The 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season has brought a host of changes, making defenders more lucrative than ever before.
In addition to goals, assists, and clean sheets, defenders will benefit from Defensive Contributions (DEFCON) this season. Players will receive bonuses for Clearances, Blocks, Interceptions, and Tackles (CBIT). Most importantly, these points will still be carried even if their team concedes.
Defenders are priced between £4.0 million and £6.0 million in FPL this season. Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong, Manchester City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Arsenal’s William Saliba are some of the most expensive defenders this year, all coming in at £6.0m.
However, in FPL, a lofty price tag does not guarantee the most returns. The best Fantasy managers buy those who deliver the highest returns per million.
Three fine Man Utd prospects for your 2025/26 midfield 🔴
But which of these three players will score more points this season? 🔥#FPL pic.twitter.com/966qmwcaTj
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 4, 2025
Finding the best budget defenders in FPL, however, is easier said than done. So, SportsCasting is volunteering to do the heavy lifting and help you find the best picks for your FPL squad.
Best Defenders in FPL 2025/26
Following the herd is not always beneficial in FPL. But it can give us a fair indication of which players are worth keeping an eye on.
Most Selected Defenders in FPL 2025/26
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been the go-to budget defender for FPL managers in the 2025/26 season, with a whopping 31.8% coaches picking the West Ham United defender. He scored a solid 118 points last season, making him the best bargain pick on paper.
Between DEFCON and attacking output, some premium (£6.0m) defenders have enjoyed surprisingly high ownership rates. Jeremie Frimpong, who spent the 2024/25 season at Bayer Leverkusen, is the most-picked premium defender.
Ignoring his lack of Premier League experience, a whopping 26.5% managers have selected one of the most expensive FPL players in their team.
Fellow summer transfer, Rayan Ait-Nouri, has broken into 24.3% FPL squads. Last season’s highest-scoring defender, Josko Gvardiol — 153 points — has 17.3% ownership.
| Player | Club | Cost | Selected By | Points Last Season |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | West Ham | £4.5m | 31.8% | 118 |
| Jeremie Frimpong | Liverpool | £6.0m | 26.5% | DNP |
| Rayan Ait-Nouri | Man City | £6.0m | 24.3% | 125 |
| Ezri Konsa | Aston Villa | £4.5m | 23.6% | 103 |
| Gabriel | Arsenal | £6.0m | 23.3% | 117 |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | £6.0m | 22.4% | 143 |
| Marc Cucurella | Chelsea | £6.0m | 19.2% | 133 |
| Ola Aina | Nott’m Forest | £5.0m | 18.0% | 128 |
| Josko Gvardiol | Man City | £6.0m | 17.3% | 153 |
| Micky van de Ven | West Ham | £4.5m | 16.9% | 32 |
FPL Defenders with the Highest Points Floor Last Season, Including DEFCON
Until last season, defenders had to do something spectacular to score big points. This year, they can deliver decent returns even if they chip in with Clearances, Blocks, Interceptions, and Tackles (CBIT), thanks to the new DEFCON point system.
@FPL_TomHadley on X (formerly Twitter) has spectacularly taken DEFCON into account to calculate how frequently defenders would have scored at least four points in FPL last season.
It helps us understand how frequently a defender would have delivered decent returns had DEFCON been in play last season.
| Player | Club | Cost in FPL 2025/26 | Delivered 4+ Points in Games | Points Last Season |
| Jarrad Branthwaite | Everton | £5.5m | 18 (64%) | 88 |
| Nikola Milenkovic | Nott’m Forest | £5.5m | 22 (60%) | 145 |
| Neco Williams | Nott’m Forest | £5.0m | 16 (57%) | 109 |
| Maxence Lacroix | Crystal Palace | £5.0m | 20 (57%) | 114 |
| James Tarkowski | Everton | £5.5m | 17 (52%) | 105 |
| Josko Gvardiol | Man City | £6.0m | 18 (50%) | 153 |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | £6.0m | 18 (49%) | 143 |
| Marc Guehi | Crystal Palace | £4.5m | 16 (49%) | 116 |
| Murillo | Nott’m Forest | £5.5m | 17 (47%) | 130 |
| Gabriel | Arsenal | £6.0m | 13 (46%) | 117 |
According to the list, Jarrad Branthwaite delivered four+ point games the most frequently in the 2024/25 FPL season. He played 33 Premier League matches last season. Had DEFCON been at play, he would have bagged four or more points in 18 or 64% of matches.
Branthwaite scored 88 FPL points last season. But despite his decent return, only 1.9% managers have selected him in FPL 2025/26. So, if you want a differential selection, the £5.5m man could be an excellent pick.
Only three defenders feature on both the most-owned and DEFCON scorers’ lists: Josko Gvardiol, Virgil van Dijk, and Gabriel. All three are premium options, costing £6.0m. But if you want a player who is nailed on to start and is likely to contribute in both attack and defence, any of the three could be ideal.
Sportscasting Picks Top Five Defenders for FPL 2025/26
Like every year, you have to pick five defenders in your FPL squad. Factoring in quality, point-scoring, both with and without DEFCON, and fixture difficulty, we have picked these five defenders.
- Premium Pick (£6.0m): Josko Gvardiol (Man City)
- Upper Mid-Range Picks (£5.5m): Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton) and Murillo (Nottingham Forest)
- Budget Picks (£4.5m): Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) and Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Ultra Budget Pick Options (£4.0m): Alex Moreno (Aston Villa) and Reinildo (Sunderland)
Explanation
Man City defender Josko Gvardiol is our premium pick. The Croatian defender costs a steep £6.0m, but we believe he is worth every penny.
Gvardiol was the highest-scoring defender in FPL last season, securing 153 points. He would have scored four or more points in 18 Premier League matches had DEFCON been in play last season.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Murillo are our upper mid-range selections, with both costing £5.5m.
The Everton man is expected to score big through DEFCON this season, and we also get a good differential pick thanks to low ownership. Murillo also brings attacking threat to the mix, with him scoring a cool 130 points last season.
Costing £4.5m, Marc Guehi and Micky van de Ven are our top two budget defenders for the 2025/26 FPL season. Until Gameweek 10, Guehi and Van de Ven can be rotated flawlessly.
Keep Guehi for Gameweeks 2, 4, 5, 8, and 10, and the Spurs man for the rest. Most of these are home games, with no matches against the top six teams in the Premier League.
Additionally, with Guehi being tipped to join Liverpool this summer, keeping the England international in your FPL team could prove to be a masterstroke.
[🟢] BREAKING: The deal between Marc Guehi and Liverpool is ACCELERATING.
(@DavidOrnstein) pic.twitter.com/txRdteWBpD
— Anfield Papers (@AnfieldPapers) August 3, 2025
Lastly, if you would rather have even cheaper options, Alex Moreno (Aston Villa) and Reinildo (Sunderland) are superb picks. They are likely to start every game and strike a decent balance in both halves.
The new Fantasy Premier League season gets underway in 10 days, with Gameweek 1 scheduled to begin on Friday, August 15th. You can make unlimited changes to your 15-man FPL squad until the cut-off at 6:30 PM.
