same level of resilience at the back.
If you are confident in a repeat showing, then arguably Christian Fuchs (5.5) is worthy of the extra 0.5 outlay.
The Austrian was second amongst defenders in terms of chances created, top for corners and successful tackles and seventh in terms of crosses.
As a result he finished 2015/16 with 25 bonus points, the top tally amongst defenders. Couple that with four assists and 15 clean sheets and it’s clear that Fuchs remains the luxury item in the champions’ backline. The left-back is currently found in 10% of initial squads.
If you use our Fixture Ticker tool as a guide, the West Ham defence appears to enjoy the most obliging start to the season. Those considering Morgan should also note that the Hammers early fixtures rotate very effectively with Leicester.
Aaron Cresswell (5.5) is likely to rank high in our pre-season Watchlist, then. The left-back accrued 133 points last season, notching two goals and four assists; he was placed third amongst all defenders in terms of chances created.
Elsewhere, we can perhaps expect both Winston Reid (5.0) and Angelo Ogbonna (5.0) to offer a stronger security of starts now that James Tomkins (5.0) has departed for Crystal Palace.
It’s also worth noting that West Ham rotate perfectly with Southampton, producing an enticing run of fixtures over the first eight Gameweeks – (WAT, BOU, SUN, WAT, SWA, SOT, MID, BUR)
While the Saints can only offer the insecure Cedric Soares at the 5.0 mark, they boast some very attractive options at 5.5. Both Ryan Bertrand and Virgil Van Dijk may just warrant that extra investment.
Bertrand will claim some corner kicks and is even in the pecking order for penalties, while Van Dijk was eighth in the defender rankings for goal attempts in 2015/16, a season where he scored three times.
Tottenham’s Kyle Walker has benefited from what looks like a kind valuation of 5.5 – a key factor behind his current 15.4% ownership.
This will doubtless keep traffic from fellow full-back Danny Rose (6.0), with Walker matching his returns of a goal and three assists in the last campaign. They also created chances at almost identical rates, although Rose did offer a more frequent goal threat over the season.
Rotation around European ties is the one factor that counts against both Tottenham full-backs. For that reason we’re wary of Walker’s appeal, with Toby Alderweireld (6.5) undoubtedly the key target in Mauricio Pochettino’s defence.
Staying in North London, Arsenal defenders Gabriel and Per Mertesacker have been priced at 5.0, indicating that both are set to continue vying for the same starting berth in central defence. If one can emerge as the favoured partner to Laurent Koscielny (6.0) they will offer an excellent value route into the Gunners rearguard.
Rotation is also the concern for Chelsea’s mid-price defensive assets. Both John Terry and Kurt Zouma can be acquired for 5.5 but, with the latter expected to miss the start of the season, it’s Terry that’s currently under consideration.
Only 4.7 % have committed to the Chelsea man thus far, no doubt concerned that he’ll be shuffled as his legs feel the pace of yet another Premier League season.
Once fit, Zouma is undoubtedly destined for our Watchlist: we see him flourishing further over this campaign and emerging as Antonio Conte’s first choice centre-half.
Scott Dann’s ownership of just 7% is perhaps a little surprising. The commanding centre-back returned five goals last season and with Palace treated to a very decent opening six Gameweeks, his early prospects look strong.
The promise from 4.5 option Papa Soure has drawn some traffic from Dann, whilst we’re also plugging the merits of the aforementioned James Tomkins (5.0).
Like Dann, the former West Ham man offers a potent goal threat at set pieces. In 2014/15 he mustered an impressive 18 goal attempts from 22 appearances for the Hammers, although this was reduced to just nine in 25 appearances last season.
Alan Pardew is a proven advocate of well-drilled set-plays and Palace scored more goals direct from corners (11) than any other side last term, while only Manchester City had more attempts from corners. We expect both Dann and Tomkins to prosper.
It’s widely accepted that Tony Pulis teams can deliver strong clean sheet potential. Regardless, those West Brom defenders priced at the 5.0-mark will need to offer far more than the prospect of shut-outs – of their two key options in this bracket, full backs Craig Dawson and Chris Brunt both have a strong track record of attacking returns.
Last season Dawson had the fourth best goal attempt tally amongst defenders and scored four times. His CBI of 305 also places him highly among 5.0 defenders.
While previously listed as a midfielder, Brunt has now cemented a full back role for the Baggies.
His left foot deliveries are key to his success, with the Northern Ireland international assisting three goals over an injury-hit 2015/16 in which he played just 22 times. The previous season saw him make 34 appearances, yielding an impressive 10 assists. It’s also worth noting that since 2010 only three other players, David Silva, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata, have assisted more goals than Brunt.
