FPL Budget Picks: The Best DEF Under £6.5

Budget Defenders Under £6.5m: Who's Actually Worth Your Money

Lewis Hall at £5.1m is projected for the most points of any defender in this bracket over the next six weeks — more than options costing half a million more — and only about 1 in 10 managers own him. That's the whole article, really, but let's do the honest work.

Eighty-seven defenders qualify under £6.5m. Most of them will either rotate, blank, or both. Here's what your money actually buys, in order of preference:

Hall (NEW, £5.1m) — starts every week, favourable fixtures beginning at Leeds, and usually good for 5-6 with the attacking involvement to go bigger. The value pick of the bracket.

De Cuyper (BHA, £4.7m) — nearly matches Hall's projected haul for 40p less, starts, and Brighton's run is very kind, starting away at Coventry. About 2 in 10 already have him. If every 0.1m matters, this is your man.

Calafiori (ARS, £5.7m) — the template pick, nearly 5 in 10 own him, but our projections have him well behind the two above despite lovely fixtures (Sunderland away next). You're paying for the badge.

Guéhi (MCI, £6.0m) — solid, starts, decent run — though it opens at Old Trafford. Fine if you own him. Not a buy at £6.0m when Hall exists.

Muharemović (LEE, £5.0m) — the interesting one. Projected almost level with Hall, owned by barely anyone (~3 in 10... no, 3 in 100), very kind fixtures after Newcastle at home. The catch: he's unproven at this level. Tempting, but I don't fund my defence on hope.

Quick hits down the list: Tarkowski (£6.0m) starts but the fixtures are average and Spurs away is no gift. Van Hecke (£4.9m) is a genuinely useful bench body. At £4.0m, Bobby Thomas and van Ewijk both start for Coventry with decent fixtures — proper enablers who actually play, which is the entire job description at that price. Egan (£4.0m) likewise, though Chelsea away first. Ballard (£5.0m) is quietly decent. Gvardiol (£5.6m) — Guéhi's the better City route.

The call: buy Hall. He starts, he doesn't blank on minutes, and he clears everything under £6.5m on projected points while costing £5.1m. Best alternative is De Cuyper if the budget's tight — you lose almost nothing. And if you need a fifth defender for nothing, Bobby Thomas at £4.0m starts every week, which is more than most £4.0m defenders can say.