The best £4m defenders in FPL

The new season is getting closer to its start date. For that reason, we take a look at the best £4m defenders in FPL. £4m defenders are like gold dust in Fantasy Premier League and every manager will be hoping to have a range to pick from.

Knowing the best £4m defenders in FPL can be extremely beneficial for fantasy managers. Budget defenders help enable the more pricier options within our teams and if we are lucky we can find £4m defenders who have good fantasy potential.

George Baldock

Sheffield United impressed their way back up to the top tier after finishing second in Championship last season. Defensively, ‘The Blades’ were one of the best in the league – ranking third best for clean sheets and joint second best for goals conceded (39).

Playing with a back-three system last season meant the Sheffield United wing-backs got into some of the most dangerous positions on the pitch. One of the players to benefit from that system was George Baldock (£4m).

Baldock ranked third for minutes amongst the defence with 2876 whilst also sitting third for non-penalty expected goal involvement (4.4). Baldock starts the season with matches against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Everton. Another appealing factor is, unlike the Burnley and Luton £4m options, Baldock does not have a blank Gameweek in Gameweek 2.

Jordan Beyer

Burnley blitzed their way back up to the Premier League last season. This was after a relentless run of results in the Championship. Although formidable offensively, Burnley also maintained elite level defensive data – ranking first in the division for clean sheets (21) and the best for goals conceded (35).

Centre-back Jordan Beyer (£4m) became one of Burnley’ most reliable defenders last season – playing 2531 minutes and ranking third for game time amongst his defensive colleagues. He faces Manchester City, blanks in Gameweek 2, Aston Villa and Tottenham in his first four games so amongst the £4m defenders could be lesser preferred.

Amari’i Bell

Luton battled their way through the Championship play-offs to claim promotion last season. Along the way they maintained very strong defensive numbers – ranking joint second best for goals conceded (39) and joint second best for clean sheets (20).

Centre-back Amari’i Bell (£4m) was also a very important figure within the Luton backline. Amongst all of the defenders Bell played the second most minutes with 3865. He also racked up the third highest expected goal involvement (3.5).

Bell faces Brighton, blanks in Gameweek 2 and Chelsea in the first three Gameweeks. However, they then face West Ham, Fulham, Wolves and Everton after that. Providing managers can navigate the early fixtures and blank Gameweek, Bell could be a solid option.

One to monitor – Malo Gusto

Chelsea may have been poor last season. But, the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino could be a huge turning point in their return to top level. One of the Blues’ latest signings is right-back Malo Gusto (£4m). With the injury record of Reece James Malo Gusto is first reserve. And after covering for Reece and impressing in pre-season, he could be the best £4m defender option if Reece James is injured long-term.

Is owning two a viable option?

There are pros on cons to owning two at the same time. Some of the negatives include:

Having an unbalanced squad
We are yet to know how reliable the £4m defenders will be in terms of minutes.
Limited potential off the bench.
Two of the best £4m options blank in Gameweek 2.
It could be tough to upgrade one of them.
The £4m options play for teams expected to concede the most goals.

There are some pros though:

The £4m options help enable funds elsewhere.
There are limited options in defence compared to the midfield.
Two of the £4m options will have a double Gameweek at some point due to their blank.
We don’t have to play the £4m defenders.
Managers have a wildcard available if needed.
The £4m defenders are better options than the £4-£4.5m midfielders and strikers.