FPL best defender picks: Gameweek 3 Budget, differential and premium tips
You’ll need to have a strong backline, capable of grabbing points at both ends of the pitch. We’ve got all the best picks to help you achieve that.
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 3
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 3
Best defenders with easy fixtures
Best FPL Defenders
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 |
| Pervis Estupinan | 80% | Brighton | 5.2 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 79% | Liverpool | 8.0 |
| Ben Chilwell | 77% | Chelsea | 5.7 |
| Pedro Porro | 74% | Spurs | 4.9 |
| Ivan Perisic | 70% | Spurs | 5.0 |
| Andy Robertson | 67% | Liverpool | 6.5 |
| Kieran Trippier | 60% | Newcastle | 6.5 |
| Ben White | 60% | Arsenal | 5.5 |
| Lewis Hall | 58% | Newcastle | 4.5 |
| Nathan Ake | 58% | Man City | 5.1 |
Top defender pick for Gameweek 3
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 3, we take a closer look at Chelsea’s Axel Disasi (5.5% ownership) and Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier (32.1%).
Disasi has established himself in the heart of the Chelsea defence, picking up 11 points in two games so far, almost three times Trippier’s total at 4. There’s also a 1.5m difference in price between the two players, a fair amount to reinvest elsewhere on the pitch.
With European football about to become a factor for Newcastle, and not for Chelsea, it could be a wise move to transition from Trippier to Disasi ahead of a more congested fixture schedule for the Magpies.
Here’s how their stats compare on our Comparison Matrix.
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 3
With the £100million budget to adhere to, FPL managers need to be a bit tactical with your selections.
Using our Squawka Score super computer, we have found some budget defenders for you to consider ahead of Gameweek 3.
The best 4.5 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Emerson Royal, Spurs (57%)
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Man United (55%)
- Michael Keane, Everton (52%)
The best 5.0 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Pedro Porro, Spurs (74%)
- Ivan Perisic, Spurs (70%)
- Fabian Schar, Newcastle (58%)
Best defenders with easy fixtures
Before submitting your defence for Gameweek 3, 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 | 59% | 5.0 |
| Aston Villa | Matty Cash | 34% | 4.5 |
| Brentford | Rico Henry | 53% | 4.6 |
| Brighton | Pervis Estupinan | 80% | 5.2 |
| Chelsea | Ben Chilwell | 77% | 5.7 |
| Everton | Michael Keane | 51% | 4.5 |
| Man City | Nathan Ake | 55% | 5.1 |
| Man United | Luke Shaw | 59% | 5.5 |
| Spurs | Pedro Porro | 74% | 4.9 |
| Wolves | Rayan Ait-Nouri | 47% | 4.5 |
