With a huge list of double gameweeks announced for the final part of the season, now more than ever it’s important to maximize transfers to prepare for your chip strategy and climb the ranks one final time.
Here is the upcoming schedule, courtesy of Ben Crellin:
With popular picks from Wolves now blanking in GW33 and having some tough upcoming fixtures, FPL managers will be looking for the ideal replacements. As well as this, Tierney is expected to be out for the rest of the season. This week’s article therefore looks at which budget-friendly defenders would be the best replacements for these assets. I will be comparing these budget defenders ahead of FPL GW32:
- Matt Doherty (£4.9m)
- Ben White (£4.6m)
- Wesley Fofana (£4.3m)
- Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m)
[Total_Soft_Poll id=”44″]
FPL GW32 Budget Defenders Comparison- Doherty vs White vs Fofona vs Mitchell
Doherty vs White vs Fofana vs Mitchell: The Stats
| Doherty | White | Fofana | Mitchell | |
| Starts / Minutes | 8 / 853 | 27 / 2430 | 1 / 90 | 30 / 2691 |
| Total Points (per 90) | 66 (6.47) | 104 (3.65) | 1 (0.93) | 97 (3.09) |
| Clean Sheets | 3 | 13 | 0 | 9 |
| Goals Conceded | 11 | 27 | 1 | 38 |
| Goals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| xG (per 90) | 2.61 (0.26) | 0.97 (0.03) | 0.06 (0.06) | 0.29 (0.01) |
| Big Chances (per 90) | 5 (0.49) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goal Attempts (per 90) | 15 (1.47) | 12 (0.42) | 1 (0.93) | 3 (0.10) |
| Shots on Target (per 90) | 6 (0.59) | 3 (0.11) | 1 (0.93) | 0 |
| Pen. Area Touches (per 90) | 32 (3.14) | 16 (0.56) | 2 (1.86) | 27 (0.86) |
| Assists / FPL Assists | 4 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 2 / 0 |
| xA (per 90) | 1.42 (0.14) | 0.86 (0.03) | 0 | 1.60 (0.05) |
| Chances Created (per 90) | 15 (1.47) | 12 (0.42) | 0 | 19 (0.61) |
| Big Chances Created (per 90) | 3 (0.29) | 1 (0.04) | 0 | 2 (0.12) |
| xGI (per 90) | 4.03 (0.40) | 1.83 (0.06) | 0.06 (0.06) | 1.89 (0.06) |
| Goal Involvement | 23 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| FPL Goal Involvement | 27 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Doherty’s stats are slightly skewed due to his minutes, but we can see that he definitely comes out on top. Per 90 minutes, among defenders, he is:
- 8th for penalty area touches
- 8th for goal attempts
- 1st for big chances
- 6th for shots on target
- Top 10 for big chances created
- 1st for xG
- 3rd for xGI
He has been a great asset to jump on thus far, and his stats are really hard to ignore.
Overall, White and Mitchell’s stats come out very similar. White has performed better defensively with Arsenal, but both have the same xGI.
Fofana has only played one game, but is on many FPL managers’ radars. Last season, in 27 starts, he bagged 7 clean sheets and 1 assist. What is really tempting about Fofana is his price point, along with Leicester’s fixtures – which we will look at soon.
Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder Of The Season | All Scenarios
Doherty’s Maps
White’s Maps
- Doherty’s positioning is a lot more attacking
Fofana’s Maps
Mitchell’s Maps
- Mitchell’s heat maps are also promising, though his stats aren’t as strong
Arsenal vs Spurs vs Palace vs Leicester at a Glance
| Tottenham | Arsenal | Leicester | Palace | |
| W / D / L | 17 / 3 / 10 | 17 / 3 / 9 | 10 / 7 / 11 | 8 / 13 / 9 |
| Goals (per game) | 52 (1.7) | 44 (1.5) | 43 (1.5) | 41 (1.4) |
| xG (per game) | 53.48 (1.8) | 51.65 (1.8) | 39.41 (1.4) | 42.21 (1.4) |
| Big Chances (per game) | 83 (2.8) | 51 (1.8) | 54 (1.9) | 52 (1.7) |
| Goal Attempts (per game) | 389 (13) | 440 (15.2) | 330 (11.8) | 316 (10.5) |
| Shots Inside Box (per game) | 253 (8.4) | 280 (9.7) | 207 (7.4) | 223 (7.4) |
| Shots on Target (per game) | 150 (5) | 141 (4.9) | 124 (4.4) | 111 (3.7) |
| Clean Sheets | 11 | 13 | 5 | 9 |
| Goals Conceded (per game) | 37 (1.2) | 34 (1.2) | 47 (1.7) | 38 (1.3) |
| xG Conceded (per game) | 39.15 (1.3) | 40.18 (1.4) | 55.56 (2) | 39.60 (1.3) |
| SOT Conceded (per game) | 113 (3.8) | 117 (4) | 146 (5.2) | 117 (3.9) |
Arsenal and Spurs are definitely vying for the top spot here. Overall, Spurs come out on top for attacking stats, while Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals and kept the most clean sheets.
Palace have been consistently average in both defence and attack.
Leicester have been quite strong offensively, but their defensive performances have been poor. With some of their defenders now back fit (Fofana, Justin, Castagne, and possibly Evans), perhaps we will see an improvement there.
| Tottenham | Arsenal | Leicester | Palace |
| avl | BHA | CRY | lei |
| BHA | sou, che | new, eve | new |
| bre | MUN | AVL | LEE |
| LEI | whu | tot | sou |
| liv, ARS | LEE, tot | EVE, NOR | WAT |
| BUR | new | wat, che | avl, eve |
| nor | EVE | SOU | MUN |
Tottenham have some great fixtures until the end of the season, but frustratingly their double is against Liverpool and Arsenal. However, if Doherty maintains his attacking prowess then he could still provide some much-needed points. With those fixtures, I definitely think he’s a hold for the rest of the season.
Arsenal definitely have a mixture of favourable and difficult games. In their doubles, they come against strong Chelsea and Tottenham sides. In between this, they also face United and West Ham. They have pulled off some great defensive performances, but these tricky games could provide some frustrating blanks.
Leicester have a packed schedule to end the season with, and it’s mostly positive. Their doubles in GW33 and GW36 are very enticing, and picking a defensive asset alongside Barnes or Maddison looks like a great strategy if you’re preparing to Bench Boost soon.
Palace are also hitting a favorable run of games. They have been slightly poorer away from home this season, however, and the teams they come up against are definitely capable of wiping Mitchell’s clean sheet. Their double in GW37 does look positive.
Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder Of The Season | All Scenarios
Budget Defenders Comparison: The Verdict
Although White doesn’t offer great attacking threat, he is a cheap, safe way into the Arsenal defence. The move from Tierney to White will be very popular, as, despite the result against Palace, Arsenal have been defensively sound this season and do have some games in hand. If you already have cover for the Arsenal defence in Ramsdale / Gabriel, then I would maybe consider jumping on one of the more attacking assets, as Arsenal do have some tricky upcoming fixtures.
Mitchell is also an interesting differential, and at just £4.5m he could be worth a punt. In those low-scoring games, he could also offer some bonus points.
Out of these assets, the most exciting for me are Doherty and Fofana. Doherty has really burst onto the scene, and his form is hard to ignore. He’s a great hold for the duration of the season, and a top candidate to consider if you need to make changes in your defence. However, Fofana is also a prospect I’m tempted to take a risk on. With the sheer amount of doubles Leicester have, it may be worth taking a punt on a £4.3m asset who has 10 games in 7 gameweeks. I would watch out for rotation with the packed schedule, but Fofana’s starting position looks fairly nailed. Another issue is Leicester’s defensive record, so bear that in mind too.
[kofi]
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Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 32:
FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder Of The Season | All Scenarios
Impact of FA Cup Results on FPL Gameweek 33 | FPL GW33 Fixtures
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Sophie Wellington
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