Six Premier League defenders you should consider for your fantasy football team

Ollie Irish

4th, August 2009

12 Comments

In order of preference:
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Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)
Man Utd may struggle to replace C-Ron’s goals but they should still be very mean at the back, thanks to the tried and trusted Vidic/Ferdinand axis. Vidic is the most expensive defender in most fantasy leagues, but with good reason: he’s a rock at the back and he’s a serious goal threat from set pieces (much more so than Ferdinand). In other words, he’s worth it.
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Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
By the end of last season, Cole seemed to have finally found his feet at Chelsea. He’s a confidence player and he now looks genuinely confident to me, perhaps for the first time since he left Arsenal. He promises a solid mix of clean sheets and assists, and he’s guaranteed of his first-team place.
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Glen Johnson (Liverpool)
Johnson’s versatility makes him a strong fantasy pick - he can play left- or right-back (midfield even?) and he’s adventurous enough to chip in with a few handy assists and goals. Now that Alvaro Arbeloa has left Liverpool, the chance of Johnson becoming one of Rafa’s first-team regulars has increased further. And with the World Cup on the horizon, you know he’ll be doing his best to impress Fabio Capello.
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Wayne Bridge (Man City)
Solid, unspectacular, reliable. Bridge is a modern-day Denis Irwin. OK, he’s not quite in Irwin’s class but he’s plenty good enough to be City’s first-choice left-back. City will definitely concede fewer goals than they did last season too. Bridge is another Englishman who will be looking to nail down his World Cup squad place. A safe selection.
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Stephen Warnock (Blackburn)
Yes, it’s another English full-back with something to prove. If you’re looking at cheaper defenders from outside the big four, to make sure your team comes in on budget, you could do a lot worse than look at Warnock. He’s an underrated full-back who loves to get forward; indeed, he’s played in midfield in some pre-season games. I’m sure that Sam Allardyce will turn Blackburn into a difficult team to score against.
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Brede Hangeland (Fulham)
I will eat my hat if Fulham concede as few goals as they did in 08/09 (34), but Hangeland is still a worthwhile purchase – he’s a poor man’s Nemanja Vidic, in fantasy terms. If he goes to Arsenal (a big if seeing as he is now cup-tied in Europe), he becomes more than a useful purchase.
Which defenders do you have/will you buy for your fantasy team?
Six Premier League goalkeepers you should consider for your fantasy football team

Posted in Top 10s & lists

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12 Comments

  1. David Allison says:

    Ollie, does Whoateallthepies have a Fantasy Premier League private league we can all join?

  2. Scouse Lad says:

    Cheers for unearthing these hidden gems. I’d never heard of any of them before. How do you do it?

  3. Ollie says:

    Ah, is this the “Famous Scouse Wit®” I’ve heard so much about?

  4. Kevin says:

    Yep, can’t argue with those mentioned.
    I’d also have a look at Zhrkov, young Insua and Aaron Hughes is very good at only 5.0.

  5. Ollie says:

    Hmm, Insua is a good shout. Zhirkov quite expensive for one so new to the Prem.

  6. Kevin says:

    Insua has slipped under the radar…why did I have to mention him ;)
    Zhirkov is going to be big this season…but not as a defender. Did an article on him for my site, he’s such an a great player. Wouldn’t underestimate him even if he is only new.

  7. Joe says:

    Hangeland is better than Vidic, who is unlikely to have another season like that seeing as he’s still to come out of Samuel Eto’o’s back pocket. Vidic also picks up more cards than Rio so I went for everyone’s favourite pothead alongside Brede. I plumped for Gretar Steinsson, since he’s cheap, has a decent right foot and plays in a miserly defense; and Paul Scharner.

  8. ShingadiaFC says:

    Apart from the ‘biggies’ in the league, here’s some cheap alternatives, that you should consider:
    – Steinsson (Good assists and gabs a few goals)
    – Scharner (Bound to get a few goals)
    – Lescott (Cheaper now, due to a ‘quiet’ last season)
    – M.Richards (Back to fitness and very cheap – reliable)

  9. oller says:

    I tend to go for a fantasy defence of solely full-backs. I find with the assists they’ll chip in with makes them better value.
    What it’s all about is finding players that get moved about. Riise used to be a bit of a scam as he was classed as a defender, despite playing in midfield, so he was eligible for the cleansheet bonus but was more likely to score. By the sounds of Warnock could be one of these gems :)

  10. Adam says:

    Leighton Baines.
    Everton don’t concede many and he has formed a great partnership with Pienaar bombing forward, and picked up a lot of assists and the odd goal last season.

  11. wllmhll says:

    zhirkov is classed as a defender, but he can play in midfield too. points for cleansheet, and points for scoring/assist.

  12. Decky says:

    will Zhirkov play every game though? ahead of Chelseas most improved player last year Malouda? woulda been a no brainer last season but!

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