FPL Budget Picks: The Best DEF Under £5.0

Budget defenders: what £5.0m or less actually buys you

Fifty-seven defenders come in at £5.0m or under this season, and the best of the lot is projecting nearly 34 points over the next six gameweeks. That's premium-midfielder territory from your defence, if you pick the one who actually plays.

De Cuyper (BHA, £5.0m) tops our list. Brighton's run is about as kind as fixtures get, starting at Sunderland, and roughly 34 points over six weeks is proper output at this price. About 1 in 10 already own him — actually a shade above that — so he's not a secret, but the good ones rarely are.

Muharemović (LEE, £5.0m) is the interesting one. Leeds' fixtures are lovely once Arsenal away is out of the way, our model has him just behind De Cuyper on points, and hardly anyone owns him — under 1 in 10. The catch: he's not yet proven himself as a week-in, week-out Premier League starter, and at this price the only thing that matters is whether he's on the pitch. Bogle (LEE, £4.6m) solves that — same lovely Leeds run, proven starter, 40p cheaper. That's the deadpan value pick of the bracket.

Elsewhere: Van Hecke (TOT, £4.9m) is solid with a decent run after Man United away. Bobby Thomas (COV, £4.0m) and Davis (IPS, £4.0m) are your rock-bottom enablers — Thomas gets the nod because Coventry's fixtures are kind and Ipswich's aren't, though neither is a nailed-on certainty yet. Vuskovic (BHA, £5.0m) is the wrong Brighton defender at the same price as De Cuyper. Ajer (BRE, £4.5m), Mykolenko (EVE, £4.6m) and Egan (HUL, £4.1m) all have decent runs but sit lower in our order for a reason. Ajayi (HUL, £4.2m) is owned by more managers than his numbers justify. Konsa (ARS, £4.6m) looks tempting — Arsenal, lovely fixtures — but our model ranks him last here, because too many Arsenal defenders are fighting over the same clean sheets.

The call: De Cuyper is the buy — best points, proven, kind fixtures, price still reasonable. If you want the cheaper route or already have Brighton cover, Bogle at £4.6m is the best alternative: the same Leeds run for less money and no minutes anxiety. Romance is for forwards. Buy the ones who play.