FPL best defender picks: Gameweek 13 Budget, differential and premium tips
Which defenders should you pick for your back line this week? We’ve got you covered with all of the info ahead of Gameweek 13.
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 13
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 13
Best defenders with easy fixtures
Cash and Alexander-Arnold lead the charge
Here are the top 10 Premier League defenders based on their FPL Squawka Score from the 2023/24 season.
| Player | FPL Squawka Score | 23/24 Team | 23/24 FPL Price |
| Matty Cash | 65% | Aston Villa | 5.2 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 64% | Liverpool | 7.9 |
| Pervis Estupinan | 64% | Brighton | 5.0 |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | 63% | Arsenal | 4.9 |
| Pedro Porro | 62% | Spurs | 5.2 |
| Kieran Trippier | 61% | Newcastle | 7.0 |
| Ben White | 59% | Arsenal | 5.8 |
| Joachim Andersen | 59% | Crystal Palace | 5.1 |
| Nathan Ake | 58% | Man City | 5.0 |
| Vitalii Mykolenko | 57% | Everton | 4.4 |
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 11, we look at Arsenal defenders Ben White (14.7%) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (6.9%).
The Newcastle defenders 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.
Mykolenko and Estupinan 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
- Vitalii Mykolenko, Everton (57%)
- Malo Gusto, Chelsea (55%)
- Kristoffer Ajer, Brentford (53%)
The best 5.0 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Pervis Estupinan, Wigan (64%)
- Oleksandar Zinchencko, Arsenal (63%)
- Nathan Ake, Man City (58%)
Plenty of value in the FDR rankings
Before submitting your defence for Gameweek 13, 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 |
| Bournemouth | Max Aarons | 32% | 4.5 |
| Brighton | Pervis Estupinan | 64% | 5.0 |
| Burnley | Charlie Taylor | 28% | 4.0 |
| Crystal Palace | Joachim Andersen | 59% | 5.1 |
| Fulham | Antonee Robinson | 37% | 4.4 |
| Luton | Alfie Doughty | 43% | 4.4 |
| Man United | Diogo Dalot | 50% | 5.0 |
| Sheffield United | Jayden Bogle | 35% | 4.5 |
| West Ham | Vladimir Coufal | 40% | 4.6 |
| Wolves | Hugo Bueno | 39% | 4.4 |
