Best FPL defenders for the next gameweek

The defenders Fantasy Premier League's own projection ranks highest for the next gameweek, with their opponent, the fixtures that follow, and the best picks at each price. Gameweek 4. Data as of 11 September 2026, 11:23 UK, rebuilt every night.

The twelve defenders FPL projects highest

top: Ajayi 8.3 xP
Semi Ajayi: 8.3 expected points, away at Chelsea (difficulty 4), £4.1m, owned by 11.7%AT CHEAjayi8.3 xPNobel Mendy: 8.0 expected points, away at Chelsea (difficulty 4), £4.1m, owned by 7.9%AT CHEMendy8.0 xPJohn Egan: 7.7 expected points, away at Chelsea (difficulty 4), £4.1m, owned by 6.3%AT CHEEgan7.7 xPRiccardo Calafiori: 7.3 expected points, away at Sunderland (difficulty 3), £5.8m, owned by 48.4%AT SUNCalafiori7.3 xPJoško Gvardiol: 7.3 expected points, away at Man Utd (difficulty 4), £5.6m, owned by 20.0%AT MUNGvardiol7.3 xPJayden Bogle: 7.3 expected points, home to Newcastle (difficulty 2), £4.5m, owned by 1.7%VS NEWBogle7.3 xPMaxim De Cuyper: 7.0 expected points, away at Coventry City (difficulty 2), £4.8m, owned by 20.8%AT COVDe Cuyper7.0 xPJames Tarkowski: 7.0 expected points, away at Spurs (difficulty 3), £6.0m, owned by 11.4%AT TOTTarkowski7.0 xPMarc Guéhi: 6.7 expected points, away at Man Utd (difficulty 4), £6.0m, owned by 18.5%AT MUNGuéhi6.7 xPBenjamin White: 6.7 expected points, away at Sunderland (difficulty 3), £5.5m, owned by 7.6%AT SUNWhite6.7 xPRyan Giles: 6.7 expected points, away at Chelsea (difficulty 4), £4.0m, owned by 1.4%AT CHEGiles6.7 xPLewis Hall: 6.0 expected points, away at Leeds (difficulty 3), £5.1m, owned by 12.6%AT LEEHall6.0 xP

Size is FPL's own expected points for the next gameweek. Green is an easy next fixture, red a hard one; the label is the opponent. The ring is ownership: nearly full is the template pick, a short arc is a differential.

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“FPL's own projection rates these defenders highest for Gameweek 4: Ajayi (8.3), Mendy (8.0), Egan (7.7). Budget picks too:”

For Gameweek 4 of Fantasy Premier League, FPL's own projection ranks these defenders highest: Semi Ajayi (8.3 xP, away at Chelsea), Nobel Mendy (8.0 xP, away at Chelsea) and John Egan (7.7 xP, away at Chelsea) (11 September 2026). The best projected defender under £4.5m is Semi Ajayi (8.3 xP, away at Chelsea).

Premium £6.0m and up

Mid-price £4.5m to £5.9m

Budget under £4.5m

The top 30 defenders for Gameweek 4

#PlayerPricexPNext5-GW avgFormOwned
1Ajayi HUL£4.1m8.3CHE3.28.311.7%
2Mendy HUL£4.1m8.0CHE3.28.07.9%
3Egan HUL£4.1m7.7CHE3.27.76.3%
4Calafiori ARS£5.8m7.3SUN2.87.348.4%
5Gvardiol MCI£5.6m7.3MUN3.27.320.0%
6Bogle LEE£4.5m7.3NEW3.47.31.7%
7De Cuyper BHA£4.8m7.0COV3.27.020.8%
8Tarkowski EVE£6.0m7.0TOT3.27.011.4%
9Guéhi MCI£6.0m6.7MUN3.26.718.5%
10White ARS£5.5m6.7SUN2.86.77.6%
11Giles HUL£4.0m6.7CHE3.26.71.4%
12Hall NEW£5.1m6.0LEE2.66.012.6%
13Vuskovic BHA£5.0m6.0COV3.26.03.1%
14Kayode BRE£4.6m5.3BOU3.45.38.9%
15Mitchell CRY£4.5m5.3IPS2.65.36.1%
16Justin LEE£4.5m5.3NEW3.45.31.5%
17Gabriel ARS£8.0m5.0SUN2.85.024.4%
18Thomas COV£4.0m5.0BHA2.45.08.9%
19N.Williams NFO£5.0m5.0AVL3.05.08.2%
20Muharemović LEE£5.0m4.7NEW3.44.73.6%
21Ajer BRE£4.5m4.3BOU3.44.34.7%
22Mukiele SUN£5.5m4.3ARS3.24.32.2%
23Branthwaite EVE£5.5m4.3TOT3.24.31.9%
24Murillo NFO£5.5m4.3AVL3.04.31.6%
25Castagne FUL£4.5m4.3LIV2.84.30.8%
26Ballard SUN£4.9m4.0ARS3.24.03.3%
27Milenković NFO£5.5m4.0AVL3.04.01.6%
28Bijol LEE£5.0m4.0NEW3.44.00.9%
29Coyle HUL£4.0m4.0CHE3.24.00.6%
30Mykolenko EVE£4.5m3.7TOT3.23.71.9%

How this is ranked

By Fantasy Premier League's own expected points for the next gameweek, which the game publishes for every player, and only among defenders with no injury or availability flag. We do not run a points model of our own: this is FPL's number, shown next to the fixture, the run of five that follows and how many teams already own each player.

The page is rebuilt every night, so it always talks about the gameweek that comes next. For any player, his own page answers whether to keep or sell him and lists alternatives at a similar price. The other positions: goalkeepers, midfielders, forwards.

The questions people ask

Who are the best FPL defenders for Gameweek 4?
For Gameweek 4 of Fantasy Premier League, FPL's own projection ranks these defenders highest: Semi Ajayi (8.3 xP, away at Chelsea), Nobel Mendy (8.0 xP, away at Chelsea) and John Egan (7.7 xP, away at Chelsea) (11 September 2026). The best projected defender under £4.5m is Semi Ajayi (8.3 xP, away at Chelsea).
Who is the best budget FPL defender for Gameweek 4?
Under £4.5m, FPL's own projection for Gameweek 4 puts Semi Ajayi (8.3 xP, away at Chelsea), Nobel Mendy (8.0 xP, away at Chelsea) and John Egan (7.7 xP, away at Chelsea) highest (11 September 2026).
Which premium FPL defender should I pick for Gameweek 4?
From £6.0m up, FPL's own projection for Gameweek 4 ranks James Tarkowski (7.0 xP, away at Spurs), Marc Guéhi (6.7 xP, away at Man Utd) and Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães (5.0 xP, away at Sunderland) highest (11 September 2026).
How are these FPL defenders ranked?
By FPL's own expected points for the next gameweek (ep_next), published by the game for every player, and only among defenders with no injury or availability flag. FPLBubbles does not run its own points model.

FPLBubbles is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the Premier League or Fantasy Premier League. Data from the public FPL API.