The Scout analyses the players and teams who are benefiting most from the new defensive contribution points so far and who to invest to benefit most from the new metric in 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League.
Tarkowski among trio off to flawless start
A trio of centre-backs - AFC Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi (£4.6m), Brentford’s Sepp van den Berg (£4.5m) and Everton’s James Tarkowski (£5.5m) - are the only players who have collected two additional points for their defensive contributions in EACH of the first three Gameweeks.
In Tarkowski’s case, there is no surprise here. He would have been the top-scoring defender for this metric in each of the last four seasons in Fantasy, while his 44 points last season – the equivalent of 11 clean sheets – was a league-high tally.
As you can see from the table below, their ability to deliver defensive contribution point lifts the base level of returns for all three.
Indeed, the lowest score of the three was Senesi's two points against Liverpool in Gameweek 1 - and he earned them despite conceding FOUR goals at Anfield.
Tarkowski and Van den Berg, meanwhile, have earned three points in each of the two matches they have failed to keep a clean sheet.
Points breakdown, GW1-3
| Player | GW1 | GW2 | GW3 | Total pts |
| Senesi | 2 | 9 | 14 | 25 |
| Tarkowski | 4 | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| Van den Berg | 3 | 8 | 3 | 14 |
Scroll across to see the full table
Why defensive contributions are changing what is viewed as 'good value'
By comparing the output of Van den Berg with Chelsea's Marc Cucurella (£6.1m), we can start to see just how much defensive contributions are now adding to the appeal of certain players in Fantasy.
Cucurella is the joint most-expensive defender in Fantasy, with his price identical to Arsenal centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba. He is the second most-popular player in that position, with his 28.2 per cent ownership just behind the 28.7 per cent of Micky van de Ven (£4.6m).
The Blues' left-back has yet to blank in 2025/26 Fantasy. His two clean sheets have returned eight points, while he also earned three points for an assist.
Combined with two bonus points and a further six for his three appearances, Cucurella has rewarded that collective show of faith with 19 points.
Van den Berg, by contrast, is found in under one per cent of squads.
He has one clean sheet, two blanks, and was deducted one point against both Nottingham Forest and Sunderland for conceding at least two goals.
Yet he has still matched Cucurella for value, returning 3.1 points per million spent thanks to his defensive contributions.
Whereas Cucurella has yet to collect any points for his defensive contributions, they already account for 42.8 per cent (or six of 14) of Van den Berg's entire output.
Van den Berg v Cucurella comparison
| Van den Berg | Cucurella | |
| Price | £4.5m | £6.1m |
| Ownership | 0.7% | 28.2% |
| Appearance pts | 6 | 6 |
| Goal/assist pts | 0 | 3 |
| Clean sheets pts | 4 | 8 |
| Goals conceded | -2 | 0 |
| Defensive contribution pts | 6 | 0 |
| Bonus pts | 0 | 2 |
| Total points | 14 | 19 |
| Value (points per million) | 3.1 | 3.1 |
Which positions should managers target for defensive contributions?
A further 14 players have earned defensive contributions in two of the opening three Gameweeks, with defenders very much on top.
Eleven of the 17 players who have achieved this feat are defenders and ALL of them play as centre-backs for their clubs.
One of the key takeaways here is the inclusion of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) as one of only six midfielders.
Fernandes is the one premium attacker to have profited from this metric so far, collecting two points against both Fulham and Burnley.
Added to his penalties, set-pieces and potential for assists (he's created a league-high 12 chances), the Portuguese's prospects as a captain have arguably increased more than any other big-hitter this season.
Meanwhile, no forwards have earned ANY defensive contribution points in 2025/26.
Players with at least four points from defensive contributions
| Position | No. of players |
| Defenders | 11 |
| Midfielders | 6 |
| Forwards | 0 |
| Total | 17 |
Which clubs should managers target for defensive contributions?
Everton's resilient displays under David Moyes are very much in evidence here.
The Toffees are the ONLY club to have three players who have earned defensive contribution points in at least two of the first three Gameweeks.
Tarkowski is joined by his fellow centre-back Michael Keane (£4.5m) and the versatile midfielder James Garner (£5.0m), who deputised as a left-back twice in this period due to injuries.
Brentford are the only other side to have two centre-backs in the assessment, with Nathan Collins (£5.0m) impressing alongside Van den Berg.
Meanwhiile, it's Burnley's Hjalmar Ekdal (£4.0m) who has been the standout promoted defender for defensive contributions so far.
He's picked up two extra points against both Sunderland and Man Utd over the last two Gameweeks.
Total players per club who have got defensive contributions
| Club | No. of players |
| Everton | 3 |
| Brentford, Man Utd, Bournemouth, Burnley | 2 |
| Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Liverpool, Newcastle | 1 |
Circling back to Fernandes here, along with Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) and Chelsea's Moises Caicedo (£5.5m), he is something of an anomaly in the sense that he has collected four points for defensive contributions despite playing for a club who have mainly dominated possession.
Indeed, of the five clubs to have at least two players in the table above, FOUR of them - Everton, Brentford, Bournemouth and Burnley - also rank among the bottom six for having the least possession overall.
Clubs with least possession, GW1-3
| Club | Possession |
| Crystal Palace | 38.0% |
| Burnley | 38.1% |
| Brentford | 38.2% |
| Leeds | 43.2% |
| Everton | 43.3% |
| Bournemouth | 45.0% |
In most cases, it stands to reason that the less of the ball a team has, the more defensive actions they need to make to win back possession.
This was highlighted by Brentford's 1-0 win over Aston Villa in Gameweek 2.
The Bees had a mere 23.3 per cent possession, with as many as SIX of their 10 outfield starters earning two points for their defensive contributions.
Who could profit in Gameweek 4?
Looking ahead to Gameweek 4, there are three examples of low-possession clubs who face high-possession opponents, which could help predict defensive contribution points.
Brentford's Van den Berg and Collins look very likely to reward you at home to Chelsea.
Whereas the Bees have an average possession of 38.2 per cent, their visitors' 61.3 per cent is the second-best in the Premier League.
In terms of possession, Burnley's home match against Liverpool and Everton's encounter at home to Aston Villa are further examples where this scenario could play out.
For the likes of Tarkowski, Keane and Ekdal, another two extra points seems almost inevitable.
Selected Gameweek 4 match-ups
| Club | Ave. poss. | Opp. | Opp. ave. poss. |
| Brentford | 38.2% | Chelsea (H) | 61.3% |
| Burnley | 38.1% | Liverpool (H) | 59.9% |
| Everton | 43.3% | Aston Villa (H) | 58.5% |
Scroll across to see the full table