FPL Budget Picks: The Best DEF Under £5.0

Budget defenders under £5.0m: who actually plays, who actually scores

Every budget defender conversation starts the same way: lovely price, shame he's on the bench by October. So here's the bracket at £5.0m and under, sorted by who starts, who keeps the ball out, and who's worth your money.

De Cuyper (BHA, £5.0m) tops the list and it's not close. Nailed starter, proven at this level, a very kind run of fixtures starting at Sunderland, and our model has him good for around 31 points over the next six — a solid return most weeks with the odd attacking bonus thrown in. About 3 in 10 managers already have him, so he's hardly a secret. Doesn't matter. Value isn't about being clever, it's about being right.

Bogle (LEE, £4.6m) is the one the clever money's on — projected around 26 over six, kind fixtures once Arsenal away is out of the way, and fewer than 1 in 10 own him. Starts every week. That's 40p saved for near-De Cuyper output.

The rest, briefly:

• Davis (IPS, £4.0m) — starts, projects well, but the fixtures are genuinely tough and he's not proven at this level. Bench-fodder-plus.
• Muharemović (LEE, £5.0m) — same Leeds fixtures as Bogle, same projection, 40p dearer. Buy Bogle instead.
• Bobby Thomas (COV, £4.0m) — a starting £4.0m defender with kind fixtures after Newcastle at home. Best pure enabler in the game if minutes hold.
• Egan (HUL, £4.1m) — starts, favourable run, hardly owned. Fine fifth defender.
• Konsa (ARS, £4.6m) — an Arsenal defender at £4.6m sounds like free money, and about 2 in 10 agree, but he projects below cheaper options here. Pass.
• Mykolenko (EVE, £4.6m) / Ajer (BRE, £4.5m) — both proven starters with decent runs, both owned by barely anyone. Honest picks, nothing wrong with them.
• Ajayi (HUL, £4.2m), Diop (IPS, £4.0m) — starters, but outprojected by cheaper or similarly priced teammates. The crowd's on Diop; the crowd's wrong — Davis is the Ipswich one.
• Maguire (MUN, £4.8m) — starts, average fixtures, lowest projection on this list. No.

The call: De Cuyper is the top pick — pay the full £5.0m and play him every week. Bogle at £4.6m is the best alternative if you need the change, and Bobby Thomas at £4.0m is the enabler that funds your front end. Buy accordingly.