One of the most crucial aspects of the FPL game is deciding on your defensive fillers, in other words the budget players who will rotate, pick up the slack and in some occasions hold their own in your starting XI.
There are many ways of structuring out your defence in FPL. However, we predict that the vast majority of competitors will select one premium defender in the 6.0 - 7.0m price bracket and then build their defence around this. This leaves a couple of spaces open for your budget players to make an inclusion.
The majority of competitors will turn a blind eye on these picks; but in our opinion, taking into account the new ‘bench boost' chip, they have the potential to become your trump card, your masterstroke, your defensive divider!
Sebastian Bassong (1.6% Ownership) It is important that your budget defenders are guaranteed to play week in, week out and this is exactly what Bassong brings to the table. The powerful Cameroon international has experience of playing in this division for Newcastle, Tottenham and his current club Norwich. During the Championship's 46-match season, Norwich conceded 1 goal or less in 61% of their games and since Alex Neil's appointment as manager they have appeared even more defensively adept. Combine this with their great opening fixtures and Bassong seems an obvious pick. We were considering Martin Olsson, but with his recent shoulder surgery we advise you to stay clear until further updates are provided. Along with being one of Norwich's top performers in their promotion push; Bassong also presents a real goal scoring threat. His physical stature along with his aerial ability creates a constant worry for opposition defenders. Although he failed to score last season, he did find the net on 3 occasions, along with 2 assists during Norwich's 2012/13 Premier League campaign. Back then Bassong was rose to 5.3m which shows his potential, he might well be - a diamond in the rough. Another thing to add is that Bassong has an outstanding discipline record, having received only 8 bookings in his entire career. John O'Shea (11.6% Ownership) Despite Sunderland barely escaping relegation last season with a pitiful 7 victories all season, they still managed to conjure up the same number of clean sheets (13) as Arsenal. Dick Advocaat's appointment further strengthened their defensive unit and with his old-fashioned approach they became a much harder side to break down. We are backing Sunderland skipper John O'Shea to make the most of his somewhat favourable opening fixtures; Leicester (a), Norwich (H), Swansea (H), Aston Villa (a). Sunderland's fixtures dovetail well with Norwich over the first 10 gameweeks, which is why we have paired O'Shea with Bassong. If O'Shea and either Kaboul or Coates manage to fashion a good partnership then a few shutouts could be on the cards. O'Shea often finds himself in the right place at the right time when venturing forward and we would not be surprised if he builds on his 13 Premier League goals. Like Bassong, he is a nailed on starter, meaning less wasted transfers and more opportunities to invest in other areas. Jose Holebas (0.8% Ownership) Next up in our recommendations is Watford new boy Jose Holebas. He plays predominantly at left-back, but with Watford's history of switching up their formation and playing 5 at the back, it is likely that Holebas could well be deployed further forward as a marauding wing-back. We cannot say for sure where Quique Flores will choose to utilize him, so keep an eye on the pre-season friendlies. Watford have made some excellent early signings in this transfer window with the likes of Etienne Capoue, Sebastian Prodl, Valon Behrami and Allan Nyom heading to Vicarage Road. These acquisitions, with their experience, will go a long way towards tightening up the Watford backline and hopefully securing a few clean sheet points for Holebas. Holebas is deceptively quick and never shies away from a long-range effort. We don't recommend relying on his goal-scoring prowess despite managing an impressive 45 career goals. The Greece international may take some time to accustom himself with the Premier League style and from an FPL viewpoint this fits in well with Watford's fixtures. The Hornet's face tough opposition during the first 4 gameweeks, before the playing field levels out with Swansea (H), Newcastle (a), Crystal Palace (H) and Bournemouth (a). We advise holding him back until these fixtures. Simon Francis (3.9% Ownership) To take advantage of the fact that newly promoted Bournemouth face just one team from the top 8 in their opening 8 fixtures, we think it's a smart move to include one of their defenders. We are backing Simon Francis to be the most influential of their back 4 despite Tyrone Mings' big money move. He comes off the back of a superb season in the Championship and will be eager to continue this rich form. Francis picked up 6 assists and a goal in the 42 matches that he featured in as well as winning the Man of the Match award on 4 occasions. His link up play with Matt Richie down the right hand side has flourished and is enough to cause any side problems. Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe encourages a flowing, possession based style in which the fullbacks are expected to create width and that's exactly what Francis will aim to do. His side played, without doubt, the most attractive attacking football in the Championship last season and their defence proved a tough outfit, conceding just 20 goals all season. When we observed the characteristics of the player and the club we decided it all adds up for a bargain buy. Maya Yoshida (4.3% Ownership) With the sale of Alderweireld and the knee ligament damage suffered by Florin Gardos, Yoshida has emerged as a potential bargain buy. Fonte is The Saints' only other fit centre-back with experience of playing regularly in the Premier League. Barring any late, top class signings, Yoshida is a nailed on starter. Virgil Van Dijk's name has been thrown around on the forums, but even a player of his ability will not walk straight into the team. The Japnese international has impressed during pre-season, he has looked composed alongside Fonte and they are beginning to form a solid partnership. Southampton's new right-back Cedric Soares has been very popular and pops up in many FPL drafts due to his attacking potential, but we feel Yoshida can bring his own goal-scoring ability to the fray. After some research, we discovered that the 26-year-old scored 6 goals in 79 appearances for Nagoya Grampus, 5 goals in 63 appearances for VVV-Venlo. Combine this with 4 goals at international level, along with 3 thus far for Southampton and he looks the real deal for set piece situations. Yoshida's goal vs. Feyenoord last Thursday was another reminder of this... even if he needed the assistance of Pelle's hair gel! If you are looking for a cheap route into the Southampton backline to cover, in our opinion the most attractive opening fixtures of any side, then Yoshida could be your man. Wes Morgan (14.3% Ownership) To round off our fantasy premier league tips we recommend considering the familiar figure of Wes Morgan. There is a reason for such a high ownership of The Foxes' captain and its consistency. Morgan played in just about every minute of Leicester's campaign last season and he was a pivotal player in their final push to safety, which saw them finish 14th. In his final 10 fixtures he found himself on the score sheet twice and collected the same number of assists… not bad for a centre-half. Leicester held off opponent after opponent to conclude the season with 5 clean sheets in the final 7 fixtures. Foxes fans will be hopeful of similar form, but this time from the off. With Claudio Ranieri handed the reigns at the King Power Stadium there may be slight changes to the playing style, but expect this to be built from a strong defensive foundation. Despite the nightmare of a time Ranieri had managing Greece it is rare for a club of Leicester's calibre, no offense to Leicester, that a manager of his experience and stature has taken charge. We predict Morgan to be at the centre of his plans to avoid the drop and if a goal or two from the Jamaican are needed, well so be it. Note that Morgan is returning to pre-season later than the rest of his squad after competing in The Gold Cup. He may not start the first couple of game weeks, which is why his ownership has dropped, but he still remains an excellent long-term pick.
OUR 4.5M RECOMMENDATIONS
Sebastian Bassong (1.6% Ownership) It is important that your budget defenders are guaranteed to play week in, week out and this is exactly what Bassong brings to the table. The powerful Cameroon international has experience of playing in this division for Newcastle, Tottenham and his current club Norwich. During the Championship's 46-match season, Norwich conceded 1 goal or less in 61% of their games and since Alex Neil's appointment as manager they have appeared even more defensively adept. Combine this with their great opening fixtures and Bassong seems an obvious pick. We were considering Martin Olsson, but with his recent shoulder surgery we advise you to stay clear until further updates are provided. Along with being one of Norwich's top performers in their promotion push; Bassong also presents a real goal scoring threat. His physical stature along with his aerial ability creates a constant worry for opposition defenders. Although he failed to score last season, he did find the net on 3 occasions, along with 2 assists during Norwich's 2012/13 Premier League campaign. Back then Bassong was rose to 5.3m which shows his potential, he might well be - a diamond in the rough. Another thing to add is that Bassong has an outstanding discipline record, having received only 8 bookings in his entire career. John O'Shea (11.6% Ownership) Despite Sunderland barely escaping relegation last season with a pitiful 7 victories all season, they still managed to conjure up the same number of clean sheets (13) as Arsenal. Dick Advocaat's appointment further strengthened their defensive unit and with his old-fashioned approach they became a much harder side to break down. We are backing Sunderland skipper John O'Shea to make the most of his somewhat favourable opening fixtures; Leicester (a), Norwich (H), Swansea (H), Aston Villa (a). Sunderland's fixtures dovetail well with Norwich over the first 10 gameweeks, which is why we have paired O'Shea with Bassong. If O'Shea and either Kaboul or Coates manage to fashion a good partnership then a few shutouts could be on the cards. O'Shea often finds himself in the right place at the right time when venturing forward and we would not be surprised if he builds on his 13 Premier League goals. Like Bassong, he is a nailed on starter, meaning less wasted transfers and