By OkayGoal
Whether you like them or not, defensive contribution points are here to stay in Fantasy Premier League, and last season proved just how powerful they can be, turning players nobody would previously have considered into some of the best value picks in the game.
Ahead of the new season, here is a full breakdown of the best defensive contribution options at every price point.
Vuskovic and Muharemovic
Two new Premier League defenders built for defensive contributions
Two brand new Premier League arrivals headline this season’s discussion in Luka Vuskovic, who has joined Brighton in a highly regarded move from Tottenham and Tarik Muharemovic following his move to Leeds from Sassuolo.
Both played outside the Premier League last season, meaning a new league factor has to be applied to their previous defensive contribution numbers, but both were exceptional for defensive contributions in the leagues they played in and both fit the physical archetype of defender who tends to excel in this metric.
Vuskovic is a genuinely massive centre-back who loves getting his head on the ball, while Muharemovic has spent pre-season pushing into midfield to make blocks and ball recoveries, an aggressive, front-foot style of defending that should translate well into defensive contribution points this season.
The concern with Vuskovic is minutes. Brighton have a large number of centre-backs in their squad and may offload some before the deadline. He probably starts given the fee Brighton paid for him, but the competition for places is real.
Muharemovic’s minutes look considerably safer at Leeds, where he is regarded as the club’s marquee defensive signing of the window and looks set to start every game.
If forced to pick one, Muharemovic looks the stronger option.
Leeds’ opening five fixtures all look manageable, while Brighton have three tougher fixtures inside their first five, including two that look genuinely difficult. Combined with the greater certainty over his minutes, Muharemovic edges it.
One word of caution applies to both: they excelled for defensive contributions in different leagues last season, and it remains to be seen exactly how much of that carries over to the Premier League, even if it probably will to some degree.
Worth noting on Vuskovic specifically, he also scored six goals in the Bundesliga for Hamburg last season, suggesting a genuine goal threat from attacking set plays alongside his defensive numbers.
Canvot looks like value at £5m for Crystal Palace
Canvot broke into the Crystal Palace team after Marc Guehi’s departure last season and made 14 starts, but at £5 million he looks like excellent value. He recorded 11.41 defensive contributions per 90 last season, and Palace’s opening fixtures, outside of the Manchester City game in Gameweek 2 (a fixture Palace tend to have a decent go at regardless), look pretty good.
There is little reason to think he will not start every game for Palace this season, even with a new manager in charge.
He also underperformed his attacking data significantly last season, racking up 1.5 expected goals without scoring a single one, which suggests a fair number of half-chances from set plays that simply did not go in.
That points to more attacking returns arriving this season than his output last year would suggest. Compared to other Palace defenders at similar price points, such as Maxence Lacroix, who was priced the same last season and became one of the best defenders in the game given Palace’s clean sheet record and defensive contribution numbers, Canvot looks like a genuinely promising follow-up option at £5 million.
Why Maxence Lacroix is not worth £6m at Chelsea
Lacroix’s defensive contribution numbers for Palace last season were extraordinary, which is exactly why he has been priced at £6 million following his move to Chelsea. But playing style has a huge impact on a player’s ability to hit defensive contribution points, and Chelsea are unlikely to play in a way that suits it. In the majority of their games, Chelsea will look to dominate the ball and control possession, which does not lend itself well to racking up tackles, blocks, interceptions, clearances and recoveries.
Lacroix is almost certainly one of Chelsea’s first-choice centre-backs now, but his defensive contribution output is likely to drop significantly this season. He is simply not worth £6 million on that basis.
Marcos Senesi at Tottenham: a worse pick than Lacroix
Marcos Senesi may have been the leading defender for defensive contributions among players who featured in the Premier League last season. At Bournemouth, he produced six attacking returns, 11 clean sheets and 11.4 defensive contributions per 90, remarkable numbers for FPL points. That form does not look like it will translate to Tottenham.
Spurs now have Van Hecke, Van de Ven and Senesi all competing at centre-back, they have no European football to help spread minutes, and it is genuinely hard to see Senesi as guaranteed to start every game, let alone nailed on.
