FPL best defender picks: Budget, differential and premium tips for Gameweek 10
The right defensive line can prove to be the difference between success and failure. We’ve got you covered with all of the info ahead of Gameweek 10.
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 10
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 10
Best defenders with easy fixtures
Porro and Alexander-Arnold lead the charge
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 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 78% | Liverpool | 7.9 |
| Pedro Porro | 77% | Spurs | 5.2 |
| Ben White | 63% | Arsenal | 5.6 |
| Kieran Trippier | 62% | Newcastle | 7.0 |
| Nathan Ake | 61% | Man City | 5.1 |
| Reece James | 60% | Chelsea | 5.3 |
| Diogo Dalot | 59% | Man United | 4.9 |
| Kristoffer Ajer | 58% | Brentford | 4.5 |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | 58% | Arsenal | 4.9 |
| Matty Cash | 57% | Aston Villa | 5.1 |
Arsenal defenders compared
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 10, we look at Arsenal defenders Ben White (13.8%) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (5.6%).
The Arsenal full backs have a major difference in ownership, as well as price, but is there a reason to switch from White to Zinchenko.
As you can see from our Comparison Matrix below, Zinchenko is leading the way in major areas in both offensive, and defensive, areas of the pitch.
White has played more minutes than his teammate but Zinchenko has only created two less chances for his side, as well having better pass accuracy, attempting more crosses and making more tackles.
Here’s how their 2023/24 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 10.
The best 4.5 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Kristoffer Ajer, Brentford (58%)
- Konstantinos Tsimikas, Liverpool (57%)
- Murillo, Nottingham Forest (56%)
The best 5.0 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Josko Gvardiol, Man City (56%)
- Joachim Andersen, Crystal Palace (56%)
- Dan Burn, Newcastle (52%)
Plenty of value in the FDR rankings
Before submitting your defence for Gameweek 10, 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 |
| Arsenal | Ben White | 63% | 5.6 |
| Aston Villa | Matty Cash | 57% | 5.1 |
| Bournemouth | Marcos Senesi | 30% | 4.4 |
| Brighton | Joel Veltman | 47% | 4.4 |
| Burnley | Ameen Al Dakhil | 20% | 4.0 |
| Liverpool | Trent Alexander-Arnold | 78% | 7.9 |
| Newcastle | Kieran Trippier | 62% | 7.0 |
| Spurs | Pedro Porro | 77% | 5.2 |
| West Ham | Emerson | 42% | 4.5 |
