FPL best defender picks: Budget, differential and premium tips for Gameweek 9
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 9.
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 9
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 9
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 |
| Pedro Porro | 71% | Spurs | 5.1 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 70% | Liverpool | 7.9 |
| Andy Robertson | 70% | Liverpool | 6.6 |
| Kieran Trippier | 65% | Newcastle | 6.9 |
| Ben White | 63% | Arsenal | 5.6 |
| Nathan Ake | 62% | Man City | 5.1 |
| Konstantinos Tsimikas | 59% | Liverpool | 4.4 |
| Kristoffer Ajer | 59% | Brentford | 4.5 |
| Matty Cash | 57% | Aston Villa | 5.0 |
| Reece James | 57% | Chelsea | 5.3 |
Botman 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 9, we look for a replacement for Sven Botman (16.1%), who continues to struggle with a knee problem.
The injury put an end to the great run of form that Botman was experiencing, picking up 30 points from his opening six fixtures.
We believe we’ve identified the perfect replacement, though, and it comes in the form of his teammate Fabian Schar.
Schar has played the full 90 minutes in every Premier League game this season, picking up 26 points in the process and, with Newcastle having some favourable fixtures in the next few weeks, Schar could be the perfect replacement for the injured Botman.
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 8.
The best 4.5 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Konstantinos Tsimikas, Liverpool (59%)
- Kristoffer Ajer, Brentford (59%)
- Murillo, Nottingham Forest (56%)
The best 5.0 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Matty Cash, Aston Villa (57%)
- Josko Gvardiol, Man City (56%)
- Joachim Andersen, Crystal Palace (56%)
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 | 57% | 5.0 |
| Bournemouth | Marcos Senesi | 31% | 4.4 |
| Brentford | Kristoffer Ajer | 57% | 4.5 |
| Liverpool | Trent Alexander-Arnold | 70% | 7.9 |
| Luton | Alfie Doughty | 50% | 4.4 |
| Man United | Diogo Dalot | 56% | 4.9 |
| Newcastle | Kieran Trippier | 63% | 6.9 |
| Nottingham Forest | Murillo | 37% | 4.5 |
| Spurs | Pedro Porro | 71% | 5.1 |
| Wolves | Jonny | 45% | 4.4 |
