Shawcross threat promises FPL returns

Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross (£4.9m) has posed a greater goal threat than any Fantasy Premier League defender over the opening 20 Gameweeks, according to the ICT Index.

A measure of a player’s potential to provide goals, the Threat component of the Index pinpoints the Potters centre-back as this season’s top-performing defender.

Shawcross failed to score a single goal in 2015/16, recording only eight goal attempts in 20 starts.

But in scoring 290 for Threat this term, Shawcross has registered 14 goal attempts inside the opposition penalty area, finding the net for the first time in the Gameweek 20 win over Watford.

Crystal Palace’s Scott Dann (£5.2m) has matched Shawcross for penalty-area attempts this season, also recording 14.

Of that tally, 13 have been headed efforts via set-pieces, underlining the Eagles' dead-ball prowess.

Claiming third spot for Threat in the Index with a total of 282, Dann has scored twice in 15 appearances and he could also benefit from a kind upcoming schedule: five of Palace’s next six matches score no more than two in the current Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR).

Burnley’s Michael Keane (£4.9m) splits Shawcross and Dann with a Threat total of 286.

One of three ever-present defenders in the top 10, along with AFC Bournemouth’s Steve Cook (£5.1m) and West Bromwich Albion’s Gareth McAuley (£4.9m), Keane matches Shawcross for total efforts on goal (14) and has registered 11 headed attempts from set-pieces. 

Owned by 27.8% of FPL managers, the Baggies’ McAuley is the second-most popular backline option.

The leading scorer among defenders, he has recorded four strikes from 10 attempts on goal, all arriving inside the opposition box. Each of his four goals have been headers supplied by set-piece deliveries.

McAuley's team-mate Chris Brunt (£5.0m) is another defensive target to monitor.

Having made his first start of the season in Gameweek 10 after recovering from a knee injury, Brunt has played a part in 26.3% of his side’s goals when on the pitch.

Listed as a defender but occasionally utilised in midfield by head coach Tony Pulis, dead-ball specialist Brunt has produced two goals and three assists in the last seven Gameweeks. 

Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt (£5.0m) and Tottenham Hotspur left-back Danny Rose (£6.0m) are the only defenders to feature in both the ICT top 10 for Creativity and Threat, highlighting their all-round attacking potential.

Runner-up for total attempts (20) across the opening 20 Gameweeks, Van Aanholt’s tally of nine efforts on target is top for defenders, helping him score on three occasions.

The Dutchman has fired in eight attempts from set-pieces alone, as Sunderland's chief threat from direct free-kicks. 

Meanwhile, Rose has registered more efforts on goal (21) over his 15 appearances than any other FPL defender. 

The Spurs left-back has fired 11 attempts inside the opposition box and scored twice, already bettering his one-goal tally from 2015/16.

Owned by only 8.4% of managers compared with team-mate Kyle Walker’s (£6.1m) 31.9%, Rose’s average of 5.1 points per match is second only to Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso (£6.5), with 5.5, for FPL defenders.

He certainly looks to be the current form option.

Rose has continued to flourish over the last six rounds of fixtures and sits second for defenders when it comes to both shots (eight) and chances created (12) from Gameweek 15 onwards.