Best FPL defenders — projected points for the next 8 gameweeks

Every defender ranked by the points the model expects over gameweeks 6–13, with the minutes and the spread behind each number.

Rebuilt .

Gabriel leads on 36.0 points across 8 gameweeks, 3.6 ahead of Lacroix at Chelsea.

The cheapest player in that top ten is Thomas at £4.0m, projected 28.3.

Week to week the steadiest of the ten is Thomas, whose score varies by about 3.09 points either side of his average; the spikiest is Gabriel at 3.43. Same board, opposite bets.

Top 30 defenders by projected points

PlayerClubPricexMinsStartsGW6GW7GW8GW9GW10GW11GW12GW13FloorGW6 ceilingBest haulOwnedTotal
GabrielArsenal£8.0m8797%5.04.65.13.75.54.14.04.01.09.510%23.0%36.0
LacroixChelsea£5.9m8796%4.24.04.23.94.14.13.84.01.08.45%6.9%32.5
TarkowskiEverton£6.1m9097%4.84.03.43.65.23.63.83.91.09.59%14.4%32.2
VirgilLiverpool£6.5m8994%3.63.74.13.73.94.04.14.61.07.47%16.3%31.6
ThiawNewcastle United£5.0m8897%4.74.23.74.43.83.43.33.71.09.08%2.2%31.3
BotmanNewcastle United£5.0m8697%4.64.03.64.13.53.43.23.51.09.56%0.7%29.9
GuéhiManchester City£6.0m8789%3.14.43.53.73.63.82.93.80.07.47%18.5%28.8
RichardsCrystal Palace£5.0m8392%4.03.23.53.43.24.14.32.91.08.05%0.6%28.6
HallNewcastle United£5.2m8497%4.33.83.44.03.43.23.03.51.08.67%15.2%28.5
ThomasCoventry City£4.0m8597%3.33.33.74.03.43.53.23.91.07.55%8.6%28.3
TruffertBournemouth£5.5m8492%2.54.13.23.83.93.83.43.50.06.06%3.1%28.2
MukieleSunderland£5.4m7583%3.43.13.84.23.43.33.92.81.07.67%1.9%28.1
PinnockCoventry City£4.5m8896%3.63.43.63.83.33.33.13.71.07.53%0.1%27.8
MuharemovićLeeds United£5.0m8088%3.03.63.83.24.03.04.42.71.07.55%4.3%27.8
HillBournemouth£5.5m7586%2.63.93.13.73.73.73.33.30.06.45%0.8%27.4
MurilloNottingham Forest£5.5m8595%3.33.23.93.13.13.13.34.01.07.44%2.1%27.0
KhalailiCrystal Palace£5.0m7484%4.23.23.33.13.03.83.82.70.09.48%0.3%27.0
SilvaBournemouth£5.0m7581%2.74.03.23.73.63.53.03.10.07.08%0.4%26.8
BranthwaiteEverton£5.5m8785%3.93.22.83.04.33.03.13.21.07.65%2.3%26.7
Van HeckeTottenham Hotspur£4.9m8695%3.04.42.73.43.13.63.13.20.07.46%6.6%26.4
KonsaArsenal£4.6m8592%4.13.64.02.83.92.82.62.61.07.64%19.4%26.3
MuñozNottingham Forest£5.4m8394%3.12.93.72.92.82.83.13.70.07.06%5.9%25.0
GvardiolManchester City£5.7m7579%2.84.03.03.23.03.32.43.10.07.07%26.1%24.7
MitchellCrystal Palace£4.5m8494%3.62.83.02.92.73.43.62.31.07.44%6.0%24.2
BallardSunderland£4.9m6977%3.12.83.33.52.92.83.22.50.07.45%2.6%24.1
RobinsonFulham£4.5m7881%3.54.03.42.82.92.12.72.60.08.48%1.4%24.0
DavisIpswich Town£4.0m8597%3.21.93.23.42.92.83.13.40.07.05%6.8%23.9
N.WilliamsNottingham Forest£5.0m8697%3.12.93.62.82.72.72.83.40.07.05%9.1%23.9
JustinLeeds United£4.5m8084%2.73.43.42.83.52.43.62.10.06.65%1.5%23.8
AjerBrentford£4.5m7685%2.82.73.53.32.63.42.72.80.07.03%4.0%23.8
Projected points per gameweek across gameweeks 6–13. Floor is the 10th percentile and ceiling the 90th of gameweek 6's simulated score; best haul is the strongest single week's chance of ten points.

Best value

PlayerClubPriceRun totalxPts per £1m
ThomasCoventry City£4.0m28.37.09
ThiawNewcastle United£5.0m31.36.25
PinnockCoventry City£4.5m27.86.18
DavisIpswich Town£4.0m23.95.97
BotmanNewcastle United£5.0m29.95.97
EganHull City£4.1m23.85.80
KonsaArsenal£4.6m26.35.72
RichardsCrystal Palace£5.0m28.65.72
DiopIpswich Town£4.0m22.75.68
MuharemovićLeeds United£5.0m27.85.56
DasilvaCoventry City£4.0m22.25.55
LacroixChelsea£5.9m32.55.50
HallNewcastle United£5.2m28.55.48
KhalailiCrystal Palace£5.0m27.05.41
Van HeckeTottenham Hotspur£4.9m26.45.39
The same projections divided by price. Cheap enablers surface here.

Build a squad round them

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Best goalkeepersBest midfieldersBest forwardsGameweek 6ArsenalAston VillaBournemouthBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionChelsea

About these figures

These figures are produced automatically from our own projection model and rebuilt as new data arrives — team news, results, prices and fixtures. Last rebuilt .

These are averages over thousands of simulated gameweeks, not predictions of what will happen: a single week can land a long way from the average, in either direction. The model reads published data only — it has no access to press conferences or leaked team sheets. Graded by walk-forward testing across a completed season, its average error is 1.05 points per player per gameweek over 25,750 graded player-gameweeks. That grading is blind to team news by design: each week is rebuilt from match results alone, so every player in it is scored as though he was fit and available.

The method, and where the model is measurably wrong, are set out in full on how it works.