It’s time to go BIG in defence in FPL – see the best picks

The Scout 03 Nov 2026

The Scout analyses the data and explains why you should be starting four or even FIVE defenders every week

After nine Gameweeks of 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League, defenders are dominating the overall standings and supply five of the 10 top-scoring players.

Brighton & Hove Albion‘s Maxim De Cuyper (£5.4m) leads the way on 69 points – even knocking Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (£15.8m) into second place – thanks to his change of position for his club this season. 

Listed as a defender in Fantasy, De Cuyper has played as a midfielder, combining two goals and four assists with six clean sheets.

Apart from De Cuyper’s hefty 44 per cent ownership, the rest of the defenders are the lowest-owned among the top 10 here.

Indeed, De Cuyper’s team-mate Luka Vuskovic (£5.2m) can be found in under eight per cent of squads, while Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Paul van Hecke (£5.0m) is owned by just over 11 per cent.

Despite their current dominance in the Fantasy standings, this suggests that defenders are still being largely overlooked by managers.

So, is it time to start four or even FIVE defenders in FPL, and who are the best picks? Here, The Scout investigates.

Defenders providing the most consistency

By delving deeper and look at player consistency, it’s clear to see that defenders are by far the most reliable assets to invest in this season.

The table below shows that there are 21 players who have started at least seven of the first nine Gameweeks and have blanked no more than twice. As many as 19 of them are defenders, while the other two are forwards – Haaland and AFC Bournemouth‘s Evanilson (£6.4m). 

Although midfielders Pascal Gross (£6.2m) and Marcus Tavernier (£6.6m) both feature in the 10 top-scoring players, they have each blanked in four of their nine appearances. 

Leeds United‘s centre-back Tarik Muharemovic (£5.1m) has been the gold standard in 2026/27, producing either an attacking return (a goal or an assist), a clean sheet or defensive contribution (DC) points in all nine of his outings.

He is another great example of an overlooked asset, with a mere six per cent ownership.

Most consistent positions, GW1-9

Minimum seven starts

So, should you START four or five defenders each week, and who’s best?

A four or even five-man defence can allow you to take advantage of this consistency, with clean sheets remaining the best yardstick when it comes to investing.

If you had any doubts over benching your Arsenal assets in Gameweek 9 at Liverpool last weekend, their 1-0 victory underlined why their key picks at the back are set-and-forget options to play in every Gameweek.

Mikel Arteta’s side kept 19 clean sheets last season and have already collected six in nine outings in 2026/27, showing why they merit a triple-up at the back.

A breakdown of the Gunners’ key Fantasy defenders shows Konsa has excelled as a budget asset since joining from Aston Villa. Playing as a centre-back alongside Gabriel, he has averaged 6.9 points per start, bettering the 6.4 of Gabriel (£8.0m) and the 6.3 of Riccardo Calafiori (£5.9m).

FPL Price Change Predictor: See who’s set to rise or fall today

Fantasy Premier League

What’s also noticeable here is that Calafiori – the most-popular defender in Fantasy thanks to an ownership of 47 per cent – has failed to earn any DC points, compared with the eight of Gabriel and six of Konsa. If he is to keep pace with the two centre-backs, Calafiori will have to rely on attacking returns.

Gabriel remains the No 1 defender in Fantasy to own due to his multiple routes to returns, while Konsa’s DC potential is giving him an advantage over Calafiori right now as the second-best Arsenal asset to own. 

There are so many other strong alternatives who are excelling for DC points that owning Calafiori is by no means necessary and having Raya as a set-and-forget goalkeeper allows you to own the best pick between the posts in Fantasy.

Arsenal’s popular FPL defenders, GW1-9

PPS = Points per start
DC pts = Defensive contribution points
G+A = Goals and assists
Scroll across to see the full table

When refining your search for the rest of your defenders, it’s their potential for DC points, rather than attacking returns, that’s the next important factor to consider after clean sheets. 

A breakdown of the five top-scoring defenders this season shows that De Cuyper is the anomaly due to his advanced role.

Gabriel, Vuskovic, Tarkowski and Van Hecke all populate the top-five scoring defenders despite being involved in (scored or assisted) no more than two goals each. 

Along with Konsa and Muharemovic, they are far less reliant on attacking returns to maintain their strong starts, in contrast to the likes of Calafiori, Jayden Bogle (£4.8m) and Josko Gvardiol (£5.7m).

Top 10 scoring defenders, GW1-9

CS = Clean sheets
Scroll across to see the full table

Overall, who are the best five defenders?

Doubling up on Arsenal centre-backs Gabriel and Konsa looks the most effective pairing, with both having the edge over Calafiori for DC potential. Granted, the return to fitness of injured centre-back William Saliba (£5.9m) could impact Konsa but, right now, his budget price tag is too good to turn down.

A Brighton defender is also essential, with clean sheets against the likes of Arsenal and Man City showing why you must start them in every match.

This one ultimately comes down to whether you’re willing to take the steady DC route to returns of Vuskovic or pick De Cuyper for his goals and assists potential. If you’ve yet to invest, Vuskovic, as a centre-back, won’t have his minutes managed in congested periods and just about has the edge.

Elsewhere, Muharemovic should also be in your starting line-up, while Tarkowski, Van Hecke and Bournemouth’s Antonio Silva (£5.0m) all boast potential for attacking returns and DC to compete for that fifth slot.

Arguably, playing for a low-scoring side such as Everton makes Tarkowski a better long-term acquisition as he has less competition from in-form attacking team-mates when it comes to collecting bonus points.