more opportunities to invest in other areas. Jose Holebas (0.8% Ownership) Next up in our recommendations is Watford new boy Jose Holebas. He plays predominantly at left-back, but with Watford's history of switching up their formation and playing 5 at the back, it is likely that Holebas could well be deployed further forward as a marauding wing-back. We cannot say for sure where Quique Flores will choose to utilize him, so keep an eye on the pre-season friendlies. Watford have made some excellent early signings in this transfer window with the likes of Etienne Capoue, Sebastian Prodl, Valon Behrami and Allan Nyom heading to Vicarage Road. These acquisitions, with their experience, will go a long way towards tightening up the Watford backline and hopefully securing a few clean sheet points for Holebas. Holebas is deceptively quick and never shies away from a long-range effort. We don't recommend relying on his goal-scoring prowess despite managing an impressive 45 career goals. The Greece international may take some time to accustom himself with the Premier League style and from an FPL viewpoint this fits in well with Watford's fixtures. The Hornet's face tough opposition during the first 4 gameweeks, before the playing field levels out with Swansea (H), Newcastle (a), Crystal Palace (H) and Bournemouth (a). We advise holding him back until these fixtures. Simon Francis (3.9% Ownership) To take advantage of the fact that newly promoted Bournemouth face just one team from the top 8 in their opening 8 fixtures, we think it's a smart move to include one of their defenders. We are backing Simon Francis to be the most influential of their back 4 despite Tyrone Mings' big money move. He comes off the back of a superb season in the Championship and will be eager to continue this rich form. Francis picked up 6 assists and a goal in the 42 matches that he featured in as well as winning the Man of the Match award on 4 occasions. His link up play with Matt Richie down the right hand side has flourished and is enough to cause any side problems. Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe encourages a flowing, possession based style in which the fullbacks are expected to create width and that's exactly what Francis will aim to do. His side played, without doubt, the most attractive attacking football in the Championship last season and their defence proved a tough outfit, conceding just 20 goals all season. When we observed the characteristics of the player and the club we decided it all adds up for a bargain buy. Maya Yoshida (4.3% Ownership) With the sale of Alderweireld and the knee ligament damage suffered by Florin Gardos, Yoshida has emerged as a potential bargain buy. Fonte is The Saints' only other fit centre-back with experience of playing regularly in the Premier League. Barring any late, top class signings, Yoshida is a nailed on starter. Virgil Van Dijk's name has been thrown around on the forums, but even a player of his ability will not walk straight into the team. The Japnese international has impressed during pre-season, he has looked composed alongside Fonte and they are beginning to form a solid partnership. Southampton's new right-back Cedric Soares has been very popular and pops up in many FPL drafts due to his attacking potential, but we feel Yoshida can bring his own goal-scoring ability to the fray. After some research, we discovered that the 26-year-old scored 6 goals in 79 appearances for Nagoya Grampus, 5 goals in 63 appearances for VVV-Venlo. Combine this with 4 goals at international level, along with 3 thus far for Southampton and he looks the real deal for set piece situations. Yoshida's goal vs. Feyenoord last Thursday was another reminder of this... even if he needed the assistance of Pelle's hair gel! If you are looking for a cheap route into the Southampton backline to cover, in our opinion the most attractive opening fixtures of any side, then Yoshida could be your man. Wes Morgan (14.3% Ownership) To round off our fantasy premier league tips we recommend considering the familiar figure of Wes Morgan. There is a reason for such a high ownership of The Foxes' captain and its consistency. Morgan played in just about every minute of Leicester's campaign last season and he was a pivotal player in their final push to safety, which saw them finish 14th. In his final 10 fixtures he found himself on the score sheet twice and collected the same number of assists… not bad for a centre-half. Leicester held off opponent after opponent to conclude the season with 5 clean sheets in the final 7 fixtures. Foxes fans will be hopeful of similar form, but this time from the off. With Claudio Ranieri handed the reigns at the King Power Stadium there may be slight changes to the playing style, but expect this to be built from a strong defensive foundation. Despite the nightmare of a time Ranieri had managing Greece it is rare for a club of Leicester's calibre, no offense to Leicester, that a manager of his experience and stature has taken charge. We predict Morgan to be at the centre of his plans to avoid the drop and if a goal or two from the Jamaican are needed, well so be it. Note that Morgan is returning to pre-season later than the rest of his squad after competing in The Gold Cup. He may not start the first couple of game weeks, which is why his ownership has dropped, but he still remains an excellent long-term pick.