He is a decent signing for Tottenham, but not a nailed-on starter, and his defensive contribution numbers are unlikely to hit the levels seen at Bournemouth. He is arguably a worse option than Lacroix this season purely because of the greater uncertainty over his minutes. Senesi did not play much at the World Cup, but Argentina reached the final, meaning he is likely to have had a longer summer and a later return to pre-season than most.
Joe Rodon and Ajer lead the £4.5m defenders
At £4.5 million, Ajer and Joe Rodon are the two standout names. Ajer only made 20 starts last season, with his campaign disrupted by injury, but the underlying numbers are strong. Rodon looks like a genuinely close call against Meslier as the preferred Leeds pick, and Bielsa’s side generally set up well for defensive contribution numbers across the squad.
Why promoted teams’ defenders come with a warning
A number of promoted teams’ defenders look strong for defensive contribution points this season, but the trade-off is that promoted sides tend to concede more goals, which brings the risk of regular minus points cancelling out defensive contribution gains. It is worth bearing that balance in mind before loading up on promoted-team defensive options purely for their DEFCON upside.
Sangaré is the standout new midfielder for defensive contributions
Sangaré, Brentford’s new club-record signing, has generated significant excitement this pre-season. Given the fee involved, he should get good minutes. He averaged above 14.5 defensive contributions per 90 last season and actually posted a slightly better expected goal involvement rate per 90 than Elliot Anderson, numbers that put him well ahead of most Premier League midfielders.
João Gomes, who has joined Aston Villa from Wolves, put up strong defensive contribution numbers last season and could be a genuinely interesting option at £5 million, though there are questions over exactly how those numbers translate to a new team and how nailed on he is in the Villa side.
Rob TFPL, another excellent account to follow on X for this data, has done useful analysis on the risk of league-transition drop-off for defensive contribution numbers, using Onana’s move from Lille to Everton and Ugarte’s move from PSG to Manchester United as examples of players whose numbers fell after switching leagues, particularly around recoveries, which appear especially sensitive to team style and league context.
Sangaré’s recoveries may drop somewhat as a result of his move, but Brentford’s direct, physical style of play should still suit him well, and his overall numbers should remain strong even if they fall short of the 14.5 mark he hit last season.
Defensive contribution data by price point: defenders
Much of the data behind this breakdown comes from FPL Tom Hadley on X, a must-follow account for defensive contribution analysis, alongside similar work for midfielders. Vuskovic’s numbers last season were far ahead of anyone who played in the Premier League. Among established Premier League defenders, Senesi, Canvot, James Hill, Dan Ballard, Lacroix, Michael Keane and James Tarkowski sit right at the top of the rankings.
| Price | Players highlighted |
|---|---|
| £8.0m | Gabriel (Arsenal)- 9.1 defensive contributions per 90, eight attacking returns, plays for the best defence in the league |
| £6.5m | Van Dijk (Liverpool) – still nailed on to start every game |
| £6.0m | Senesi (Tottenham), Lacroix (Chelsea), Tarkowski (Everton) — Tarkowski roughly as good as Lacroix and nailed on to start |
| £5.5m | James Hill (Bournemouth), Collins (Brentford), Mukiele (Sunderland) — all solid but feel slightly overpriced relative to the £5.0m tier |
| £5.0m | Mepham, Botman, a Leeds option, Ballard (Sunderland), Michael Keane (Everton, start uncertain), Danso (Tottenham, unlikely regular starter), Joachim Andersen (Fulham) |
| £4.5m | Ajer, Joe Rodon (Leeds) – the two standout names at this price point |
| £4.0m | Several promoted-team defenders look strong for defensive contributions, but they play for teams likely to concede more goals, which risks minus points |
Ballard at £5 million stands out as a particularly strong value pick, priced the same as Muharemovic and Vuskovic and expected to perform similarly well for defensive contributions, as should Canvot. The only real doubt around Canvot is exactly how Palace’s new managerial appointment affects the team’s defensive numbers this season.
Full credit for the underlying data throughout goes to FPL Tom Hadley, Alex Collis and Rob TFPL on X, all essential follows for anyone building a defensive contribution strategy this season.
