Need defenders to bring you points at both ends of the pitch? We’ve got you covered with all of the info ahead of Gameweek 4.
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 4
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 4
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 | 79% | Brighton | 5.3 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 78% | Liverpool | 7.9 |
| Ben Chilwell | 77% | Chelsea | 5.8 |
| Pedro Porro | 76% | Spurs | 4.9 |
| Ivan Perisic | 70% | Spurs | 4.9 |
| Andy Robertson | 66% | Liverpool | 6.5 |
| Ben White | 60% | Arsenal | 5.5 |
| Kieran Trippier | 59% | Newcastle | 6.5 |
| Lewis Hall | 58% | Newcastle | 4.5 |
| Emerson Royal | 57% | Spurs | 4.5 |
Top defender pick for Gameweek 4
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 4, we take a closer look at Chelsea’s Malo Gusto (9.2% ownership) and Brighton’s Pervis Estupinan (64.4%).
Estupinan has become everyone’s favourite defensive pick this season, after a string of impressive performances. Brighton have a string of tough fixtures coming up, however, with Newcastle, Man United, Liverpool and Man City all taking on the Seagulls within the next six weeks.
Conversely, Chelsea have four ‘easy’ fixtures in the next five weeks, taking on Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Fulham and Burnley in that period. Gusto, who is expected to continue deputising for the injured Reece James, secured 14 points last weekend.
European football could also become a factor, with Brighton about to start their Europa League campaign, whilst Chelsea have no European football to contend with this season.
Here’s how their 2022/23 stats compare on our Comparison Matrix.
Best cheap defenders for Gameweek 4
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 4.
The best 4.5 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Lewis Hall, Newcastle (58%)
- Emerson Royal, Spurs (57%)
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Man United (55%)
The best 5.0 picks for 23/24 FPL
- Pedro Porro, Spurs (76%)
- Ivan Perisic, Spurs (70%)
- Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arsenal (57%)
Best defenders with easy fixtures
Before submitting your defence for Gameweek 4, 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 |
| Brentford | Rico Henry | 54% | 4.6 |
| Chelsea | Ben Chilwell | 77% | 5.8 |
| Crystal Palace | Joachim Andersen | 54% | 4.6 |
| Everton | Michael Keane | 52% | 4.5 |
| Luton | Issa Kaboré* | — | 4.0 |
| Man City | Nathan Ake | 57% | 5.1 |
| Sheffield United | Jayden Bogle* | — | 4.5 |
| Spurs | Pedro Porro | 76% | 4.9 |
| West Ham | Emerson Palmieri | 42% | 4.5 |
| Wolves | Max Kilman | 28% | 4.5 |