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Replacing Your Defensive Deadwood

With popular budget defenders such as West Brom’s Andre Wisdom, Chris Baird and Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt* seemingly out of favour, many Fantasy managers have a big decision to make with regards to their replacements. Here are some budget options (under 4.5) that could turn out to be the perfect replacement for your defensive deadwood. All Fantasy Premier League (FPL) ownership figures correct as of February 24.

Craig Dawson

West Brom

Value: 4.4

2.9% ownership

Next 6 fixtures: SOT, avl, STO, mci, QPR, LEI

Rotates home and away with: Aston Villa

Craig Dawson has recently ousted Andre Wisdom as WBA’s first choice right-back. It looks very likely that his name will continue to be on the Albion team sheet for a while after the Englishman earned high praise from his manager recently. Carrying a strong goal threat from set pieces and priced very generously for a defender under Tony Pulis, Dawson is a very popular buy ahead of a run of games where clean sheets look likely. Beware that West Brom’s final five fixtures are very difficult, so it may be worth planning an exit route for when Gameweek 34 comes around.

Kyle Naughton

Swansea

Value: 4.3

0.6% ownership

Next 6 fixtures: bur, tot, LIV, avl, HUL, EVE

Rotates home and away with: Stoke City

Signed in the January transfer window from Spurs, Naughton immediately slotted into the starting XI for his new club. The right-back has decent attacking potential, highlighted by his assist against Sunderland. Combined with the fact that Swansea have kept the fifth most clean sheets in the league (nine), Naughton is surely worthy of a place in our 15-man squads. Swansea’s immediate fixtures don’t offer too much reason for optimism, but it’s worth noting that the Swans have already kept clean sheets away at Everton and Southampton this season, so don’t rule out a surprise shut-out.

Ciaran Clark

Aston Villa

4.3m

0.7% ownership

Next 6 fixtures: new, WBA, sun, SWA, mun, tot

Rotates home and away with: West Brom

Clark seems to have got the nod over Jores Okore as Sherwood’s preferred centre-back partner for captain Ron Vlaar. Aston Villa have already accumulated seven clean sheets so far this season, and you’d think that they’d have to add to that tally if they’re to stand any chance of staying in the Premier League. With a goal and assist to his name already, Clark is a threat from set pieces and may interest West Brom defender owners who are tempted by their perfect home and away rotation.

Philipp Wollscheid

Stoke

Value: 4.5

0.4% ownership

Next 6 fixtures: HUL, EVE, wba, CPL, che, WHU

Rotates home and away with: Swansea

A popular choice on the Fantasy Football Scout boards, the towering Stoke defender was picked up by many mainly due to his favourable Gameweek 27 fixture. However, Stoke have looked anything but solid defensively, which is evident in Wollscheid’s disappointing points per game (PPG) average of 1.8. In saying that, he does carry a strong attacking threat and likes to get his 6’4 frame on the end of set pieces. If Stoke can see an upturn in their defensive form then the German may turn out to be an inspired pick at the budget price of 4.5. A good rotating option for Naughton owners.

Fabricio Coloccini (4.5, 4.2%) and Massaido Haidara (4.1, 0.9%)

Newcastle

Next 6 fixtures: AVL, MUN, eve, ARS, sun, liv

Rotates home and away with: Sunderland

Another team with a favourable Gameweek 27 fixture, Newcastle offer us two budget-priced defenders with plenty of upside. Coloccini is the bonus point magnet from the Newcastle defence, having acquired nine already this season, whereas Haidara is the more budget-friendly option and always looks to move forward from left-back. With the news that Paul Dummett could face three months on the sidelines, Haidara is Newcastle’s only option at left full-back so his place is secure for now.

The only downside is Newcastle’s immediate fixtures – their next seven games do not look good for multiple clean sheets. It may be worth picking up a Newcastle defender later in the season, however, as their final five games (SWA, lei, WBA, qpr, WHU) look favourable for defensive points on paper.

Anthony Reveillere

Sunderland

Value: 4.5

0.1% ownership

Next 6 fixtures: mun, hul, AVL, whu, NEW, CPL

Rotates home and away with: Newcastle.

Boasting a very impressive 4.5 PPG, the 35-year-old has flown under the radar as a Fantasy pick this season. After returning from injury in Gameweek 23, the Frenchman has started every game since and is very likely to remain in the Sunderland XI, whether it’s at right- or left-back. With Sunderland keeping a clean sheet in the game for which Van Aanholt was dropped, it’s likely that Poyet will stick with the same back-four for the time being. Adding to Reveillere’s appeal, he is the bonus point magnet from the Sunderland defence, highlighted by his seven from less than 1,000 minutes of playing time. Don’t rule out the odd assist from this full-back either.

