Best defenders on unlimited transfers

The English Premier League is back! With the help of the fixture ticker and key underlying stats from the Fantasy Football Scout members area, we take a look at some of the best defenders on unlimited transfers.

Taking a look at the best defenders on unlimited transfers can be hugely beneficial to managers. This season there has been a surge of different performing defenders and finding the best can help with key decisions like transfers and captaincy.

Kieran Trippier

Defensively, Newcastle have been one of the best teams in the league this season. Amongst all teams in the league they rank joint first for clean sheets, joint first for goals conceded and rank in the top four teams for shots on target conceded and big chances conceded. Based off that, Newcastle are a team to invest in.

One player has stood above all. Kieran Trippier (£5.9m) is the highest scoring defender in FPL so far. He sits on 96 points, 22 points ahead of second place. Trippier’s attacking stats are also fantastic. Amongst all defenders in the league he ranks first for crosses, first for successful crosses, first for chances created and joint first for big chances created.

As well as clean sheet potential, Trippier offers multiple routes to points through distribution, corners and free kicks. Trippier has to be considered for all of the factors above.

Joao Cancelo

Manchester City have sustained one of the best defences in the league over the last few years. Amongst all teams in the league they rank second for goals conceded, joint second for clean sheets, and second for shots on target.

The standout defender from Manchester City is without a doubt Joao Cancelo (£7.4m). The Portuguese defender ranks fourth in his position with 70 points. Cancelo ranks first amongst defenders for touches in the opposition’s penalty area, which is even more appealing.

Manchester City face Leeds, Everton and Chelsea in the next three matches but also have two double Gameweeks to play so investing in the more nailed assets, like Joao Cancelo, could be very important for fantasy managers. For managers who do not have the funds or want to double up on the backline, they could consider Kyle Walker (£4.8m).

Reece James

Chelsea have had a turbulent season in terms of form. However, with the introduction of new manager Graham Potter, there were immediate improvements as they managed to keep five clean sheets in a row in all competitions.

Although that is the case, the blues have taken a recent dip. But, Chelsea play with a wingback system which allows their wingbacks to advance into some of the most dangerous positions on the pitch, increasing their likelihood of attacking returns.

Reece James (£5.8m) could start the Gameweek 17 match after playing 60 minutes in a friendly against Brentford recently. James managed five goals and nine assists last season, returning as many goal contributions as Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Chelsea face two of the worst attacks in the league, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in the next two matches and then go onto have a double Gameweek. Reece James could have bags of potential over the next few weeks.