With Rayan Ait-Nouri turning out to be the epitome of a horrendous pick – suspended for next week while still being on 4 Yellow Cards – it’s time to transfer him out. In this blog, we will take a look at the best FPL GW17 Defenders & potential options who could replace him.
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Best FPL Defenders Ahead of GW17
The following defenders have the highest xGI per 90 over the last 6 Gameweeks.
Player xGI / 90 xGC / appearance
Saliba (6.3) 0.38 0.65
Munoz (4.7) 0.36 1.32
Gusto (4.9) 0.33 1.66
Gvardiol (6.1) 0.32 2.14
Huijsen (4.3) 0.31 1.19
TAA (7.0) 0.28 1.56
Manning (4.3) 0.27 2.71
Davis (4.5) 0.22 1.71
Top Defenders in terms of xGI/90 over last 6 GWs
Direct Transfer Considerations | Budget FPL Defenders Options
Antonee Robinson (4.8m)
Best FPL GW17 Defenders - Antonee Robinson
Robinson is the popular pick for the week, with a lot of managers opting for the straight swap. Fulham going up against Southampton gives a perfect entry point into the favourable fixtures for Fulham. Robinson over the past 6 weeks had an xGI/90 of 0.19, majorly being contributed by his assist potential. he ranked 13th in terms of xGI per 90 (last 6 GWs) among defenders.
Only Nuno Tavares (8) has registered more assists than Antonee Robinson (6) of defenders in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season.
Fulham Defense Rank this season:
SiB Conceded- 7th
xGC- 5th
Big Chances Conceded- 3rd
Further, Fulham have been fairly decent in defensive terms this season. They lie around mid table for their xGC numbers over past 6 weeks. They are 4th best in terms of Minutes per xGC on Target. With Sou, Bou, Ips, Whu and Lei in the next 5, couple of clean sheets also seem to be on the cards for the full back.
Daniel Munoz (4.7m)
Best FPL GW17 Defenders - Daniel Munoz
Another popular consideration, despite an extremely low ownership is the Eagle’s Wing Back, Daniel Munoz. He secured 2 goals in last 4 GWs, including one against Man City. Second in the above table, his underlying numbers have been been highly favourable. What makes his xGI better is, a large share (0.33) comes from xG. His attacking threat has been on the rise lately.
Moreover, Palace has seen a rise in their defensive form. They are currently ranked 7th in Minutes per xGC. Since GW9, they have only lost one game and have turned their season around, with a draw against City; and a win against Spurs. Palace’s fixture run is very similar to Fulham’s with an omission of Ipswich over the next 5/6 GWs. His one-match ban against Arsenal in GW17 also benefits potential owners as he will be absolved of possible ban in his good run.
Munoz numbers this season amongst defenders:
Big Chances: 7 (Highest)
Shots inside the box: 16(2nd Highest)
Shots on Target: 8 (Joint Highest)
Touches in the box: 47(2nd highest)
xG: 2.8(Highest)
xGI: 3.6(3rd highest)
Robinson Vs Munoz
This decision is quite difficult for managers. The fixtures mirror each other with Ipswich and Arsenal being one key difference. If your team has a good bench, an argument could be made for going Munoz in GW18. However, if that’s not the case, a simple swap to Robinson seems to be an optimal transfer.
Let’s take a look at their attacking potential to help us differentiate
The above & below xG (Shot) Heatmaps show the number of high xG shots Munoz has taken over lthe ast 6 weeks. Munoz spends a lot more time in the opposition box against Robinson. While Robinson seems to be the key in creation of chances for Fulham, Munoz seems to be a finisher of those chances in the Palace team.
In terms of Clean sheets, Fulham have been strong all season and can be trusted more. However, I believe that points are there for the taking with Munoz and Palace. They have been better defensively over last 6 weeks and Munoz could rack up a few double digit hauls.
Lewis Hall (4.6)
Best FPL GW17 Defenders - Lewis Hall
After his haul last weekend, Hall is also gaining traction. The controversial assist combined with clean sheets, earned him 3 bonus points (a whopping 15 pts return). He is incredible for his value. He is at 10th in terms of xGI/90 among defenders (0.22).
Since GW4, Hall is 2nd amongst defenders for xA(2.16) & chances created(21) only behind Leif Davis.
