Best FPL defenders 2026/27: decision matrix
The current shortlist starts with De Cuyper, Kayode, Calafiori. Prices, roles, and minutes are confirmed for FPL 2026/27 and this shortlist updates as the season plays out.
Answer-first shortlist
Prices are available for some candidates; still confirm role, opening fixtures, and availability before locking a first draft.
De Cuyper
Brighton · £4.5m
- Evidence
- 17 pts · form 17.0
- Ownership
- 2.6%
- Minutes / role
- 77 · Role needs confirmation
- Availability
- Available in source feed
- Risk
- Minutes/availability risk
Opening fixture data is shown in the club calendar once official fixture evidence is available.
View De Cuyper profile
Kayode
Brentford · £4.5m
- Evidence
- 13 pts · form 13.0
- Ownership
- 4.2%
- Minutes / role
- 75 · Role needs confirmation
- Availability
- Available in source feed
- Risk
- Minutes/availability risk
Opening fixture data is shown in the club calendar once official fixture evidence is available.
View Kayode profile
Calafiori
Arsenal · £5.5m
- Evidence
- 9 pts · form 9.0
- Ownership
- 40.3%
- Minutes / role
- 80 · Role needs confirmation
- Availability
- Available in source feed
- Risk
- Minutes/availability risk
Opening fixture data is shown in the club calendar once official fixture evidence is available.
View Calafiori profileOpening fixture strip
Fixture difficulty is intentionally not invented from incomplete bootstrap data. The strip shows up to six published fixtures and links to the canonical club calendar; labels become official FDR values when the same-season FPL feed is available.
AVL H
CHE A
LEE H
COV A
SUN A
TOT H
BOU AHow the ranking works
Ranking combines prior-season total points, form, ownership, price-per-point value, and a minutes/role check. It is a live-season shortlist built from confirmed prices, minutes, and starts, not a preseason guess.
Role first
Do not promote a goalkeeper from watchlist to pick until starts, position, and minutes look clean.
Fixtures second
The opening run is a real tiebreaker only after the official same-season fixture feed is present.
Price last
A good goalkeeper at the wrong price can break your first-draft structure.
Find the best goalkeeper for my budget
Add squad and budget context in the existing demo flow once prices and roles are ready.
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