Ive tweaked the format of the fantasy premier league defensive ”ones to watch” article by adding a table so you can see the stats side by side. I’ve also made the narrativesimpler by identifying the best attacking defender and the best cheapie defender. I’ve then put a little narrative around it
The first part of the table deals with the best overall defences. The next with the budget home rotation defences.
| Rank | Team | Home rank | Away rank | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets | CS in last 5 games | In top FPL teams | Predicted CS to end of season |
| 1. | Chelsea | 4 | 1 | 23 | 13 | 2 | 14 | 6 |
| 2 | Man City | 3 | 2 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Everton | 3 | 4 | 28 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 4 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 1 | 14 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 6 | 6 | 34 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 5 | 11 | 35 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Southampton | 8 | 2 | 37 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
| Rank | Team | Home rank | Away rank | Home GC | Home CS | Home CS in last 5 | In top FPL teams | Predicted Home CS |
| 1 | Sunderland | 17 | 13 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 2 | WBA | 10 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 16 | 12 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Norwich | 9 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | Hull | 7 | 16 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | West Ham | 14 | 8 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | Swansea | 13 | 15 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Key: Home and Away rank: My ranking of the defences. See my rating the defences article from the last gameweek
GC Goals conceded
CS Clean sheets
In Top FPL teams: See my article on following 10 top fantasy premier league teams. The amount the teams are represented.
Predicted clean sheets: Predicted clean sheets in next 6 gameweeks or in home games to end of season for the budget defences
The best overall fantasy premier league defences
1. Chelsea
Best attacking defender: Terry £6.8m
Best budget defender: Azpilicueta £5.6m
Disappointing loss against Villa but defence still looks the strongest in the league. Luiz coming back will give more rotation options and may see Terry most likely or even Cahill rested in the premier league games as they progress in the Champions League.
Potential for 6 clean sheets to the end of the season. No DGW31
Fantasy premier league fixtures to the end of the season:
Arsenal (H)
Crystal Palace (A)
Stoke City (H)
Swansea (A)
Sunderland (H)
Liverpool (A)
Norwich (H)
Cardiff City (A)
2. Manchester City
Best attacking defender: Kolarov £5.0m but with little gametime security. Zabaleta has potential with more security.
Best budget defender; Kolarov £5.0m but with rotation with Clichy
Only Kompany who’s banned for 1 game and Hart are safe from premier league rotation. 2 consecutive clean sheets and looking more solid with 2 consecutive clean sheets. A number of good home games for clean sheet potential.
Fantasy premier league fixtures to the end of the season:
Fulham (H) DGW31
Man Utd (A) DGW31
Arsenal (A)
Southampton (H)
Liverpool (A) DGW34
Sunderland (H) DGW34
West Brom (H)
Crystal Palace (A)
Everton (A) DGW37
Aston Villa (H) DGW37
West Ham (H)
3. Everton
Best attacking defender: either Coleman £6.7m or Baines £7.4m. Baines has pens and direct free kicks.
Best budget defender; Distin £5.2m
Their really is little excuse for not getting a clean sheet at home to Cardiff. Spurs, Arsenal and Man Utd all managed it although Chelsea and Man City failed. It was also a pretty ordinary defensive performance as well. Jagielka returning this week should add strength to the defence though which mitigates the performance.
Potential for 4 clean sheets in the next 6 gameweeks. DGW31. DGW34
Fantasy premier league fixtures to the end of the season:
Swansea (H) DGW31
Newcastle (A) DGW31
Fulham (A)
Arsenal (H)
Sunderland (A) DGW34
Crystal Palace (H) DGW34
Man Utd (H)
Southampton (A)
Man City (H)
Hull City (A)
4. Arsenal
Best attacking defender: Mertesacker £6.4m
Best budget defender; Koscielny £5.6m. Slightly more expensive than Sagna but much better bonus potential
Chelsea (A) DGW31
Swansea (H) DGW31
Man City (H)
Everton (A)
West Ham (H)
Hull City (A)
Newcastle (H)
West Brom (H)
Norwich (A)
5. Man Utd
West Ham (A) DGW31
Man City (H) DGW31
Aston Villa (H)
Newcastle (A)
– Gameweek 34 –
Everton (A)
Norwich (H)
Sunderland (H) DGW37
Hull City (H) DGW37
Southampton (A)
6. Liverpool
Best attacking defender: Skrtel £5.6m
Best Budget defender: Flanagan £4.3m
2 consecutive clean sheets aren’t to be sniffed at when you consider you can get representation for £4.3m. Hard to see how you can fit them into the side when there is real justification for 3 attacking assets at the moment.