*It may be too early to say that shifting Patrick van Aanholt is necessary as he may earn his place back over time or be deployed as a left-midfielder, but it’s unlikely that he’ll come back in to the XI straight after Sunderland kept a clean sheet.

54 Comments Post a Comment
  1. J0E
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    This is very timely. Lots of us with Wisdom etc looking to ditch this week. For me Dawson or Lescott look the best prospect. Part of me fancies an all or nothing Bertrand to slot alongside Clyne though.

    1. andy85wsm
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Bertrand and Clyne is the direction I'm headed.

    2. Daniel Exeter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      That's the way I'm going.

    3. President John F. Keninnsie
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Thanks for the editing Jonty. I'm likely shifting Baird for Dawson or Lescott myself. 4 clean sheets in 6 for WBA is hard to ignore. In saying that, I've already got double SOT at the back in Fonte and Bertrand, and I can see why you'd be tempted by that route too.

    4. StefanZuce
      • 9 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      I have Terry and Koscelny so i wont take another >5.5m def player. End of season also brings more goals from lower rated teams because they are fighting for survival so more expensive defensive players are not a smart thing to invest in. Better invest that money in Midfield. My thoughts..

  2. Saint Steve-O (@EliteFPL)
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Did the Wisdom> Dawson myself... Another nice write up

  3. GreenWindmill
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Dawson top of my list for Baird replacements, there's a mild fear of being trolled once more by Pulis doing something upsetting like shoving Olsson in at full back.

    1. President John F. Keninnsie
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Can't see that happening myself GW. Olsson is a left-footed CB and I'm pretty certain that he's never played RB in his career. We can never underestimate Pulis though, eh 😉

      1. GreenWindmill
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        9 years, 1 month ago

        Yeah, that was tongue in cheek - there just seem to be a few defensive surprises happening recently.

    2. BRONALDINHO
      • 9 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      I think Pulis was heaping praise on him, so he should be OK, but yeah, anything is possible

  4. Holmes
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Wollscheid is in 0.4% teams, only? 😯
    Couple of goals this week please 😛

  5. HammersXI
    • 11 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Great article Innsie! (Got your name right now!) Really insightful for those people like me who are trying to find a way to replace PVA with a limited budget. Already have Wolls and Naughton, and thanks to you I'll have more options other than Dawson (Dont feel too confident to doubling WBA vs Saints)

    Colo and Reveillere are interesting options but the only thing that is putting me off Colo is the unfavorable fixtures short term. Any thoughts about Hutton OR Lei defenders after the DGW has passed?

    1. HammersXI
      • 11 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Ah you can ignore the Hutton comment. I didn't notice you including Clark. My bad! That's another interesting option but I might end up choosing the safer route of Hutton

    2. President John F. Keninnsie
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Hutton is an interesting one, one thing that would put me off him is he has 8 yellow cards so is only 2 away from a 2 match ban. That's one of the things that made me choose Clark over him for the purposes of this article. Sherwood is known for being quite an attack-minded manager so it is certainly possible that we'll see Villa concede more goals, but I guess time will tell on that front.

      As far as Leicester defenders are concerned, the only one I'd be slightly interested in is Schlupp since he's OOP. I wouldn't feel confident ever relying on a Leicester defender to get me a clean sheet, but Schlupp could be an interesting one as attacking returns are definitely possible with him.

      1. HammersXI
        • 11 Years
        9 years, 1 month ago

        Ah yes I didn't notice the 8 Yellow Cards. That will surely put me off I guess. Not too sure about Villa's defense but clearly they do have to start conceding less and scoring more to have any chance of survival.

        Yea I was thinking more on Schlupp as he's OOP, and the fact that he do supply good crosses and assist other than the odd goal. I agree with you that I wouldn't feel confident in thinking that a LEI defender will help me get a CS, but it's more of a punt + the DGW for LEI coming up could just swing it in my favor. But I guess we do have to keep a look out for his minutes too and whether they are under threat in the near future. The last thing I would want is another PVA / Wisdom situation which would cause me to waste another transfer.

        Anyways brilliant article! Keep up the good work, and very soon your name will become Innsie - Green Arrow Magnet 🙂

        1. President John F. Keninnsie
          • 10 Years
          9 years, 1 month ago

          Yeah you seem like you know what you're talking about.

