The Five Best Defenders to Have In Your Fantasy Football Team
In the world of fantasy football, defenders can prove a valuable asset, depending on their style of play. Some defenders are highly consistent and not only do a stellar job of shielding the keeper, but also like to attack, which allows them to support players upfront and the team to put more pressure on their opponents. More importantly, that type of playing style can bag points for you team.
Not sure who to sign up for your own team? The rest of this article aims to make that decision easier for you. Here are the five best defenders to make room for in your fantasy football team and provide an almost virtual guarantee of points in the bag:
Trent Alexander-Arnold
At £7.5 million, the Liverpool right back costs a pretty penny, but he’s worth it. Even though he had to battle through some injury woes, he was still able to notch up 160 points for any fantasy football manager who had shoehorned him into their squad in the 2020/21 season.
Alexander-Arnold works hard to press the opponent when Liverpool lose the ball and try to retain possession. Most notable of all is his passing and he can cross, which he gets to do often because of the accurate passing he receives from team-mates, and he’s good at switching play from one side to the other.
It’s not just his passing that makes him a danger, however. He’s calm in possession and opponents should feel nervous if Liverpool win a direct free kick. He can really crack the ball, as his screamer in their 3-1 victory over Newcastle in December illustrated.
Andy Robertson
Seven million will net Andy Robertson for your defence, who plays out on the opposite flank to Liverpool colleague Alexander-Arnold. Expect around 160 points for this energetic player who is excellent in one-on-one situations, has impressive levels of concentration and knows how to deal with wingers whether they’re tricky or just plain pacey.
Robertson is a natural all-rounder. Like Alexander Arnold, he’s attack-minded and is fond of an overlap. He can deliver inch-perfect passes and is also good at switching play from one side of the pitch to the other. Sensing a team is out of formation, Robertson will switch play and find Arnold out on the other flank in acres of space and itching to mount an attack.
Cesar Azpilicueta
The Chelsea captain has been consistent across nine fantasy football seasons and although he’s not quite posting the highs of 170 he was around the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, he’s still well worth the £6 million that signing him will take out of your budget.
He’s fit and versatile, being able to slot into the back three or play as a wingback. He’s also a consistent presence on the team, having missed just three games in the last season since the arrival of their new manager. That includes competitions. His dedication to the team is second-to-none. That’s some player right there.
Virgil Van Dijk
If you can find £6.5 million floating around in your budget, we’d suggest spending it on Virgil Van Dijk. Fullbacks have a knack for notching up the points in the teams of football fantasy managers because they spend so much time in the opposition’s half, time their opponents would rather they didn’t, of course.
What makes him so great? For one, he doesn’t let rivals split the defence as easily as his own defence-splitting passes from the back do. That’s partly because he reads the game so well. His own passing ability is precise and he can put the ball into all areas accurately. Generally, he looks to carry his team forward with his passing.
Van Dijk is also fast and able to cover space quickly in defence, but in possession he can be just as impressive. The Liverpool man possesses a rare quality for a central defender of being comfortable on the ball in attack and unscared to dribble. When in possession and under attack, he remains calm on the ball. This is a guy to have on your team and chalking up the points.
Ben Chilwell
Chelsea left back Ben Chilwell scored 139 points last season in fantasy football and had several clean sheets to his name. Although good defensively, some consider Chilwell even better offensively, earning managers points with their exploits in both halves of the pitch.
Like Van Dijk, he’s not shy to be on the ball and has no issues with receiving it under pressure. Despite being able to play from deep, his natural preference is to receive the ball higher up the pitch or out wide and advance up the pitch.
Chilwell has pace and can charge forward with the ball, although he’s not the type of player to dribble around opponents because it’s not part of his game. His short passing is good, but what he really likes is to whip the ball in near the back post, picking out a player rather than driving the ball into the box and hoping there’s a teammate there to get on the end of it somehow.
Combine this ability with his constant overlapping runs and you have a player that lends width and height to his team’s attack. His crossing ability also comes in handy for set pieces such as corners, on which he can deliver high-quality balls into the box.
Betting on football
Putting together your own fantasy football team is one way to bring yourself closer to footballing action and track the progress of the players as you make decisions about who to sign or drop.
Another is to take part in the different football betting markets and place a wager on Premier League games. You can check out the odds and not just bet on straight wins or losses, but also on more niche aspects of the game, such as which player will score first, which player will put the ball in the back of the net next or whether a certain player will score at all. The defenders above have tremendous attacking prowess and you might fancy them not just to keep a clean sheet of their own, but also to mess up their opponent’s sheet with a goal.
Whether you form a fantasy football team or decide to go down the betting route, you’re going to feel closer to the excitement in the league. The defenders above may put a severe dent in the fantasy football budget, but they’ll reward you with points galore, making it worth creating space for them on your team. Strong at the back and attack-minded, they provide consistency and, by extension, reassurance they’ll perform.
