The Scout continues a series of articles identifying the best players in each position in 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League, according to their price, statistics and fixtures.
Budget midfielders (£6.5m and below)
The introduction of defensive contribution points for 2025/26 Fantasy has changed the way managers now view a host of midfielders.
See: What are defensive contribution points?
For example, Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo (£5.5m) would have been the top-scoring midfielder for this metric last season. The Ecuadorian’s 42 extra points from defensive contributions is the equivalent of more than EIGHT goals from a midfielder in Fantasy.
While this does broaden the pool of players in the budget bracket, it’s the players with attacking potential who remain the most likely to deliver big hauls with goals and assists.
Who has the most attacking potential?
Recent developments could now bring Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pape Sarr (both £5.0m) into contention for managers’ opening squads.
Dewsbury-Hall looks set to become a regular for David Moyes’ side following his move from Chelsea. He could be handed a No 10 role in a 4-2-3-1 formation and will now contend with Dwight McNeil (£6.0m) for set-piece duties.
Sarr, meanwhile, has been Spurs’ form player over the summer under new head coach Thomas Frank. The Senegalese has scored three goals while playing as a No 10 and could now start the season in that position, with James Maddison (£7.0m) ruled out for an extended period after he ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).
It does, however, remain to be seen whether Sarr continues in that role or moves deeper if Spurs look elsewhere for a Maddison replacement.
Both Spurs and Everton have kind opening schedules, a fact which has not gone un-noticed by managers in Fantasy.
Indeed, Mohammed Kudus and Iliman Ndiaye (both £6.5m) are the two most-selected midfielders under £7.0m, found in 25.2 and 12.8 per cent of squads respectively.
Kudus is likely to play on Spurs' right flank after signing from West Ham United over the summer, while Ndiaye is expected to continue as Everton’s first-choice penalty-taker.
Elsewhere, Donyell Malen and Harry Wilson (both £5.5m) have been among the top form midfielders over pre-season. Aston Villa’s Malen has two goals and three assists, while Wilson has five goals and one assist for Fulham.
Of the two, it’s Malen who has the more favourable early schedule. According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), where the difficulty of each fixture is ranked from one to five - with one being the easiest possible match and five being the hardest – NONE of Villa’s first eight matches scores more than three.
Villa's first eight fixtures
| Gameweek | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle (H) | 3 |
| 2 | Brentford (A) | 3 |
| 3 | Crystal Palace (H) | 3 |
| 4 | Everton (A) | 3 |
| 5 | Sunderland (A) | 2 |
| 6 | Fulham (H) | 3 |
| 7 | Burnley (H) | 2 |
| 8 | Spurs (A) | 3 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Manchester United’s Amad and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez (both £6.5m) are also among the best options in this price bracket.
Amad averaged 6.0 points per start over his 20 outings in the Red Devils’ first XI last season, while Fernandez’s goal and three assists in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup highlights his potential as a No 8 for the Blues.
Who will get defensive contribution points?
Along with Chelsea’s Caicedo, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson (£5.5m) and Spurs’ new arrival Joao Palhinha (£5.5m) are strong early picks thanks to their schedules and potential for defensive contribution points.
According to the FDR, both Spurs and Nottingham Forest, along with Sunderland, have the joint-best run over the first six Gameweeks, with an average score of 2.67.
Anderson would have ranked joint-second among midfielders for defensive contribution points in 2024/25, with a total of 36. Added to his two goals and six assists, he could be the standout defensive midfielder in the sub-£6.0m bracket to start the season in your squad.
Similarly to Manchester City’s Rodri (£6.5m), Spurs' Palhinha boasts one of the most impressive records for defensive contribution points in recent campaigns.
He would have claimed 48 points for this metric while playing for Fulham in 2021/22 – the joint third-best score among all players across the last four seasons.
Rodri delivered back-to-back hauls of 46 and 44 points for defensive contributions in 2021/22 and 2022/23, highlighting his huge influence on Pep Guardiola’s side.
Lower down at £5.0m, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton are worth considering if you’re keen on shopping in the sub-£5.5m category.
So, who are the best budget midfielders?
Ultimately, it’s still more profitable looking for the players who are likely to get goals and assists.
They are more likely to get bigger points hauls and attract more FPL managers, therefore rising in price quicker than their defensively minded counterparts.
It’s impossible to look past the potential of Dewsbury-Hall here – if he has a share of set-pieces for David Moyes's Everton side, that £5.0m price tag could be an absolute steal. But if he's not fit for the start of the season due to a lack of pitch time, his team-mate Ndiaye is an easy replacement.
Malen’s form and fixtures also mark him out as a fine budget pick, while Anderson’s multiple routes to returns makes him a good choice among the defensive midfielders early on.
Next: Who are the best premium midfielders?