          Thanks Hammers 😀

      2. Ruth_NZ
        • 9 Years
        9 years, 1 month ago

        I'm looking at Schlupp later on as well. Leicester have decent fixtures from GW 29 onwards plus he has a DGW in 34 and is virtually playing as a forward now. He's cheap enough to be part of a defensive rotation too.

        I'd be surprised if he doesn't end up in my squad from around GW 31/32 onwards.

  6. Kings of Lyon ★
    • 13 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    I like this. With PvA Wasi and Wisdom. Ive narrowed it down to 3 from -

    Toby, Naughton, Woll and Dawson.

  7. Business Dog
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Baird + PVA > Haidara + Dawson

  8. NABIL - FPL otai
    • 11 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    No McShane 🙁

    or Yun 🙁

    1. President John F. Keninnsie
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      *vomits

  9. Nickofoz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Nice article Innsie, very insightful.

    Sneaky name change too, I'm not too far off joining you in that club! 😛

  10. TFP
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    A very necessary article.

    I'm interested in supercheap options and not looking too far ahead in terms of fixtures.

    Naughton & Haidara in for me.

  11. SC not pearls before swine
    • 13 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Good stuff. I'm going Dawson. A fullback who goes up for set pieces = Ivanovic-lite. I hope...

  12. ronmadpirlo
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Maybe it is just me but the italics at the end make it look like a quote. I was thinking it might be Poyet's words while I was reading it. Bit pedantic I know

    1. ronmadpirlo
      • 9 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Btw unless you can back up your claim about PVA I would dispute it. I feel he is first choice but maybe he needed a rest. Don't forget he was supposed to be injured for 4 months and rushed back.

      1. Ruth_NZ
        • 9 Years
        9 years, 1 month ago

        Here's the backup:

        1. He is a defensive liability. Sunderland have performed much better defensively when he has not been in the team. Check the stats if you like.
        2. He lost his starting place at Vitesse for exactly this reason midway through last season. The word from Vitesse was that his future is more likely to be in midfield and that he's too cavalier to be a solid left back.
        3. Reveillere is a French international and an experienced 34yo player on good wages. He wasn't brought to Sunderland to sit on the bench, not at that age. And Poyet has a track record of benching talented players if he thinks it's best for the team. Rodwell is a good example.
        4. PvA's starts since returning from injury have either been as a wingback in a 3-5-2 or when there have been injuries to other defenders.
        5. All this evidence suggests that the first choice Sunderland back four is Vergini-Brown-O'Shea-Reveillere when everyone is fit. PvA is more likely to play when one is injured or in a midfield/wingback role. Brown, O'Shea and Reveillere are all over 30 however so injuries are more likely to happen, meaning that PvA may well get opportunities anyway. But a nailed on starter he is not.

        That enough?

        1. President John F. Keninnsie
          • 10 Years
          9 years, 1 month ago

          ^

        2. zuzuViking
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          9 years, 1 month ago

          If he starts as a mid, or wingback in a 5 x defence, he is golden'ish. Any chance that might happen?

          1. Ruth_NZ
            • 9 Years
            9 years, 1 month ago

            Yes, there's a chance. Some Sunderland fans think that's likely, others expect a 4-5-1 again. Maybe Poyet will give some indication at the press conference but we'll probably not know till we see the teamsheet.

        3. ronmadpirlo
          • 9 Years
          9 years, 1 month ago

          Interesting points. I didn't expect a quick reply so I only just saw this! I'll give my take on your points.

          1) I assume you are correct but he is really an attacking fullback so that would make sense anyway and not necessarily rule him out. It isn't like Sunderland score lots of goals without him. This means it is a judgement call for Poyet to make on how attacking he wants to play. I guess i could mean he is less likely to play in tough away games though.

          2) Interesting to know and a bit of a worry. See 1)

          3) I rate Reveillere but think Vergini is the weak link. I recall him having some particular bad performances over the last 2 seasons which were strongly criticised py pundits.

          4) While this may be true the fact he has only failed to start 1 league game when fit is surely stronger evidence. Also who knows what formation Poyet will settle on eventually.

          5) This is just a conclusion not a separate point.

          I actually think he may be benched vs United away to play more defensively, but expect him to return to starting lineup after. It depends on Poyet's mentality so I don't believe anyone can say for sure if he will or won't be starting in future.

  13. Snellejanus
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    What about Bellerin? Still only 4.6 so should deserve a mention in this article?

    1. President John F. Keninnsie
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      The first paragraph clearly states that I picked players 4.5m and under.

