The English Premier League took a slight twist in its season long maze of thrills and chills. Manchester City took the first derby of the season over rivals Manchester United, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea dropped two extremely valuable points at Swansea, and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool looked fantastic in a 4-1 win over champions Leicester.
There is still much, much more to come in the Premier League this term. So, let’s look at 5 fantasy defenders for gameweek 5 to get into your Fantasy Premier League team.
Curtis Davies – Hull City
For the second straight week, Hull’s Curtis Davies makes the Fantasy Premier League top 5 defenders’ list. Davies and the Tigers have been brilliant this season, and Hull picked up another vital point over the weekend against Burnley.
Get this centre-back into your Fantasy Premier League side this week. He should be a bargain and his stats don’t lie. He leads the Premier League in interceptions with 7.8 and clearances with 10.3 per game. Add in his 1.5 tackles per match and his selection is a no brainer. For those fantasy managers that bought him for a bargain basement price, you should be reaping major rewards. Especially, after spending fantasy cash on top attacking players.
Jan Vertonghen – Tottenham
Last week we spoke about the importance of selecting defenders from teams that have kept clean sheets. To be honest, it is hard to select just one defender from Spurs right now, and this week we have picked two, with the first being Jan Vertonghen.
Spurs have given up a mere two goals this term, fewest in the Premier League. Which means he, or any other Spurs defender, should be in your defence.
Vertonghen is averaging just one tackle a game, but again, his ability to help keep a clean sheet is massive to your fantasy team’s run to the Fantasy Premier League title. Add in 1.3 interceptions and nine clearances a game, and Vertonghen is perfect at the heart of your fantasy defence.
Toby Alderweireld – Tottenham
As I said, all of Spurs’ defence should be selected for your next fantasy match. Therefore, Vertonghen’s centre-back partner Toby Alderweireld gets a spot in this week’s list. Like Vertonghen, Alderweireld doesn’t make many successful tackles per game (0.8). He does keep clean sheets, and he excels at making interceptions (1.4 per game). Keep in mind, however, that selecting both can be great if Spurs continue to keep clean sheets. Yet, a poor game from the team’s defence could reflect badly on your fantasy side if both are selected. However, Tottenham have Sunderland up next. The Black Cats are second from bottom, are yet to win and have scored a mere three times. Another clean sheet could be around the corner for Spurs.
Laurent Koscielny – Arsenal
Since Arsenal’s barnburner loss to Liverpool on opening day, Arsenal have allowed just two goals in three fixtures. Without Koscielny against Liverpool, the Gunners’ back four was fragile, and broke easily. However, with the Frenchman in central defence, Arsenal have looked better.
In three matches, Koscielny’s defensive work has been solid: 0.7 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and 7.7 clearances. In Saturday’s win over Southampton, Koscielny added a goal from an Arsenal corner. Last season, the Frenchman was good for four goals during the Premier League season. His threat from corners and solid defensive work, make him a perfect selection for gameweek 5.
Nicolas Otamendi – Manchester City
Nicolas Otamendi makes the list for back-to-backs weeks partly for his performance against Manchester United and partly for City’s next opponent. The Blues will host Bournemouth on Saturday, a team that has scored just three goals all season. With Manchester City hitting on all cylinders at the moment, Otamendi should be selected as Bournemouth will be lucky to get a kick of the ball during the match, and that should lead to a Manchester City clean sheet.
Bonus: Top goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris – Tottenham
Sticking with a Tottenham theme, Hugo Lloris makes this week’s Fantasy Premier League list as the top goalkeeper. Lloris kept a clean sheet against Stoke City over the weekend, making two saves. Spurs face a woeful Sunderland next, so expect Lloris to have another solid performance in goal.
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