FPL defenders vs midfielders: who scores more points
By Arasi Rex · Updated 14 August 2026 · 6 min read
Midfielders win the raw FPL points race and defenders win the value race, and last season's numbers draw the line sharply. Bruno Fernandes finished 2025/26 with 235 points to Gabriel's 209 as the top defender, yet the five highest-scoring defenders cost an average of £6.5m to the five best midfielders' £8.5m, and the best of them delivered more points per £1m than any premium midfielder. The answer is not to pick one position over the other but to treat them as two separate decisions: the midfielder buys the ceiling, the defender buys the floor.
FPL defenders vs midfielders: the 2025/26 scoreboard
Last season's numbers (2025/26) are the evidence base. These were the five highest-scoring defenders:
| Player | Club | Price | Points | PPG | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel | Arsenal | £8.0m | 209 | 6.5 | 18 |
| Guéhi | Man City | £6.0m | 179 | 5.1 | 14 |
| Senesi | Spurs | £6.0m | 175 | 4.7 | 11 |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | £6.5m | 175 | 4.6 | 10 |
| Tarkowski | Everton | £6.0m | 170 | 4.6 | 11 |
And these were the five highest-scoring midfielders:
| Player | Club | Price | Points | PPG | Goals / assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes | Man Utd | £12.0m | 235 | 6.7 | 9 / 24 |
| Semenyo | Man City | £8.5m | 202 | 5.5 | 17 / 6 |
| Gibbs-White | Nott'm Forest | £8.0m | 188 | 5.1 | 15 / 4 |
| Rice | Arsenal | £7.5m | 184 | 5.1 | 4 / 9 |
| Anderson | Man City | £6.5m | 180 | 4.7 | 4 / 5 |
The top five midfielders outscored the top five defenders by 81 points across the season, 989 to 908. But they cost £2.0m more per player on average. Buy the very top of the midfield list and you pay a premium for the final few points: Bruno Fernandes at £12.0m returned 19.6 points per £1m while Gabriel at £8.0m returned 26.1.
Why the points stack up differently
The scoring rules explain the shape. A goal is worth 6 points for a defender and 5 for a midfielder, so attackers in the back line get a bonus on top of their clean sheet. The clean sheet is where the positions really split: 4 points for a goalkeeper or defender, 1 point for a midfielder. A defender's clean sheet is worth four times a midfielder's.
That is why defensive teams turn their back lines into FPL gold. Arsenal conceded 27 goals all season and Gabriel turned that into 18 clean sheets. The same team's Declan Rice collected 18 clean sheet points of his own as a midfielder, which is the practical lesson: playing for a good defence raises every position in it, not just the defenders.
Defensive contribution points narrow the gap further. For 2026/27 the DefCon scoring is unchanged: a defender needs 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles for 2 points, a midfielder needs 12 defensive contributions including ball recoveries, and it is capped at 2 points per match. Last season's top DefCon scorers were Anderson with 52, Senesi with 50 and Tarkowski with 44, and of the top ten five were centre-backs and five were defensive midfielders. This is where a defensive midfielder quietly out-performs his attacking price tag, and where a no-frills defender makes back the points his lack of goals costs him.
The value pick: what £1m buys in each position
Rank every player in both lists by points per £1m and the picture flips. The defenders own the top of the value table: Guéhi returned 29.8 points per £1m at £6.0m, Senesi 29.2, Tarkowski 28.3, Gabriel 26.1. Bournemouth's Truffert at £5.5m was the best pure value in the whole sample at 30.0 points per £1m, with 19 bonus points to go with 11 clean sheets.
The midfielders only start to compete on value below the premium band. Anderson at £6.5m returned 27.7 points per £1m, which is better than several of the headline defenders, and Rice at £7.5m returned 24.5. The worst value in either list is exactly where most managers start their team: Bruno Fernandes. He was also the most-owned player in the game at 48.70%, so his returns were priced into every rival's team.
The honest reading of last season is that the £8.0m-plus midfielders are the luxury goods and the £5.5m-£6.5m defenders are the efficient ones. A midfield budget of £6.0m buys you Tavernier's 137 points as a midfielder; the same £6.0m buys Guéhi's 179 as a defender. The points-per-million maths does not care about the position label.
How to pick between them
Start with availability. Saliba and J.Timber of Arsenal and Garner of Everton are all flagged as injured in the current FPL data, so they are off the pick list even though their last-season returns look strong. Then use ownership as a tiebreaker: at 48.70% Bruno Fernandes is a template captain rather than a differential, while Rogers at 29.90% and Guéhi at 23.70% still carry some of the cheap side of a high score.
The squad rules frame the choice: 15 players, a £100.0m budget, and a maximum of three players per club. You cannot stack the entire Arsenal defence and midfield around Gabriel and Rice, so the position split has to be deliberate. The pattern that worked last season was premium money on one or two ceiling midfielders, then a back line of £5.5m-£6.5m defenders who supplied clean sheets and the odd set-piece goal.
FAQ
Should I pick defenders or midfielders in FPL?
Last season the top five midfielders outscored the top five defenders 989 to 908, but cost £2.0m more each. Midfielders win on ceiling, defenders win on points per £1m.
Who was the highest-scoring defender in FPL last season?
Gabriel of Arsenal, with 209 points at £8.0m, including 18 clean sheets.
Why do FPL defenders score more points for clean sheets?
A clean sheet is worth 4 points for a goalkeeper or defender and 1 point for a midfielder, so the position is four times more valuable per clean sheet.
Who was the highest-scoring FPL midfielder last season?
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, with 235 points at £12.0m, from 9 goals and 24 assists.
Key takeaways
- Bruno Fernandes (235 points) outscored every defender in 2025/26, with Gabriel (209) the best of the back line.
- The top five midfielders scored 989 points to the top five defenders' 908, but averaged £8.5m each to £6.5m.
- Gabriel returned 26.1 points per £1m at £8.0m; Bruno Fernandes 19.6 at £12.0m.
- A defender's clean sheet is worth 4 points to a midfielder's 1, which is why good defences lift every position.
- Saliba, J.Timber and Garner are flagged injured and should be left out even though their returns were strong.
Use the two tables as a template, not a prophecy. Last season the FPL defenders vs midfielders question was answered in the midfielders' favour on raw points and in the defenders' favour on value, and the 2026/27 scoring rules keep the mechanism identical, so the same logic should hold. Spend the premium millions on the midfielder with the highest ceiling, then build the squad around the £5.5m-£6.5m defenders who made the FPL defenders vs midfielders debate so one-sided.