However, Brunt should not be a target for our initial lineups: he’s currently laid low with a knee injury sustained back in March and seems unlikely to figure in the early Gameweeks.
In addition, the availability of both Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley for 4.5, along with Ben Foster in goal, casts big doubts over the merits of West Brom’s mid-price options.
Tough opening fixtures will likely curb investment in Liverpool’s defence.
Dejan Lovren (5.0) looks the most secure route into Jurgen Klopp’s rearguard, with Mamadou Sakho (5.0) set to miss the start of the season through injury. With away games at Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, as well as a home clash with Leicester in their first five fixtures, the prospects of clean sheets look slim.
The threat of rotation can be added to Alberto Moreno’s (5.0) crib sheet for the campaign ahead. If he can fend off competition for a starting berth, the Spaniard could be a viable candidate when Liverpool’s fixtures ease, particularly as he topped ranked for defenders for chances created last season. Jon Flanagan’s (4.5) potential move to Burnley on loan will boost Moreno’s stock further.
Swansea’s defence are represented by skipper Ashley Williams (5.0) in this bracket. He offers exceptional bonus potential, after topping last season’s CBI table, but in the first eight Gameweeks faces tough away games at Leicester and Arsenal as well as tricky home ties against Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Williams remains the top attraction in Francesco Guidolin’s defence with 11% ownership, although Federico Fernandez or Neil Taylor (both 4.5) could prove viable alternatives when the Swans fixtures brighten.
The entire first choice Everton defence can be found in the mid-price bracket and, with Ronald Koeman in place at Goodison, they may yet emerge as value for money.
Certainly the fixture list has been kind to Koeman: the Toffees enjoy an obliging opening phase to the season, which could see the likes Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines (both 5.5) revived as Fantasy royalty.
That pair currently command under 6% ownership, while Ramiro Funes Mori (5.0) sits in just 2.7% of squads, despite notching four goals in his 24 appearances last season.
All three trail John Stones (5.0) who is found in 12% of teams, a figure doubtless swelled by talk of a transfer to Manchester City.
Certainly, if that move materialises, Stones should present value if he can cement starts under Pep Guardiola.
He would stand out as the cheapest “secure” route in a City defence that kept 16 shut-outs under Manuel Pellegrini last term.
Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Eliaquim Mangala can all be acquired for 5.5, although, as we’ve mentioned in our assessment of Joe Hart, FPL managers remain wary of the value offered by the erratic City defence.
Of Bournemouth’s 5.0 priced defenders Steve Cook may have the edge over Charlie Daniels. The big centre-back leads Daniels four to three in terms of goals last season and 25 to 20 when it came to goal attempts. In addition, Daniels is unlikely to benefit from penalty duties now that Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson is back from injury. However, for us, skipper Simon Francis, at 4.5, stands out as the go-to option in Eddie Howe’s backline.
Mark Hughes’ decision to roll out a 3-5-2 in Stoke’s opening friendly of the summer could boost Glen Johnson’s (5.0) prospects. If he’s stationed as a wing-back, the former Liverpool defender could offer an out of position prospect, though with three tricky fixtures in the first four, and Erik Pieters priced at 4.5 on the opposite side of defence, Johnson is failing to turn heads. He sits in less than 1% of FPL squads compared to Pieters’ 6%.
Curtis Davies is Hull’s leading contender for clearances, blocks and interceptions at the back and also offered a far greater goal threat inside the box than any defensive team-mate last year. With the Tigers hit hard by injuries, though, and cheaper alternatives like Andrew Robertson (4.5) in the mix, the 5.0-priced Davies has been largely overlooked so far.
Burnley’s Michael Keane is another 5.0 asset to consider. Attacking promise is key here, with Keane registering five goals, an assist and 34 goal attempts in the Championship last season.
Again, Keane’s appeal suffers from the availability of decent options in 4.5 bracket. Both goalkeeper Tom Heaton and fellow centre-back Ben Mee look viable candidates over the Clarets’ run of four home matches in the first six Gameweeks.
Of the promoted sides, it’s Middlesbrough defence that stands out due to a kind opening run of opponents.
While we’ve already discussed the potential merits of George Friend (4.5) and keeper Victor Valdes (4.5), Daniel Ayala could still prove good value despite being priced at 5.0.
He accrued three goals and an assist in the Championship last season and his match average of 6.3 clearances and 3.5 interceptions also bodes well for bonus point potential.
Significantly, Ayala has so far attracted just 1.9% ownership, with Friend earning 6.9%.
