Top 5 best budget defenders in Fantasy Premier League 2023/24

In Fantasy Premier League (FPL), one of the most underrated decisions you’ll make is picking your cheap enablers or bench fodder to boost your team to reach as high a ceiling as possible. This can mainly be done with the best budget defenders in FPL. Here are our selections.

Defenders in FPL are becoming increasingly more important with each passing season. While once upon a time you could get away with going cheap at the back, the way defenders now play in the attacking phases of a match has made them vital.

This makes players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Luke Shaw, and more seriously tantalizing options when it comes to picking your team.

Unfortunately, those players will come at a premium cost — especially Alexander-Arnold, who comes in as the most expensive defender in FPL history at 8.0. Here are the players costing 4.0-4.5 that you could get in your team to spread your cash better.

Best cheap FPL defenders

Tyrone Mings (4.5, Aston Villa)

Aston Villa are absolutely a team to watch this season as they look to improve on their 7th-place finish in 2022/23.

Mings started finding solid form towards the latter end of the season and should be a mainstay at the heart of that Villa defense, making him an extremely easy pick at this price point.

Sven Botman (4.5, Newcastle)

Botman was a key component in Newcastle’s defense during the 2022/23 season, and many FPL managers reaped the rewards of getting him in early, as he became one of the top-scoring defenders in the league.

With Trippier valued at 6.5, he’s not quite as tempting — but his teammate could be a valid replacement. It’s worth noting, however, that Newcastle’s difficult opening fixtures may mean waiting a few gameweeks to get Botman in.

Jordan Beyer (4.0, Burnley)

Burnley conceded just 35 goals in 2022/23, the lowest number of all Championship teams, and Beyer was the stalwart that held the defense down the entire season.

They will no doubt struggle to be as tight defensively in the Premier League, but if you’re looking for some cheap enablers to help save some money, players like Beyer are your best bet.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (4.5, Manchester United)

Wan-Bissaka played a majority of Premier League matches for United following the World Cup, mainly because of uncertainty across the United backline, but put in some very strong performances throughout.

While Dalot may sometimes be a preferred option on the right, AWB could be a great differential if he ends up being the number one choice, but it’s worth noting that this is more of a punt than some of the other choices in this list.

Amari’i Bell (4.0, Luton)

Left-back Bell played the second-most minutes for Luton in their 2022/23 Championship campaign, behind only goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.

While Bell wasn’t the type of full-back that typically got involved in the goals for Luton, he’s a safe bet for minutes during the season and, similar to Beyer, is a good option if you need a cheap player that will definitely get minutes as a safety precaution on your bench.

Obviously, these aren’t the only options, with many different assets in the 4.0-4.5 range. West Ham’s Nayef Aguerd, Everton’s James Tarkowski, and Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey may all be worth a punt, depending on what your squad needs and the team coverage you already have.

And, if you’re still stuck before even picking your team, make sure to check out some of our best FPL team names for this season.