With just a day to go for the new season, FPL managers will be busy assembling their squads and balancing between budget options and big name players ahead of the big Premier League kick-off on Saturday 13 August.

Everyone loves a bit of FPL, but it is not always easy to get your selections right, which is why over the next few days we will bring you the top five players to pick from each position which will help you to beat your friends in private and public leagues. Having analysed the top five goalkeepers in our first article, we now turn our attentions to the defenders.

Spending big amounts of your budget on a defender can be risky, especially in FPL, where the pace of the play and the high demand of tackling means that it is very difficult to predict the performance of a top class defender or an average one. Also, the difference between the points of a defender and what you might get from picking an attacking or a forward is very high. But you need to have defenders in your team and if stats are to be believed they offer the most value.

When it comes to scoring some fantasy points, clean sheets are like bread and butter for the defenders, as each successful shut out is worth four points, but keep in mind that with every two goals conceded, your defender will receive minus one point. So, it is always advisable to pick a defender from a team who has a solid back line and keeps clean sheets on a regular basis. At the same time, if you have a defender who is an attacking full back or is a dead ball specialist it might pay off. You get a whopping six points for every goal scored by him and if your full backs get on the overlap on the regular, pick him because if your defenders are chipping in with assists as well as midfielders then it is a bonus.

Here, we have a look at the top 5 defenders to pick in your Fpl Squad this season. If you haven’t yet registered then you can do so over here and don’t forget to join our private league. The code is 168351-54522.

Notable mentions…

John Terry (Chelsea, £5.5m), Wes Morgan (Leicester City, £5.0m), Rob Holding/Calum Chambers (Arsenal, £4.5m), Gareth McAuley (West Bromwich Albion, £4.5m), Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland, £5.0m)

ASHLEY WILLIAMS (EVERTON)
Price – £5.0m. Selected by – 24.3%. FPL points last season – 139.

Explaining how good Williams is just isn’t necessary, the Euros is all the evidence you need, he’s a true warrior and is as consistent as they come. The 31-year old has kept an average 10.6 clean sheets in his five seasons in the top flight with Swansea City and bagged second-most bonus points by defender last season, which is a huge positive going into the season. With his move to Everton confirmed on Wednesday, Williams is expected to play a starring role in Ronald Koeman’s defence and the Toffees’ smooth start to the campaign fits the Welshman very well.

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