Gameweek 21 brought an unexpected bonus for the owners as a centre-back Michael Keane (£4.8m) popped up with a rare goal. However, that joy quickly faded after he was shown a red card for pulling the hair of Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare.
Everton appealed, but the dismissal stood. As a result, Keane missed Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Sunderland, while he will also be suspended for the Premier League matches against Aston Villa in Gameweek 22 and Leeds United in Gameweek 23.
FPL executives have already started hitting Keane in droves, with sales approaching the 100,000 mark. With that in mind, attention now turns to defenders priced between £4.5m and £5.0m as we assess some of the strongest replacement options.
MARCOS SEENCE
Bournemouth’s recent form is a concern. The Cherries have won just one of their last ten matches, a run that has seen them drop to 15th in the table.
The defensive numbers look even more worrying. They have only kept one clean sheet in that same stretch of ten games. So why should FPL managers consider investing in Bournemouth’s backline?
Matches often determine form, and this is where Andoni Iraola’s side comes back into the conversation. Bournemouth has a good lead.
According to the Fantasy Football Scout fixture tickerno team has a better schedule for the next nine gameweeks. Upcoming opponents include Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, Sunderland and Burnley.
The standout option remains Mark Senesi (£4.8m), which still has solid ownership at 14.2%.
That interest makes sense given his defensive contribution potential. As the data shows, no defender has registered more DefCons or achieved a higher success rate over the same period.
Unusual for a centre-back, he is also surprisingly creative: a total of eighteen chances created is by far the best total for a centre-back in 2025/26. It’s also enough to rank him ninth among all FPL defenders.
JOACHIM ANDERSEN
Fulham continue to enjoy another solid season and sit ninth in the table. Their good recent form has seen them move up the league, with only Arsenal collecting more points in the last six matchweeks (via Football statistics):
However, they still have to be completely convincing defensively. Fulham have managed just five clean sheets this season.
While that lack of consistency remains a concern, several underlying metrics offer encouragement. For example, Fulham are among the top 10 teams in terms of expected goals conceded (xGC).
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The playlist also gives reason for optimism. A trip to Manchester City presents a tough test, but there are some decent mid-term fixtures to look forward to:
The difficulty of the match may be relevant: four of the Cottagers’ five clean sheets have come at 16th or lower. The other was against Sunderland:
A lack of attacking returns this season is far from ideal Joachim Andersen (£4.6m), but he compensates with strong defensive contribution potential.
The Dane is among the top five defenders in terms of both total DefCons (Tot, below) and DefCon points success rate (%, below):
MATTY CASH
Aston Villa went into the season with big question marks. Unai Emery’s team indeed failed to win any of the first six league matches.
That story quickly changed. Emery guided Villa to ruthless form, culminating in an impressive 11-match run that silenced the critics.
That rise has brought Villa level on points with Manchester City and increased the appeal of their attacking and defensive assets. However, clean sheets are still hard to come by, with only two goals scored in the last ten games.
Encouragingly, the fixture list offers a lot of promise. Villa will be on home soil four times over the next six Gameweeks. A trip to Molineux then follows:
Offering more than just the potential for a clean sheet is a fullback Matty Cash (£4.8 million). His assist against Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 20 and his back-to-back goals against Arsenal and Brighton in early December both highlight that.
Since Villa doesn’t really have a DefCon machine on the books, the old-fashioned attacking threat wins.
Above: Defenders sorted by shots and key passes in 2025/26
NORDI MUKIELE
Sunderland have surprised many since their promotion from the Championship. Victories over established Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Newcastle underline that the Black Cats not only want to avoid relegation, but also want to compete.
A winless series of five competition matches indicates a slight dip, but the Régis Le Bris team is feeling the consequences of the absence of AFCON: no team had more players away in Morocco (six). The good news? All but one player should be back in Gameweek 22.
Defense is definitely their strongest point. Only two Premier League clubs have conceded fewer goals (GC, below):
In fact, Sunderland have kept more clean sheets (seven) than any team (Villa, Bournemouth, Fulham) discussed so far.
Yes, there is a large degree of overperformance. The Black Cats are among the bottom five teams in terms of expected goals conceded (31), yet have only allowed 22 goals. But in Robin Roefs (£4.9m), the Black Cats have an excellent shot-stopper to deter attacks that get through that stubborn backline:
The upcoming matches are also good.
Matches against Crystal Palace, West Ham and Burnley provide three favorable opportunities over the next three matchweeks. There are also decent matches outside the unappealing Gameweek 25/26 double-header:
Despite the price increases, Nordi Mukiele (£4.4m) still offers an economical route into the Black Cats’ defense, which could free up funds elsewhere.
He ranks among the top eight defenders for overall DefCons in 2025/26, while his long throws and occasional run-outs at right-back also offer the prospect of sporadic attacking results.
CHRIS RICHARDS
Crystal Palace started the season as they ended the last, in excellent form. Oliver Glasner’s side have completed an impressive unbeaten run of 19 competitive matches, dating back to the closing stages of last season.
Aligning the obligations of the UEFA Conference League with the obligations of the Premier League has since proven to be a challenge. A thin squad and a growing injury list have taken their toll, but with key players due to return in the coming weeks, Palace could rediscover that early momentum.
From a baseline perspective, their numbers mirror some of the teams already discussed, with just two shutouts in their last ten games. Despite this, they are still among the top five clubs in the league with the fewest goals conceded (23) and the most clean sheets (eight) in the 2025/26 season overall.
And encouragingly, only Bournemouth score higher on the Fantasy Football Scout Fixture Ticker over the next ten gameweeks.
That run could revive Palace assets such as the fit-aga Chris Richards (£4.4m), which sits at a very attractive price. The American recently returned from injury and despite missing out last time out, the extended break between Gameweek 21 and 22 should give Glasner ample time to consider him for a starting role. He also got minutes in the FA Cup on Saturday.
It’s also worth remembering how effective Crystal Palace defenders can be within this system. Both Richards and teammate Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) ranks among the top five defenders in terms of DefCon points success rate.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
While many managers don’t have the resources for a significant upgrade, some do have flexibility. For those in that position, the standout option Gabriel (£6.7 million). Arsenal continue to dominate the underlying defensive metrics and the Brazilian has already scored twice since returning from injury.
Chelsea also stands out from a match perspective, with one of the most favorable schedules in the league. The Blues have kept eight clean sheets so far, making them one of the strongest defenses in the division. That has been one ever-present figure Trevo Chalobah (£5.5m), who has started every league match he was available for and scored three goals this season.
And finally, what about a sideways movement? Everton’s upcoming run also puts their defense firmly in the conversation, even without Keane. Matches against Aston Villa, Leeds, Brighton, Fulham and Bournemouth offer the realistic prospect of more shut-outs. The solution may simply lie with his defending partner, James Tarkowski (£5.7m), who remains a reliable source of points at both ends of the pitch.
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