Best Fantasy Football Defenders in the Premier League 2017-18

BySportscafe Marketing, SportsCafe Editor

02/19/2018

With the season rattling along at a gallop, now’s a good time to assess the best defensive picks for all the budding fantasy premier league managers out there keen on keeping the numbers coming. Looking back at the stats for last year, it’s clear that Chelsea backend dominated the fantasy leagues.

Gary Cahill swept to the top with 178 points, followed closely by Marcos Alonso at 177. Taking up third place was Cesar Azpilicueta with 170. Kyle Walker followed with 142 points, having transferred from Tottenham to Manchester City, while fifth place was taken by Liverpool’s James Milner on 139. When it comes to choosing your fantasy football defensive line for the Fantasy Premier League 2017/18, you want to see how the player performs in attack as well as defence, such as assists and goals. With this in mind, full-backs are usually your safest bet for a good value pick.

Marcos Alonso (£7.3m - Chelsea)

Chelsea smoothly went on to handsomely top the last season, in no small part due to Antonio Conte’s innovative 4-3- 4 set up bolstered with wing-backs. One such wing-back who stood out was Alonso, who distinguished himself throughout the season, scoring six goals and setting up a further three. So far this season, he’s already poised to outdo himself, having already racked up three goals, which is certain to see his value climb higher in the Fantasy Premier League.

Cesar Azpilicueta (£7m - Chelsea)

While he usually plays fullback, Azpilicueta was employed as one of the back three last season, which meant he didn’t have as much of a chance to play up front. This didn’t hold him back from providing four assists and a goal in what turned out to be a great season for the player. Like his colleague and fellow countryman Alonso, the Spanish international is one of the top scoring defenders in the Premiership and a solid option for Fantasy Premier League 2017/18 tips.

Antonio Valencia (£6.7m - Manchester United)

Beginning his career at Old Trafford as a winger, Valencia has since moved on to become United’s preferred right back whilst proving to be a cornerstone for the side. His dynamite pace and flair for running offence make him formidable going forward. Although he only had one goal last season, his three assists certainly didn’t go unnoticed, and Mourinho is said to be keen to give the Ecuadorian more room for creativity in the future. Best choice for Fantasy Premier League.

Nicolas Otamendi (£6.5m - Manchester City)

While people’s attention has been grabbed by the team’s offence this season, their defence is looking very formidable as well, helping rack up an impressive amount of clean sheets. Otamendi remains their highest scoring defensive player, who will no doubt continue to be one of the Fantasy Premier League 2017/18 best picks if the team continue to prosper.

Kyle Walker (£6.6m - Manchester City)

Since his move to Manchester City from Tottenham, Walker has been providing Guardiola with his money’s worth, with the 27-year- old England international recovering from a few wobbles at the start of the season to become a rock in . He looks certain to pick up points in the wake of Manchester City’s dominance.

Ben Davies (£5.5m - Tottenham)

Following Danny Rose staying on the bench due to injury, the Tottenham full-back wasted no time in making the most of the vacuum in defence to help cement his position in Pochettino’s squad at the start of the season, proving himself to be a ferocious pick. He’s been rotated in and out of the starting line up of late, but when he hits the pitch, he can be guaranteed to rack up the points on fantasy premier league 17/18.