Defcon is a rule that made us believe the FPL landscape has shifted and everything was going to be different this season in FPL. To some extent it has, making CBs more rewarding. As in prior seasons, you would go for attacking fullbacks for the goals and assists. This year, however, with the attacking fullbacks not delivering and 3 of the top 5 defenders being CBs, showed us that there is an advantage to this rule. Here are the top scoring defenders.
Calafiori has not once hit the DC threshold but is still the top scoring defender. Whereas Senesi and Lacroix have hit DC threshold in all 3 matches, earning them 6 extra points—not to mention bumping up their score in the BPS (Bonus Point System).
One thing to mention is that Calafiori cannot score or assist every game, but Senesi can hit DC each match, making it more sustainable in the longer term.
So if you are wondering which players to target, here are the 10 Defcon machines.
Van Dijk (£6.0m) is top, with him even hitting 22 contributions against Bournemouth. Had the DC points not been capped, he would have earned 4 points. He is not in the top scoring defenders as Liverpool have been leaky in defence and have not kept clean sheets, which have cost him 8 points. If Liverpool are able to sort out this issue, Van Dijk will become a great set-and-forget defender.
Lacroix (£5.0m) is second—a man you would not have expected to see but has been terrific in defence for Palace. Who have only conceded one goal despite their first 3 matches being Chelsea, Forest, and Aston Villa. Their fixtures look good, and with Guehi’s transfer falling through and him staying at Palace, Lacroix looks to be a great FPL asset.
Senesi (£4.5m) is also a surprise factor. Despite Bournemouth losing their entire backline last year, they have kept two clean sheets so far and conceded 2.9 xGC, out of which 2.21 came against Liverpool. Senesi has managed DC contributions of 15, 14, and 14 so far. This shows his consistency, as two of them were against Liverpool and Tottenham and one came against bottom-placed Wolves. It is very likely that these are not outliers and he can continue to rack up DC points against both tough and easy opposition.
Tarkowski (£5.5m) is the man we all expected to see. Using last year’s data, he would have benefited the most from this new rule. Everton, however, look defensively worrying, conceding 5.6 xGC in just 3 matches. I would personally avoid with the upcoming fixtures being Villa, Liverpool, Man City, and Palace in their next 5.
Aït-Nouri (£6.0m) is another very interesting defender. Although playing LB, he was able to rack up DC points—something which was quite unexpected. Manchester City look all over the place; even with Rodri starting against Brighton, it was a 2-1 loss. They conceded 2.30 xGC against Brighton in just one match—a very worrying sign. Gvardiol could also replace him at LB. For me, he is an avoid with the rotation risk and City’s defence.
Saliba (£6.1m) is currently the most expensive defender. The Arsenal defender has managed 14 CBIT (Clearances, Blocks, Interceptions, and Tackles) per game. He is also a safe route into the Arsenal defence. However, he did pick up an injury during the Liverpool game and is set to miss the international break for France. If scans show a minor Grade 1 sprain, he could be back in two weeks. However, a more serious Grade 2 or 3 diagnosis would sideline him until early October. Arsenal will need him fit for crucial UCL games. If he is fit for the match after the international break or even misses one match, I would keep; if it is longer term, I would sell him and definitely avoid purchasing him right now.
Van Der Berg (£4.5m) is one of the cheaper options in this list. He has managed to score 2 DC points every game, even managing an impressive 8-pointer against Villa at home. However, Sunderland have an xGC of 1.53 per 90. I would avoid purchasing him, but I would keep him if you own him. If you are purchasing, you could look at Richards, Guehi, and one we have discussed—Senesi—at the same price point.
Ballard (£4.6m) The FPL troll so far this season. He scored a historic 17-pointer in the first gameweek, becoming the highest scoring defender in the first gameweek. He would see over 300,000 managers buying him, and in the next match came away with 1 point as he would get injured within 8 minutes against Burnley. He is set to be out for two to three weeks and should be back for the game against Palace after the international break. However, for the same reason as Van der Berg, I would avoid him.
Aina (£5.0m) offers a route into the Nottingham Forest defence that was so impressive last season. However, so far they have not managed to keep a single clean sheet. The even more worrying stat is that they have conceded 5.0 xGC in just 3 matches. If you own him, I would keep him for the Burnley and Sunderland fixtures, but I would not be going out of my way to buy him.
Yoro (£4.5m) A Manchester United defender for your FPL team sounds crazy, right? Yoro has managed 11 CBIT per game and has earned himself 3.7 points per match so far. They have also only conceded 1.47 xGC per 90. One of the reasons he would have been a good option was if Manchester United signed a defensive midfielder; however, now the deadline has passed and they were unable to do so. The situation with Mainoo looks dicey, and with their next two fixtures being the Manchester Derby and Chelsea, he is an avoid.
