In this article, we take a look at the most attacking Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defenders.
With clean sheets in short supply, these players can at least atone with goals and assists.
To be included, a player must have featured for at least 270 minutes (three full games) from December onwards, the start of our sample period.
SHOTS
| Player | Team | Minutes per shot |
| Pedro Porro | Tottenham Hotspur | 42.4 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | 45 |
| Harry Maguire | Manchester United | 54 |
| Ben Mee | Brentford | 61.1 |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | 65.5 |
| Nathan Ake | Manchester City | 65.9 |
| Josko Gvardiol | Manchester City | 70.4 |
| Fabian Schar | Newcastle United | 71.3 |
| Lucas Digne | Aston Villa | 71.8 |
| Joe Gomez | Liverpool | 76 |
| Alex Moreno | Aston Villa | 77.8 |
| Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool | 86.7 |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | Arsenal | 88.6 |
| Lewis Dunk | Brighton and Hove Albion | 88.6 |
| Harry Toffolo | Nottingham Forest | 90.2 |
For anyone who’s watched him play recently, it won’t come as a huge surprise to see Pedro Porro (£5.8m) on top.
He ranks first among defenders for minutes per shot since the start of December, firing an effort off every 42 minutes.
Clean sheets are a rarity at Tottenham Hotspur these days (just one in 12 matches), but that hasn’t stopped the flying Spaniard from delivering on a regular basis, blanking just three times in his last nine outings.
Performing as an inverted full-back, Porro often pops up in central areas high up the pitch (see below), so it’s a surprise he hasn’t scored yet, given the positions he is taking up.
However, it’s reasonable to assume that goals will come, having had more shots (34) than any other defender in the entire top flight so far this season.
Above: Pedro Porro’s touch heatmap in Gameweeks 14 to 21
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) is arguably the best attacking full-back in the world and sits second in the above table, registering two shots per game on average.
In his hybrid role, where he drifts into midfield, assists rather than goals are perhaps more likely, but there is a goal threat too, especially from set-pieces.
Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Alexander-Arnold will be in contention for Gameweek 22, meanwhile.
As for team-mate Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m), he’s out in front for set-play attempts, with all 11 of his efforts from Gameweek 14 onwards stemming from dead-ball situations.
Liverpool face Chelsea in Gameweek 22 and Burnley in Gameweek 24, both of whom rank among the worst six sides for headed chances allowed and efforts from set plays conceded in the sample period.
A van Dijk bullet header isn’t out of the question, then.
Above: Defenders sorted by shots from set-plays in Gameweeks 14 to 21
Over at Manchester City, Kyle Walker (£5.4m) remains one of Pep Guardiola’s most consistent performers but misses out here, registering a shot on goal every 101.2 minutes.
However, another full-back of sorts, Josko Gvardiol (£4.8m) does feature. He’s racked up six shots in his last four matches, most of them inside the opposition area.
You never quite know which combination of defenders Guardiola will opt for, but it’s worth noting Gvardiol has started six of the last seven in the Premier League, so he might be worth a look ahead of Double Gameweek 25.
Elsewhere, another ‘doubler’ Ben Mee (£4.8m) has already scored twice this season, while Alex Moreno (£5.0m) had a fantastic effort disallowed after a lengthy VAR check at Goodison Park in Gameweek 21. The Spaniard’s work on the left flank was a particular highlight throughout.
There is a strong case to be made for Pervis Estupinan (£5.1m), too.
He doesn’t feature here having only recently returned from injury, but his form in front of goal is notable: in nine Premier League appearances for Brighton and Hove Albion this term, the Ecuadorian has had a direct hand in five goals.
ASSIST POTENTIAL
