The Scout is going through each position to help managers shape their plans for Double Gameweek 33 (DGW33) of Fantasy Premier League, when Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Manchester City all play two matches.
Defenders
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber (£5.7m) is the top-performing defender among the four DGW33 clubs over the last six Gameweeks.
The full-back has combined three clean sheets with an assist and four bonus points to collect 29 points. However, it's worth noting that he has only featured as a substitute in each of the last two Gameweeks as Mikel Arteta rotates around UEFA Champions League matches.
Man City's Josko Gvardiol (£6.2m) and Timber's team-mate William Saliba (£6.5m) also place in the top three here with 26 and 25 points respectively.
They are the two most-selected defenders in Fantasy, with Saliba on 32 per cent ownership and Gvardiol on 30 per cent.
Ezri Konsa (£4.4m) and Daniel Munoz (£5.3m) lead the way for Villa and Palace, with the latter's all-round potential highlighted by his goal, assist and clean sheet over the last six Gameweeks.
DGW33 defenders compared - last six Gameweeks
| Player | G+A | Clean sheets | Bonus pts | Pts |
| Timber | 1 | 3 | 4 | 29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gvardiol | 0 | 3 | 4 | 26 |
| Saliba | 0 | 2 | 5 | 25 |
| Konsa | 0 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| Diaz | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| Munoz | 2 | 1 | 0 | 20 |
Who has the most attacking threat?
The underlying data over the last six Gameweeks helps to show each player's potential for both goals and assists.
Munoz's four shots in the box rank top among all DGW33 defenders, while his team-mate Chris Richards (£4.4m), along with Villa trio Konsa, Ian Maatsen (£4.5m) and Tyrone Mings (£4.4m), have had three shots in the box each.
In total, Munoz has had five shots while also creating four chances. Essentially, then, he has been involved in nine shots in that spell, more than any other DGW33 defender.
The inclusion of players such as Villa's Maatsen and Arsenal's Kieran Tierney (£4.3m) is also an indication of the rotation at both clubs right now due to their European exploits.
Meanwhile, the numbers also highlight the current lack of goal threat from Gvardiol. The Croat has had only one shot in the last six Gameweeks, in addition to creating four chances.
Attacking stats for DGW33 defenders - last six Gameweeks
| Player | Shots | Shots in box | Chances created | Shot involvement |
| Munoz | 5 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maatsen | 5 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Tierney | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Mings | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Konsa | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Mitchell | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Saliba | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Gvardiol | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Richards | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
Who's most likely to keep clean sheets?
The team data highlights why Arsenal could be the likeliest to reward you with clean sheets against Ipswich Town and Palace.
This season they have conceded only 27 goals and 43 big chances, which are situations where the player is expected to score.
Not only are those totals better than the other three DGW33 sides, but they are also the best in the league.
The other three clubs are not quite as convincing. Villa have managed only six clean sheets, while both Palace and Man City have each conceded 35+ big chances more than Arsenal.
Defensive stats for DGW33 clubs 24/25
| Team | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
| Arsenal | 27 | 11 | 43 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 46 | 6 | 68 |
| Crystal Palace | 40 | 9 | 78 |
| Man City | 42 | 9 | 79 |
Which single-Gameweek defenders have the best fixtures?
If you're planning to use your Bench Boost chip to collect points from all 15 players in your squad, the best idea is to assess the schedule to help identify the single-Gameweek clubs with the best fixtures to target.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four clubs have a match which scores only two, which is regarded as a very favourable fixture.
This applies to Liverpool's visit to Leicester City, Manchester United's home match with Wolverhampton Wanderers and both West Ham United and Southampton for their head-to-head at the London Stadium.
Among the standout picks here are Liverpool's Conor Bradley (£4.7m), who has stepped up in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) with an assist, a clean sheet and 13 points in the last two Gameweeks.
Man Utd's Diogo Dalot (£5.0m) has supplied three of his four assists this season in his last six appearances, as well as claiming two clean sheets.
Meanwhile, two goals and three assists this season show why Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m) can be the West Ham defender to bring in against Southampton.
So, who are the best defenders for DGW33?
Arsenal's defensive data is far superior to the other DGW33 clubs and, with Gabriel (£6.2m) out for the season, Saliba looks the likeliest to reward you with clean sheets.
In terms of attacking potential, Munoz's ability to deliver goals and assists makes him worth playing in all of Palace's fixtures from here on in.
Although Gvardiol's lack of goal threat is a big concern, he has amassed four bonus points in the last three matches in which Man City kept a clean sheet. Villa, meanwhile, have recorded back-to-back clean sheets and, at £4.4m, Konsa is easy on the budget.
For the fifth spot, Liverpool's Bradley has form, fixture and price in his favour away at Leicester.