Fantasy Football tips: Best Premier League defenders for your FPL team

So often the top-scoring players of any position, picking the right Premier League defenders has become a crucial consideration for any Fantasy Football manager worth his salt.

From inverted full-backs to free-scoring centre-backs, read on for our tips on which defenders you should consider including in your side for the 2022/2023 season. 

Bargains

Matty Cash

Price: £5.0m

Right-back Matty Cash flew under the radar for Villa at times last season but the fact that no outfield player racked up more Premier League minutes is testament to how important he is to Steven Gerrard's side.

Cash scored four times and laid on three assists, averaging a shot per game in an impressive campaign for the Villans. 

At just £5m the Poland international represents one of the safer picks for your Fantasy backline. 

Kieran Trippier

Price: £5m

Kieran Trippier's debut season on Tyneside may have been curtailed by a foot injury but the right-back was instrumental in hauling Newcastle back from the abyss.

Having arrived at St James' Park in January with Newcastle deep in the relegation quagmire, the England international brought calm and organisation to Eddie Howe's previously calamitous defence.

The former Burnley and Tottenham man even netted two free-kicks before a broken metatarsal brought his season to a premature end. 

Set-piece duties and a beefed-up backline in the form of Dutch defender Sven Botman means Fantasy managers can expect assists and clean sheets for a relatively affordable outlay.

Mid-priced

Ivan Perisic

Price: £5.5m

Perenially linked with a move to England for the last decade, Ivan Perisic has finally made it to the Premier League at the ripe old age of 32. 

Despite being the wrong side of 30, Perisic represents one of Antonio Conte's more astute summer signings: hard-working, direct and versatile.

Crucially, the Croatian also knows what it takes to play in a Conte system from their time together at Inter Milan. 

Conte's Inter won the Scudetto that season and there is a growing belief that Spurs are the most likely challengers to Liverpool and Man City's stranglehold over the Premier League title. 

With Perisic likely to reprise his role as left wing-back, the former Bayern man comes with huge upside in defence and attack.

Ben Chilwell

Price: £6m

Another player whose 2021/22 campaign was cut short by injury heartbreak. 

Chelsea limped across the line last season, spending the second half of the season in a steady decline that coincided with Chilwell's absence. 

Prior to his knee injury, Chilwell had become a regular contributor in the final third as he and fellow full-back Reece James thrived in Thomas Tuchel's 3-5-2 formation. 

It remains to be seen how Chelsea will cope with a new-look centre-back partnership but a fully-fit Chilwell is sure to be among the goals and assists this season.

Premium players

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Price: £7.5m

£7.5m is an eye-watering price tag for a defender, but then Trent Alexander-Arnold is not your ordinary full-back. 

In two of the past three seasons, Alexander-Arnold has finished as the game's top-scoring defender, smashing the 200-point mark each time.

Indeed only Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah and Heung-min Son plundered more points than the 23-year-old in 2021/22.

Managers may well baulk at his price, but considering his level of consistency down the years, he is worth the investment.

Joao Cancelo

Price: £7m

Another Premier League playmaker masquerading as a defender, Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo enjoyed a breakout year for Man City last season.

His haul of 201 points was bettered only by Trent Alexander-Arnold (208) among defenders, placing him fourth overall in all positions - and there's still room for improvement.

The marauding right-back, who played most of the campaign on the other side of the pitch, scored just one league goal last season despite an xG rating that suggested he should have netted five times that. 

Having scored twice in four UEFA Nations League games in June, the Portuguese will be eyeing a greater goal return for the 2022/23 campaign.

Differentials

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Price: £5m

Pep Guardiola deployed Zinchenko as a left-back during his time at Man City but the Ukraine international has been tipped to occupy a more advanced role for Arsenal as he does at international level.

The Ukrainian has scored eight goals in 52 matches for his country and represents an intriguing option for managers looking for a player who can score points in a variety of ways.

If Gunners boss Mikel Arteta does decide to use Zinchenko in midfield he will still accrue clean sheet points as well as an additional point for every goal he scores.

Marc Guehi

Price: £5m

Crystal Palace were the only team outside the top eight to finish with a positive goal difference last season, and much of that was down to their defensive record with Marc Guehi at the heart of it. 

Conceding fewer goals than the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, Palace also kept more clean sheets than any team outside the top five and Guehi's partnership with fellow Selhurst Park new-boy Joachim Anderson was a huge contributing factor to that record.

With a season under their belts, expect Guehi and Anderson to only improve as Palace look to break into the top 10. 

Guehi's aerial threat from set-pieces makes him the more attractive of the defensive duo.