Fantasy premier league GW23 – “ones to watch” best defenders/GKs

Here’s our fantasy premier league article where we rank the best defenders and GK’s for GW23.  There’s a table of stats plus some narrative and the next 6 fixtures to help you make your decision.  Plus we look at a range of alternatives in the team depending on value and attacking ability.  We also look at the GK option in the team

Fantasy premier league GW23  – “ones to watch” best defenders/GKs

I’ve tried to balance out attacking potential vs the premium price you pay for that player rather than just going for the attacking player automatically.  The attack vs value decision is really a matter of personal choice so in the narrative I talk about both options.   I’ve put together a table of stats with a key below it to rank the 10 best defenders.  Below that I’ve put some narrative on each player plus their next 6 fixtures.   I’ll also try and talk about the GK option.

Key:

Last 5 games:  Clean sheets in the last 5 fixtures

Mins per FPL point:  How long it takes a player to earn an FPL point.  The lower the better obviously

Goals/Assist;  Goals/Assists so far in the season

CS – H/A:  The clean sheets so far this season.  Home/Away

Fixture ease:  The easiness of the next 6/(3) fixtures.  Done from an attacking point of view but does give an indication of fixture ease

Top 10 FPL managers own:  How many of the 10 top FPL managers I follow have the player in the team

Terry

Despite the defensive disaster that was the FA Cup and the odd game such as those at Spurs and Everton, Chelsea for me are still the number 1 defensive team in the league.  Southampton may have the easier fixtures but I’m still ranking Chelsea as the number 1 defesnive team.  Perhaps the FA Cup showed that Chelsea really can’t do without Terry’s defensive leadership and organisation. For me he’s the only realistic pick.  Cahill is going through form wobbles, Azpilicueta has Luis as cover and Ivanovic is just too expensive.  Courtois as a GK option is also too expensive when you consider his points per game is the same as Guzan and Foster for a far cheaper price.

Next 6 fixtures:

Man City (H)
Aston Villa (A)
Everton (H)
Burnley (H)
Leicester (A)
West Ham (A)

Bertand

Apart from Chelsea the outstanding defensive team in the league.  Bertrand is probably the marginal best attacking option.  Alderweireld when he returns is the budget option.  GK Forster is reasonable value at £5.5m

Swansea (H)
QPR (A)
West Ham (H)
Liverpool (H)
West Brom (A)
Crystal Palace (H)

Koscielny

The Arsenal defence showed it’s mettle over Man City and only 4 sides have more clean sheets and less goals conceded in what has been a defensive start which has met it’s potential.  Koscielny is the safe pick in the Arsenal defence but not the cheapest.  His presence certainly improves their clean sheet potential markedly as the stats show.  Bellerin at £4.4m has real cheapie potential with Debuchy injured but he himself has some injury doubts and although he has held his place over Chambers,  is that temporary while Chambers is given some rest.  It’s too early to tell unfortunately.  GK Ospina is a similar cheapie gamble at £4.8m over the dropped Szczesny.  The potential purchase of the Brazilian CB Paulista is likely to threaten Mertesackers place as opposed to Koscielny.

Aston Villa (H)
Spurs (A)
Leicester (H)
Crystal Palace (A)
Everton (H)
QPR (A)

Jones

United have some good fixtures going forward and it shouldn’t be forgotten that only Chelsea and Southampton have conceded less goals.  Jones is probably narrowly the pick of the defensive players for value.  There are rumours about Dinamo Moscow CB Dragovic but for the moment he seems safe having started the last 7. Even increased his assist potential bizzarely taking corners against Cambridge?  I’m assuming thats an abberation?  GK De Gea despite some great  performances hasn’t got the bonus points he deserves and you would question whether he is worth the cost addition.

Leicester (H)
West Ham (A)
Burnley (H)
Swansea (A)
Sunderland (H)
Newcastle (A)

Zabaleta

Incredible to believe that despite having WBA, Burnley and Sunderland in the last 5 there has been no clean sheet in the last 5 for Man City.  However the underlying stats support a potential to improve and thats the reason for the high ranking plus his attacking potential.  Unfortunately,  the recent underperformance is made worse by rotation.  However being out of the FA Cup that will ease fixture congestion and maybe give more stability of selection.  However it’s one thing spending £6.5m or more on John Terry in a performing defence it’s another on one stuttering with potential.  No one is safe for selection except maybe Kompany though who is rotatable through injury risk.  Hart looks expensive in relation to other GKs and is still rotatable.

Chelsea (A)
Hull (H)
Stoke (A)
Newcastle (H)
Liverpool (A)
Leicester (H)

Moreno

3 clean sheets in the last 5 is testament to an improving defence under Rodgers recently.  Alot of fiddling with the lineup means only Skrtel is nailed on but he comes with some premium so I’ve gone for Moreno who’s started the last 4.

West Ham (H)
Everton (A)
Spurs (H)
Southampton (A)
Man City (H)
Burnley (H)

Wisdom

2 games under Pulis and 2 clean sheets and the Everton game (apart from the pen conceded and subsequently missed) was a defensive master class.  Baird is the cheapie selection gamble at £3.9m  although he missed selection in the FA Cup which is worrying.  £4.6m GK Foster is a great pick for home and away clean sheets and save points

Spurs (H)
Burnley (A)
Swansea (H)
Sunderland (A)
Southampton (H)
Aston Villa (A)

Pieters

Some defensive fiddling from Hughes recently plus the acquisition of CB Wollscheid has thrown confusion into the gametime ceratinty of all the defensive players except maybe Shawcross although he comes with a hefty premium.  I’ve chosen Pieters although he is a gametime gamble.  GK Begovic starts to look like a viable alternative at £4.9m.  The team has shown form with 3 clean sheets in the last 5.  A good time to gamble though with QPR next

QPR (H)
Newcastle (A)
Man City (H)
Aston Villa (A)
Hull (H)
Everton (H)

Van Aanholt

Despite not having that great underlying defensive stats they’ve shown real defensive mettle to get 7 clean sheets this season.  That was a product of necessity to some extent as with no straikers putting the ball into the net clean sheets were the only route to points.  That may change as Poyet hinted with the acquisition of Defoe but for the moment Van Aanholt is cheap and with good attacking instincts.  Pantilimon is also a good cheap GK option at £4.6m with good save point potential.  With Burnley at home next it’s a good time to invest

Burnley (H)
Swansea (A)
QPR (H)
West Brom (H)
Man Utd (A)
Hull (A)

Dann

Some good defensive stats are with Palace but at the moment the risk is around a new attacking philosophy around the team.  Dann is expensive but does have good attacking potential to offsett that.  Kelly at £4.4m  is the cheapie but Pardew looking for a left back probably means his gametime is limited.  Speroni at £4.8m seems expensive.

Everton (H)
Leicester (A)
Newcastle (H)
Arsenal (H)
West Ham (A)
Southampton (A)

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Fantasy premier league GW23