Fantasy premier league fixtures to the end of the season:
Cardiff City (A) DGW31
Sunderland (H) DGW31
Tottenham (H)
West Ham (A)
Man City (H)
Norwich (A)
Chelsea (H)
Crystal Palace (A)
Newcastle (H)
7. Southampton
Best attacking defender: Fonte £5.5m
Best budget defender: Clyne £4.2m has gametime risk as only back in side for 2 games after being dropped
Really seem to have lost the ability to get clean sheets at home and now look more solid away. Budget only option for me.
Fantasy premier league fixtures to the end of the season:
Tottenham (A)
Newcastle (H)
Man City (A)
Cardiff City (H)
Aston Villa (A)
Everton (H)
Swansea (A)
Man Utd (H)
The best fantasy premier league budget home defences
1. Sunderland
West Ham (H)
Everton (H)
Cardiff City (H)
Swansea (H)
2. WBA
Best attacking defender: McAuley £5.2m
Best budget defender: McAuley £5.2m
A win against Swansea didn’t mask a pretty ordinary defensive performance. Olsson is now suspended for 2 games which also won’t help. The inexperienced £3.9m cheapie Dawson will come in for him but unless Mell keeps with 3-5-2 and ignores Lygano then he will lose his place.
Tottenham (H)
West Ham (H)
Stoke City (H)
3. Newcastle
Best attacking defender: None with Debuchy injured
Best budget defender: Williamson £4.3m although Dummett at £3.9m is a short term option.
Tricky time for Newcastle with Remy out until GW33. In the short term it may make them more defensive but with Debuchy and Santon injured they are without 2 first choice defenders although you could argue the 2 FBs attacking instincts make them missing a positive on the defensive side. Coloccini back is a massive boost though.
Everton (H) DGW31
Man Utd (H)
Swansea (H)
Cardiff City (H)
4. Norwich
Best attacking defender: Olsson £4.3m
Best budget defender: Olsson £4.3m
After a defensive reshuffle at Southampton that was a total failure who knows how they will line up next. Theyre hopeless away but very good at home. Still only 2 fixtures left for any clean sheet chance
West Brom (H)
Liverpool (H)
Arsenal (H)
5. Hull
Best attacking defender: Curtis Davies £4.7m
Best budget defender: Rosenior £3.9m
Their defensive solidity has dropped off a little recently and the fixtures aren’t helpful but still a reasonably strong team at home.
Swansea (H) West Ham (A) GW31
Arsenal (H)
Everton (H)
6. West Ham
Best attacking defender: Reid £4.7m if he plays. Both Collins and Tomkins are good but there’s 3 CBs into 2 at the moment and the result at Stoke means only Big Sam knows how they will line up for DGW31
Best budget defender: McCartney £4.0m although has some gametime risk.
A disastrous defensive performance against Stoke made worse by the fact that they scored first so had a lead to defend. Demel at £4.5m and Adrian at £4.5m offer the gametime security that no one else does.
Hull City (H) GW31
Liverpool (H)
Crystal Palace (H)
Tottenham (H)
7. Swansea
Best attacking option: Chico £5.0m
Best budget option: Chico £5.0m as very little price difference
Although they were unlucky against WBA, 2 excellent home games just gone to Palace and WBA and no clean sheet makes for poor reading and really any game is questionable going forward for clean sheets.
Norwich (H)
Chelsea (H)
Aston Villa (H)
Southampton (H)