      1. Snellejanus
        • 9 Years
        9 years, 1 month ago

        Yes, fair enough. Suppose you're rich enough to afford the 0.1 extra though, how'd you rate Bellerin as a cheap defensive asset at this time?

        1. President John F. Keninnsie
          • 10 Years
          9 years, 1 month ago

          I think he's a good option for sure. Looks to be first choice never Chambers now and has decent attacking threat. He may miss the odd game though, but his (and Arsenal's) performance against Monaco tonight was very poor. I reckon he'll be a decent option in the short term but you'll have to move him on eventually. I don't know when Debuchy is back btw but if that's within a month then I'd say getting Bellerin in isn't worth it.

          1. President John F. Keninnsie
            • 10 Years
            9 years, 1 month ago

            *over

          2. Snellejanus
            • 9 Years
            9 years, 1 month ago

            Thanks for that! I guess I will wait until Saturday morning to decide whether I'll ship PvA for Bellerin or Dawson. Leaning towards Dawson now...

  14. Zasa
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Great article Inns, great guide for that price and you really can't go wrong with Dawson/Lescott right now

    I myself will need lumberjack and an axe to get rid of the wood of my side 😯

  15. Barry Woj
    • 11 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Very nice article - been needing something like this!

  16. Cowboy John
    • 11 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Good article, thanks. Think I'm going to spend a bit more and go for Lescott or McAuley. 🙂

  17. Dino
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Good article but I'm not sure such bold statements about pva are helpful when we have only the evidence of one game where he was dropped. Personally I think he will come back in as poyet likes his attacking fbs (see alonso) and pva has been fantastic providing width down the left.

    I'm not saying he won't be dropped, just that such bold statements in articles like these mat lead people to make .over that will cost them. I'd prefer if you offered the facts that he has been dropped for one game where sunderland kept a cs and also offer the facts that he has been present for three cs and is the second top for assists in the team and then let people make a rational decision.

    1. Dino
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      (mat) Might* (.over) moves*

  18. Habozekry
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Midfielder for the next 2 Gameweeks, no matter the budget

  19. Habozekry
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Downing/Boyd/Herrera for the next 2 Gameweeks???

    1. Piksau
      • 9 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Downing

  20. Piksau
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    As will be made abundantly clear….i am a bit confused right now.

    DDG
    Yoshida PVA Clichy Wisdom
    Boyd Henderson(Yellow Flag) Sanchez© Cazorla
    Defoe Aguero

    Krul Fab Kane Terry

    1.4 ITB
    2FT

    a) Terry > Naughton/ Reveillere/ Dawson/ Wollscheid
    and then,
    upgrade another defender to Terry/Ivanovic next GW (Will pay extra 0.1M on Terry if i take him back)

    b) Terry and PVA/Wisdom > 2 of Naughton/ Reveillere/ Dawson/ Wollscheid

    c) Keep Terry. PVA/Wisdom > Naughton/ Reveillere/ Dawson/ Wollscheid

    HELP!

  21. Kevin.The.Brain
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    Need to take Baird(3.9) out.
    0 in bank.
    Bruce in or McShane?
    or any other player
    Current defense: Clyne Jones Dawson PVA Baird
    (need 4 playing defender this week)

    1. Kevin.The.Brain
      • 9 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      Sorry not Dawson its *Naughton in the team btw.

    2. Denis Tueart on the wing
      • 14 Years
      9 years, 1 month ago

      nothing for 3.9, More chance of Baird getting a point and keep FT.

      1. Kevin.The.Brain
        • 9 Years
        9 years, 1 month ago

        Bruce or Mcshane would at least play and give 2 points. Most probably PVA won't play.
        I need 4 in defense this week.

        1. Denis Tueart on the wing
          • 14 Years
          9 years, 1 month ago

          Sorry DUNNO, reply posted in wrong place.
          I had the same dilemma, fortunately I had 1.0M in the bank.

          I think Hull will let 2 goals in. With Walters and Moses

          Baird instantly came on last week when Morrison got injured. So some slight hope there.

          PVA should play some part in my opinion.

          1. Kevin.The.Brain
            • 9 Years
            9 years, 1 month ago

            Yeah. may be I will save transfer this week then.

            1. Denis Tueart on the wing
              • 14 Years
              9 years, 1 month ago

              Good luck

  22. Denis Tueart on the wing
    • 14 Years
    9 years, 1 month ago

    I had the same dilemma, fortunately I had 1.0M in the bank.

    I think Hull will let 2 goals in. With Walters and Moses

    Baird instantly came on last week when Morrison got injured. So some slight hope there.

    PVA should play some part in my opinion.