Gameweek 11 is over and it was quite eventful one. Let's take a look at the possible replacements for Burn, Romero and Udogie.
Not too long ago, we were evaluating the best FPL defenders to get for Sven Botman (4.6m) and other budget options around 4.0m. However, in a crazy Gameweek 11, we witnessed low scores and a series of bans and injuries affecting popular FPL assets. Both Cristian Romero (5.0m) and Destiny Udogie (4.8m) from Spurs received red cards against Chelsea, and Dan Burn (4.7m) has been sidelined for two months due to a back problem. As a result, a major question heading into Gameweek 12 is identifying sub-5.0m defenders to fill the void.
While this selection has proven to be risky, it’s worth considering. Gabriel was benched for the first three matches but seemed to be regaining confidence among FPL managers until he was benched again in Gameweek 10. However, the recent rest might be attributed to overuse rather than a tactical demotion. Arsenal as a team have the most clean sheets (five), the fewest shots on target allowed (22), and the second-best record for goals conceded (nine), shots faced (93), and expected goals (xGC, 9.05). If William Saliba (5.2m) is too expensive, bringing in Gabriel for the next four Gameweeks provides a more affordable but riskier route into the Arsenal defense.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace, the only team besides Arsenal with five clean sheets, secured their fourth clean sheet in six matches with a shutout at Burnley. While only Guehi outperforms Mitchell in terms of baseline bonuses, Mitchell scored the second goal at Turf Moor, accumulating a total of 15 points. Mitchell is also one of the top four defenders overall, and their upcoming fixtures against Everton (home), Luton (away), West Ham United (away), and Bournemouth (home) align nicely with Chelsea’s strong run starting from Gameweek 16.
Similar to Gabriel, Brentford’s center-back Pinnock scored three times last season and has already done so this season. His goal at Chelsea, coupled with a clean sheet, earned him 15 points. The Brentford team has successfully kept two of their last three opponents from scoring, and if you can navigate their upcoming matches against Liverpool and Arsenal, there’s a favorable fixture run from Gameweeks 14 to 21. While Blank Gameweek 18 poses a challenge, there’s a chance of a ‘double’ Gameweek 20 to accommodate the fixture against Manchester City. When looking at Brentford’s underlying statistics, they rank fifth-best for big chances conceded (21) and joint-fifth with Palace for shots on target allowed (40).
Everton has started showing signs of improvement. They narrowly missed their third clean sheet in four matches due to a late own goal. Everton has conceded the fourth-fewest shots on target (39) throughout the campaign, and their expected goals conceded (xGC) of 13.81 is the sixth-best. This makes Tarkowski a reasonable choice at his price. While Everton’s upcoming fixtures may not be the most enticing, the 30-year-old has recently scored in the Premier League and EFL Cup. He also ranks third among all defenders for attempts inside the box, with nine. Alternatively, considering his center-back partner Jarrad Branthwaite at 4.0m could also be a viable option.
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