Key Newcastle pair among the best Fantasy Premier League budget defenders
As of today the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season is officially one month away. As a result, it’s time to get started on your Fantasy Premier League teams and we have five bargain defensive options which could solve your selection dilemmas.
First up we have Aston Villa stalwart Tyrone Mings. Aston Villa had a great season and qualified for Europe under Unai Emery and Mings was one of the key contributors to that success. He made more interceptions than any other defender in the league (54) and was the seventh highest scoring defender in the FPL last season, with 130 points.
The Englishman scored one goal and provided two assists last season and he was awarded 17 bonus points too, which is not to be sniffed at from a defender. At just £4.5 he looks a strong play at the back.
Newcastle boasted the strongest defence in the Premier League last season, conceding the joint fewest goals in the league (33) on their way to a fourth place finish. One stand out from their impressive back line was Sven Botman.
Of all defenders to play at least 35 games, Sven Botman was dribbled past the fewest times (6) and he ranked joint eighth for FPL points earning a total of 129. If Newcastle can replicate their defensive form next season then you almost certainly won’t regret opting for the Dutchman.
🧱 Of defenders to make at least 35 apps in the Premier League last season, Sven Botman was dribbled past the fewest times (6) pic.twitter.com/mXaYY78I8Q
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 11, 2023
Another Newcastle defender, who actually scored the same points as his colleague Sven Botman, is Dan Burn. He played a key role in the 14 clean sheets that Newcastle kept last season and was also effective going forward; with one goal, two assists and a total of 16 key passes, the seventh highest of any defender in the league last season.
Ethan Pinnock amassed a total of 112 points in the Fantasy Premier League and at just £4.5 he could well be worth a shout this season. He was commanding in the Brentford back line last season and he recorded the best tackle success rate (89.7%) in the Premier League, of players to attempt fifty or more tackles and also averaged the most clearances per game with a total of 7.1.
On top of all of that, no centre back was awarded a higher WhoScored.com rating than Ethan Pinnock’s 7.05, which says it all about his performance last season.
Our final bargain defender is Pervis Estupinan at £5.0. He may be £0.5 more expensive than the others suggested but it still feels like a bargain. He managed 128 points last season which saw him rank ninth amongst other defenders in the Premier League.
Brighton were another of last season’s success stories and Estupinan more than played his part. Going forward he contributed one goal and five assists from left back. His five assists ranked the fifth highest in the league by defenders, in a metric topped by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
In his position, he was the highest rated player according to WhoScored ratings (6.86) of players to make at least 30 appearances in the Premier League last season, and he could well be your answer at the back in the upcoming campaign.
