Whether you prefer three, or four, at the back the right right defensive line can make all the difference. We’ve got you covered with all of the info ahead of Gameweek 8.
Ideally, you are looking to include defenders that are expected to keep clean sheets, but the best defensive assets will also provide an attacking threat at the other end of the field.
Using our new FPL tool — Squawka Score — we can provide you with the best options to consider, comparing a player’s output per 90 minutes against the best attacking defenders in the game.
What is the Squawka Score? You can learn more about how we devised our fantasy football ranking system here.
Best FPL defenders
Top defender pick for Gameweek 8
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 8
Best defenders with easy fixtures
Alexander-Arnold and Estupinan still the top choice
Here are the top 10 Premier League defenders based on their FPL Squawka Score from the 2023 calendar year.
| Player | FPL Squawka Score | 23/24 Team | 23/24 FPL Price |
| Matty Cash | 66% | Aston Villa | 4.9 |
| Kieran Trippier | 64% | Newcastle | 6.8 |
| Ben White | 62% | Arsenal | 5.5 |
| Joachim Andersen | 62% | Crystal Palace | 4.8 |
| Pedro Porro | 61% | Spurs | 5.0 |
| Levi Colwill | 60% | Chelsea | 4.6 |
| Sven Botman | 60% | Newcastle | 4.7 |
| Kyle Walker | 60% | Man City | 5.3 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 60% | Liverpool | 7.9 |
| Kristoffer Ajer | 59% | Brentford | 4.5 |
Estupinan replacement revealed
Every week, we will bring you a Differential Duel to shine a light on a player who both ranks well according to our Squawka Score system and could be being overlooked by the majority of FPL players.
We will do the numbers and pit them against each other but, ultimately, the power is in your hands.
Ahead of Gameweek 8, we look for a replacement for Pervis Estupinan (55.5%), who has been ruled out for the next month through injury.
The injury has rocked the Brighton backline, who have a number of key matches in both the Premier League and Europa League over the next four weeks.
We believe we’ve identified the perfect replacement, though. Pedro Porro (7.1%) has been a mainstay in the Spurs defence this season, contributing 26 points in FPL so far.
As you can see below, Porro also outranks Estupinan in all of our key metrics on the Comparison Matrix and, coming in at 0.3m cheaper than the Ecuadorian, gives you a little bit more money in the bank
Here’s how their 2022/23 stats compare on our Comparison Matrix.
Ajer and Andersen the best budget options
With the £100million budget to adhere to, FPL managers need to be a bit tactical with their selections.
Using our Squawka Score super computer, we have found some budget defenders for you to consider ahead of Gameweek 8.
The best 4.5 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Kristoffer Ajer, Brentford (59%)
- Timothy Castagne, Fulham (53%)
- Willy Boly, Nottingham Forest (51%)
The best 5.0 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Joachim Andersen, Crystal Palace (62%)
- Pedro Porro, Spurs (61%)
- Levi Colwill, Chelsea (60%)
Plenty of value in the FDR rankings
Before submitting your defence for Gameweek 8, it is worth doing one final check to accommodate one other factor.
Here, we have crunched the numbers on the FPL’s official Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) and used our Squawka Score ranking system to determine the best pick from each club with an ‘easy’ fixture this Gameweek.
| Team | Top pick | FPL Squawka Score | 23/24 FPL Price |
| Aston Villa | Matty Cash | 66% | 4.9 |
| Bournemouth | Max Aarons | 24% | 4.5 |
| Chelsea | Levi Colwill | 60% | 4.6 |
| Crystal Palace | Joachim Andersen | 62% | 4.8 |
| Everton | James Tarkowski | 50% | 4.4 |
| Fulham | Timothy Castagne | 53% | 4.5 |
| Nottingham Forest | Willy Boly | 51% | 4.5 |
| Sheffield United | Jayden Bogle | 37% | 4.5 |
| Spurs | Pedro Porro | 61% | 5.0 |