Fantasy Premier League

FPL experts: Who are the best defenders to target?

14 Aug 2023

See who top Fantasy managers are choosing at the back for their squads

The Scout's panel of Fantasy Premier League experts discuss their issues in defence and the top players to target in the backline.

Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily)

We saw some real value emerge in Gameweek 1, not least Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) at Brighton & Hove Albion, Destiny Udogie (£4.5m) at Spurs and Rico Henry (£4.5m) at Brentford - all FPL defenders who regularly found themselves in the final third.

Any of those would be good replacements for the injured Tyrone Mings (£4.5m) or Gabriel (£5.0m) if you feel you want to move away from the Arsenal defender.

Holly Shand (@HollyShand)

I currently have Gabriel in my team and am hoping he comes good in the short term. Mikel Arteta's tactics should be different for the upcoming matches and with Jurrien Timber (£5.0m) added to the injury list, Gabriel should start. I'll be replacing him in the long term though since his consistency was part of his appeal.

Ali Jahangirov (@FPLGunz)

Out of all defenders, Ben Chilwell (£5.5m) impressed the most in Gameweek 1. He has plenty of attacking potential and Chelsea looked good against a strong Liverpool attacking force. I don't have any issues in defence, but for those who have Gabriel, I would suggest sticking for a Gameweek or two to see if he comes back into a starting line-up.

See: Chilwell can fix FPL managers' defensive issues

Harry Daniels (@FPL_Harry)

Luckily I do not have a defender issue, but if I was looking to purchase ahead of Gameweek 2, Chilwell would be my No 1, followed by Estupinan. A few others to mention, I think, are Reece James (£5.5m), Levi Colwill (£4.5m) and Udogie for cheaper options.

Utkarsh Dalmia (@zophar666)

Chelsea have a great fixture run over the next six Gameweeks and have several great options. Colwill is a steal at £4.5m but I would rather go with the wing-backs Chilwell and James for just £1.0m more. If you have a Gabriel or John Stones (£5.5m) problem, they're perfect replacements.

Ben Crabtree (@FC_CrabDogg)

Gabriel may have to move on but I'll probably wait one more week to gauge this. If he doesn't start again in Gameweek 2 then I will either switch to another Arsenal defender or take a chance on a Manchester City defender or a Spurs full-back.

Pras (@Pras_FPL)

With the injury to Timber, managers can keep faith in Gabriel. However, in a special case where one doesn't own Chilwell, then a move to the left-back could be viable given how forward he looks in Mauricio Pochettino's system.

Nick (@WGTA_Nick)

Man City's defence feels like a little bit of a minefield. I started with Manuel Akanji (£5.0m) but I am not confident that he will play week in, week out consistently. Chilwell showed plenty of attacking threat this weekend and Chelsea's fixture run is excellent, so I am looking to find a way to bring him in.

Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily)

I am never a fan of the defensive double-ups and this is especially true in the opening weeks of the season, where clean sheets can be at a premium - as we've seen. I started 2023/24 with Chilwell, William Saliba (£5.0m) and Estupinan. I'll be looking to hold these three until the Brighton fixtures change in Gameweek 4.

At that point, the likes of Sven Botman (£4.5m) and Pedro Porro (£5.0m) or Emerson Royal (£4.5m) will be on my radar, depending on who nails down that spot as Spurs' right-back.