FPL 2025/26: Best Defenders for DEFCONs So Far
FPL 2025/26: Best Defenders for DEFCONs So Far – As we head deeper into the season, understanding which defenders are excelling in DEFCONs can give managers a real edge.
In this article, we break down the standout performers so far, highlight the players consistently delivering, and point out who could become must-own picks in the coming Gameweeks.
The Top 10
Below we can see the top 10 players for total defcons produced.
You can also check out our early look at a Wildcard Draft for Gameweek 8!
No player amassed more defcons than Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi in the opening seven rounds (88). His biggest defensive contribution hauls both came away from home, against Leeds and Liverpool, where he managed 15 a piece.
Fulham centre-back Joachim Andersen isn’t far behind the Spaniard, with 81. Whilst impressive, Fulham are yet to convince defensively – keeping just one clean sheet in the first seven games. Andersen is also yet to produce an attacking return, something Senesi has managed on two occasions.
Squeezing among the top three names is James Tarkowski. The Everton centre-back hit a huge 79 defcons – with his biggest defcon hauls also coming in clashes against Leeds and Liverpool. Tarkowski is another player yet to bag an attacking return this season.
Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk also ranks among the top five with 78. Around a quarter of that total (21) came in his Gameweek 1 fixture against Bournemouth. Similar to Everton, Liverpool have also kept just two clean sheets in the early stages of the new season.
We can also see features from Crystal Palace duo Chris Richards and Maxence Lacroix (73), Burnley’ Maxim Esteve (68), and Arsenal’ Gabriel (66).
Which players are picking up the most defcon points?
Below, we can see defenders ordered with the best defcon success rate. This basically means how successful defenders have been when it comes to hitting the defcon threshold and picking up points.
No player who has featured more than three times has a 100% success rate. However, we can see that Senesi, Andersen, and Tarkowski, all players mentioned above, have returned defcon points in all but one of their matches so far (85.7%).
The same can be said for Sunderland’ Nordi Mukiele. Whilst he has managed defcons in all but one of his matches, Mukiele has featured in two fixtures less than the three mentioned above.
Van Dijk is one player who ranks high for total defcons, but isn’t so successful when it comes to hitting the defcon threshold. The Dutchman has just a 57% success rate – failing to bag defcon points in three of his seven fixtures.