Newcastle/Lewis Hall fixtures from GW17-24
Newcastle’s defence has been 3rd best (just after Arsenal and Everton) over the last 6 GWs, in terms of xGC. Although, it can be argued that they don’t have many good defensive fixtures ahead, after Ipswich in GW17, he is a good option for that 4th defender spot. GW21 onwards, they face Wol, Bou, Sou, and Ful.
Malo Gusto (4.9) / Levi Colwill (4.5)
Best FPL GW17 Defenders - Malo Gusto
The Chelsea defenders have been disappointing so far. They have kept only 3 Clean Sheets so far this season. Their defensive form has been poor. However, a set of lucrative fixtures still offer some hope. They face Eve, Ful, Ips, Cry, Bou and Wol. Clean sheets against Everton and Ipswich seems probable.
Gusto, despite performing well in his underlying numbers, offer some uncertainty in terms of his starts. As for Colwill, he should be a regular starter witnessing a few benches in midweek games.
Ryan Manning (4.3)
A lesser popular option is S’oton’s defender Manning. They have been conceding goals left, right & centre. They are currently the worst defence in the league. It hardly makes sense to go for a defender from the worst defence in the league. It makes sense to keep a close eye on Manning. He has high xGI/90 over last 6 GWs. Southampton face Ful, Whu, Cry, Bre, Not, New, and Ipsahead. They have a good run till GW26. If they are able to overturn their form, Manning could come as a good pick at 4.3m.
Indirect Transfer Considerations | Expensive FPL GW17 Defenders Options
Liverpool Defenders
Getting to Trent (7.0) or VVD (6.5) could be beneficial. Just like Arsenal defence post GW12, with Liverpool defenders lie the potential of a couple of clean sheets ahead. Trent of course, being the more attacking of them, seems to be the better option. He ranks 6th in the xGI table above. However, with a higher focus towards clean sheets, even a VVD doesn’t seem bad.
Liverpool are currently 5th in terms of xGC over last 6 GWs. They facelei, whu, not, bre and ipsover the next GWs.
Arsenal Defenders
The Arsenal defenders – Gabriel (6.1), Saliba (6.3) & Timber (5.7) – all serve as amazing options. Arsenal are the best defence in the league currently. Even their underlying numbers are on a different pedestal, with a long gap between them and 2nd best defence. For context, their Mins/xGC is 148.3, while the team on second – Everton, has an Mins/xGC of 95! Combining this with their attack potential from set pieces puts them on a league of their own.
With their ability to keep clean sheet against any opposition, having at least one of them could be a fixed for all season long. However, a double up, at this point could be argued against. After Palace & Ipswich, Arsenal face teams with good attack – ***Bre, Bri, Tot, Avl, Wol and Mci.***Albeit, at least one Arsenal defender seems to be a must have at this point.
Josko Gvardiol (6.1)
The last option we will cover in this blog is Man City’s Gvardiol. He deserves some consideration owing to his unmatched goal threat from open play. He has already scored 4 goals this season. He is the first-choice full-back in the team.
Although saying City’s form has not been the best is still softening the blow, they do have some good fixtures ahead. This slump should not mask City’s potential and what the mayhem they could cause against weaker oppositions. Against Eve, Lei, Whu, and Ips, they can easily come out with clean sheets. An attacking return coupled with that, would give Gvardiol a double-digit haul.
[However, It should be noted that Man City, over the last 6 GWs are ranked 18th in terms of xGC]
Conclusion
The expensive defenders should be compared to a potential mid-priced forward or any other upgrade in your teams. For instance, instead of these expensive defenders, a move from Cunha to Isak could be better based on the team structure. The question ultimately depends on whether you would prefer money tied up in defence, or rather spread it over front eight.
Thanks for reading the FPL GW17 Defenders blog, best of luck for the week ahead!
Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW17:
FPL Midfielders Watch: Top Assets to Target for Gameweeks 17-19
FPL GW17 Tips & Ultimate Guide: Differentials, Captaincy & More
Best FPL GW17 Defenders to Consider | Ait-Nouri Replacements
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Rohan Bajaj
Student and an FPL and football fanatic. love watching football and analysing it from an FPL perspective.
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