FPL Budget Picks: The Best DEF Under £5.0
The call — Budget Defenders Under £5.0m: Who's Actually Worth Your Money The sharpest thing in our numbers this week: De Cuyper is projected for nearly 44 points over the next six gameweeks — a good 14 clear of anyone else in the sub-£5.0m bracket. At £4.9m, that's not a gap, that's a chasm.
Fifty-seven defenders qualify at this price point. Most of them are furniture. Here's the shortlist, in the order our model prefers them:
De Cuyper (BHA, £4.9m) — proven starter, very kind fixtures starting at SUN (A), and about 2-3 in 10 already own him. The obvious pick, and obvious for a reason.
Muharemović (LEE, £5.0m) — lovely fixture run, but unproven at this level and it starts at ARS (A). Barely 1 in 20 own him, and there's a reason.
Bogle (LEE, £4.6m) — the safer Leeds route. Proven, cheaper, same kind fixtures once Arsenal away is out of the way.
Van Hecke (TOT, £4.9m) — proven and the fixtures are decent, but MUN (A) first up and Spurs clean sheets are an act of faith.
Bobby Thomas (COV, £4.0m) — the £4.0m question is always "does he play?" Unproven, and NEW (H) first isn't a soft landing.
Davis (IPS, £4.0m) — tough fixtures. At this price you're buying appearance points and hoping. Pass.
Vuskovic (BHA, £5.0m) — decent numbers, but why pay £5.0m for the unproven Brighton defender when the proven one is £4.9m?
Egan / Ajayi (HUL, £4.1m/£4.2m) — favourable run, neither proven. Ajayi's the one 1-2 in 10 managers bought; our model prefers Egan of the pair, marginally.
Ajer (BRE, £4.5m) — proven, kind fixtures after AVL (A), hardly anyone owns him. Quietly fine.
Mykolenko (EVE, £4.6m) — proven, HUL (A) next. Solid, unspectacular.
Konsa (ARS, £4.6m) — the template pick at nearly 2 in 10 owned, but our model ranks him last here. Arsenal clean sheets are real; his share of the points from them apparently isn't.
The honest caveat: none of these come with guaranteed minutes stamped on the tin, and at budget prices a benching is the whole ballgame. Watch the first team sheets.
The call: De Cuyper is the buy — proven, cheap, best fixtures, best projection by a mile. If you need something cheaper, Bogle at £4.6m is the best alternative: a starter at a starter's price, which at this end of the market is the entire point.