Where to Draft Defenders in Fantrax EPL Draft in 24/25

Defenders are usually the most overlooked Fantasy EPL position during a draft (goalkeepers aside). Everyone is fighting to add the best Premier League attackers to their roster, while elite defenders fall further and further down the draft board. This article will give you some insight on how to build a strong defense on draft day, and take into account the new scoring changes in Fantrax Default Scoring! For more incredible analysis and draft help check out our 24/25 Draft Kit and our Pricing Plans.

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Defender Tiers

The following tiers will greatly help you decide where to pick defenders in your Fantasy EPL draft this summer. Check out our Tiered Rankings Cheat Sheet for the combined thoughts of the Draft Society staff for all Fantrax positions ahead of the 24/25 season!

Scoring Change Note

This season in Fantrax default scoring, defenders will no longer be penalized for conceding their first goal. This means negative points for goals conceded will only start after the 2nd goal conceded. If a defender concedes just one goal, they will not receive clean sheet points but will not be further deducted two points. This change will positively impact the defender position as a whole. Using the stats from last season, the average defender pp90 increased from 5.8 to 7.5 points. That is a pretty big jump and one that will create a change in the way defender streaming is valued, and how late we can wait to draft defenders.

The Elite

I have never been one to draft defenders early, and the new rule makes me less inclined to do so this year. In my opinion, the “elite” group will consist of: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier. Unsurprisingly enough, this is the same "elite" group as last season. Two assets that have proven they can put up monster scores consistently, and now without the punishment of a -2 for the first goal against, can improve their output this year. Outside of that, I consider there to be a "secondary elite" group that will consist of: Andrew Robertson, James Tarkowski, Ben White, Pedro Porro, Josko Gvardiol, and Virgil Van Dijk.

The drop off from Trent and Trippier to the next group should be about 1-2 rounds. Trent has a chance to be a late first rounder, with Trippier somewhere in the second. The secondary elite group will probably start coming off the board near the end of the third and lasting until the 4th or early 5th, depending on your league. As you know, I will probably never roster one of these elite defenders, but I can see a reason for wanting to draft them. With the new rule, Trent and Trippier will be even stronger assets. Liverpool especially don't usually concede in bunches, and this new rule will award Trent an extra two points in the games he doesn't get a clean sheet. Before the scoring change, Trent had 12.9 PPS in his 25 starts, using last year's data but adding in the new scoring, Trent would have scored 13.7 PPS in his 25 starts, nearly an entire point increase. With Trent already being a consistent first rounder, this probably cements him as a 1st rounder between picks 8-12.

The Above Average DEFs

These defenders are just below the elite ones and will probably be off the board by Round 7 in a 12-team league, depending on the preferences of its managers. The defenders in this group may be coming off a mediocre season, but can provide elite value on their day and may also carry "name value" to earn them picks earlier in the draft. As well, a lot of these defenders are on teams that may not be clean sheet magnets, and the new scoring change should increase their value.

This group includes defenders like Daniel Munoz, Ethan Pinncok, Joachim Andersen, Gabriel Magalhaes Diogo Dalot, Pervis Estupian, and Reece James. If you can't get one of the elite or secondary-elite defenders, I would look to draft one of these guys as your DEF1 and hope they end up having a great season. In this group, any of these defenders have the chance to be elite this season, and all showed the potential of it last season or in the one before.

The latter two (James and Estupian) have been known to battle injuries, and it is worth noting that James is suspended the first three games of the season. Both of these players will be under a new manager, so tactics could also affect their output. These two assets could probably be taken in the 6th round if you are keen on one of them.

I am also not against the strategy of drafting two of these defenders in back-to-back rounds to have a solid balance in your squad. By the end of round 7, if you have 2 defenders and 5 attackers, then your roster balance is in good shape to start taking punts and upside picks as the draft progresses. As of now, this would be my recommended strategy to those who prefer to take the well-balanced approach instead of an "all-out-attack" draft strategy.

The Early Punts

Usually when you think of a punt, those assets are taken in the last 4-6 rounds of a draft. Here, I am talking about defenders that could be anything from elite to droppable. These are defenders who either don't have a clear role, are new to the league, or are under new management. These defenders are considered early punts because you will need to use a pick between rounds 8-11 to secure them, if not slightly higher. This is either because of their "hype" or data from mock drafts so far. This group includes: Leif Davis, Malo Gusto, Ricardo Pereira/James Justin, Jarrod Branthwaite, and Ibrahima Konate.

A lot of these assets have shown they can be top fantasy assets, but all lack certainty. Branthwaite could be the key United are missing, and become a "Maguire" type player for them. Gusto could make himself undroppable in those first 3 games, causing Reece to sit on the bench. Davis could be the second coming of Doughty given his set-piece delivery and attacking threat. Konate staying fit could make him a better asset than Van Dijk, especially if he can start 30 games. Finally, the Leicester RB contingent has shown in years past they can be DEF 1 level assets. It is just about picking the one who will win the role.

The Mid-Tier DEFs

When it comes to drafting defenders after the ones mentioned above are all off the board, the next group will be your DEF 2-DEF 3 type assets, and will lack consistency. These assets will either be floor plays or boom-bust type assets. When looking towards your DEF 3/4, I would recommend using our Drafting for Early Fixtures guide to select defenders with the best fixtures in the first four games.

The Mid-Tier defenders will include the likes of Dan Burn, Tyrick Mitchell, Christian Romero, William Saliba, Kristoffer Ajer, Chris Richards, Marcos Sensei and Vitaliy Mykolenko. These defenders could provide DEF 1 value from time to time, but expect them to be closer to the DEF 2-3 range this season.

The True Punts

Once you reach the very late rounds, I would look to punt on at least 1-2 defenders who you think could have a breakout season. Some of the punts I might recommend include: Levi Colwill, Luke Shaw, Destiny Udogie, Jurien Timber, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Milos Kerkez. These players will seriously need something to go their way such as more cleansheets, more playtime, a better injury record, a few more ghosts, or a transfer to a better EPL club. They have all shown they have great potential in fantasy and a punt on them in the late rounds could pay off huge. This is also when you might consider taking some defenders from promoted teams.

Why Should you Draft Defenders?

Last Season Results

Last season, there were 43 midfielders that managed to score at least 250 Fantrax points, but only 21 defenders - using this season's scoring with last years statistics. This shows the scarcity in quality defenders. Clean sheets are becoming harder to predict each season as well, with even the top teams conceding the odd goal to bottom table teams. Instead of relying on streaming defenders with poor ghost point output and hoping for the clean sheet bonus, it would be better to come out of the draft with at least one (and preferably more) set-and-forget defenders who could finish top 15 at their position. The midfield pool depth will always allow you to pick up a starting CDM and hope he gets 6-10 points that day, but streaming a Southampton defender vs. Manchester City due to waiver wire scarcity is a death sentence.

The Verdict

I would aim to draft at least one (maybe two) defenders before Round 6, then two more defenders between Rounds 7-12. After Round 12, I would look to take a couple punts on some high-upside defenders that you could drop to the waiver wire with little fuss. But, if they end up working out, they could be the key to a title-winning year. In total, if you come out of the draft with five to seven defenders who are a mix of set-and-forget and high-upside punts , you are in good shape. Formations allow you to start up to 5 defenders each week, so stacking some high-quality ones in that position is another to approach the draft, and one most managers in your league may not think about.

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