With the new Premier League season just around the corner, Fantasy Premier League managers will now be thinking of building their initial Fantasy Squad. The roster of players to choose from is huge, but with the 100 million budget, you will need to make your choices carefully. Amongst the roster, there are some individuals that have proved their capabilities in the previous seasons with stellar performances. This is a list of those players, it is a good idea to have a few of these as your marquee signings as your initial FPL defenders in your 2020-21 squads.
Who are the best Fantasy Premier League, defenders? How to pick defenders in fantasy football? This is not an easy question. Defenders are increasingly important in the modern game and subsequently in FPL as full-backs continue to stretch the boundaries of how far they can bomb forward at any time. We have previously reviewed a list of FPL Attackers who can bolster your squads with goals, so remember to check that as well!
FPL Defenders
Trent Alexander Arnold (Defender) – 7.5 million
Unsurprisingly Trent Alexander Arnold is the first man to line up in everybody’s defense. Having been handed a 7.5 million price tag despite his 210 FPL Points last season. The Liverpool right-back is the most selected player in the game. He is also the most expensive defender, but the 7.5 million is still very affordable for the right-back considering his contributions of 4 goals, 15 assists, and 14 clean sheets last season.
TAA is a definite marquee signing for this Fantasy Premier League season. With the newly promoted Leeds traveling to Anfield on game week 1, no teams are projected to score more goals this season with the current champions again heavy favorites this season
Matt Doherty (Defender) – 6 million
Matt Doherty has been generously priced at 6 million, despite ending last season at 6.5. No FPL defender has as many as his 11 big chances, his 32 shots in the box, or his 16 efforts on target during the campaign. He was the fourth-highest scoring defender only behind the Liverpool trio of Taa-Robbo-Van djik.
Now with Tottenham, Doherty will be encouraged to maraud forward at will on the right side, while disciplining his left-back to stay back like many players, he has been on international duty so there has been a concern he won’t have that much time to train with his new teammates before game week 1.
James Justin (Defender) 4.5 million
With Ricardo Pereira still sidelined with a knee injury, James Justin looks set to keep his starting place for the opening games of the new season. The right-back played more minutes than any other Leicester defender since the restart of the campaign, featuring 90 minutes in each of their last 9 matches. The Foxes kept a total of 13 clean sheets on par with Wolves, Sheffield, and Manchester United.
Leicester have home ties with Burnley, West Ham, and Aston Villa in the opening five-game weeks. Justin isn’t the youngest player we’re tipping to succeed, but he is the youngest who is being asked to lead a defense and as well come handy for FPL managers setting their defense in 2020/21.
Charlie Taylor (Defender) – 4.5 million
Charlie Taylor was the preferred left-back for Sean Dyche last season making 24 appearances. Center-backs Ben Mee and James Tarkowski were the only defenders handed more minutes. The Clarets kept a total of 15 clean sheets on par with champions Liverpool and just one behind Champions Man City.
He can be expected to play more and pick up an even greater haul next time out with the excellent Nick Pope between the sticks. Whilst without a game week 1 fixture, their opening run on the whole is fairly kind and Taylor might come in handy as a bargain pick.
Tyrick Mitchell (Defender) – 4 million
It’s always a good idea to plump for a bargain bucket defender to occupy the fifth spot in your squad. Several options have presented themselves, but Mitchell is the best of the lot as he looks set to start the campaign for Palace at left-back.
Having made consecutive starts in three preseason matches for Crystal Palace, he can earn a price rise or two if he sees some game time early on. Mitchell may be a short term option, but at £4.0m, having a player at least in contention to start is wise.
FPL Goalkeepers
Alex Mccarthy (Goalkeeper) – 4.5 million
Mccarthy produced a total of 104 PL Points with an average of 3.7 points per game. Priced at 5 million and below, only Dubravka and Guaita fared better during that period and only by three points. Southampton faces just one side with a rating above 3 in the opening nine games.
That run includes favorable ties against Crystal Palace, West Brom, Aston Villa, and Newcastle. Therefore amongst the 4.5 million goalkeeper options, he stands out with a favorable run of opening fixtures
Mathew Ryan (Goalkeeper) – 4.5 million
Matt Ryan is a tried and tested budget goalkeeper, earning an average of 3.5 points per game across the past three seasons combined. Only Pope, Ramsdale, and Dubravka made than more his 117 saves last time around which was an average of 3.1 per game. Brighton rank 11th with 9 clean sheets in the 2019-20 campaign and six of these came against sides sitting in the bottom half of the table.
The Seagulls have a mixed bag of opening fixtures but ties with Newcastle, Crystal Palace, West Brom, and Burnley in the opening eight-game weeks offer some potential. Ryan has emerged as a front-runner in the £4.5m department, currently owned by 25.5% of managers at this current stage.
So that was our list of FPL Defenders to help booster your squads in the upcoming FPL 2020-21 season. We would be updating this space with more Fantasy Premier League content. So keep checking this space!
Which players among these are you thinking of featuring in your Starting lineup for the FPL 2020-21 season? Did you choose any from our FPL Defenders List? Let us know in the comments section below!
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