In Fantasy Challenge Gameweek 3, defensive contributions are worth 10 points. Discover who the best Premier League defenders, midfielders and forwards are for maximising those points, as we run through our FPL Challenge best picks.
After the highs of Gameweek 1, Opta Analyst’s FPL Challenge team came crashing back down to earth in Gameweek 2.
Like many managers, we felt the sting of Cole Palmer’s late injury withdrawal, while our captain, Erling Haaland, blanked against Tottenham. Antoine Semenyo and Mohamed Salah at least offered us an assist apiece, and David Raya gave us a clean sheet, but our “promoted” pick – Sunderland’s centre-back Dan Ballard – lasted just eight minutes before hobbling off.
Our shortlist of potential Burnley picks – Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony – both found the net in the Clarets’ first victory of the season. Naturally, we ignored our own advice and backed the heavy hitters instead. Shame on us.
Our team scored just 23 points, taking us to 117 overall and a global rank of 11,837.
Still, onto Gameweek 3. This week’s twist is supercharged defensive contributions points. Previously, hitting the combined threshold of clearances, blocks, interceptions, tackles and recoveries earned players two additional points. In FPL Challenge GW3, the reward rockets to 10 points – the equivalent of a midfielder scoring twice.
With that in mind, let’s go defensive contribution hunting. Or, as the community has started calling it, DEFCON hunting.
Who’s Thrived So Far?
To start things off, let’s begin with the list of players who’ve hit the defensive contributions threshold in both of the opening two gameweeks.
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), James Tarkowski (Everton), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Sepp van den Berg (Brentford), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Mats Wieffer (Brighton)
Forwards: None
The position split tells its own story. Overall, defenders have reached the bonus 33 times already, midfielders 18 times, and forwards not once.
With that in mind, our formation this week leans heavily towards the backline, with a 3-1-1 formation designed specifically to maximise defensive returns.
But it’s not only about the players themselves. As we flagged in pre-season, context matters. Certain teams are magnets for defensive contributions, either because of how little they keep the ball, or how much pressure they’re able to absorb.
Brentford lead the way here, with their players surpassing the defensive contributions threshold seven times already, while Bournemouth (five), Everton and Manchester United (four each) are also good teams to target.
On the flip side, Aston Villa have already allowed their opponents’ players to hit the target eight times – three more than anyone else. Man Utd (five) and Liverpool (four) have also been generous.
That’s the landscape. Now let’s analyse the best options for GW3.
GK – Mats Sels: Nottingham Forest vs West Ham (H)
Goalkeepers are not eligible for defensive contribution points, so they remain a more traditional pick. Still, it’s worth remembering the one-player-per-team rule, which means we can’t afford our keeper to clash with one of our favoured outfield picks.
Nottingham Forest’s Mats Sels looks a strong option. Forest have conceded just 18 shots across two matches – only Newcastle (eight) have faced fewer – and he comes up against a West Ham attack that has generated just 1.3 expected goals this season, the second-lowest figure behind Wolves (1.0). That makes Jordan Pickford (vs Wolves) another attractive option.
Guglielmo Vicario (home to Bournemouth) or Altay Bayindir (home to Burnley) are also viable.
DEF – Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool vs Arsenal (H)
Virgil van Dijk has been a DEFCON monster. The Liverpool captain has smashed through the threshold in both games so far, posting 21 defensive contributions in GW1 and 15 in GW2. Arsenal, his next opponents, have already allowed opposition centre-backs to hit the threshold in both their matches.
As we’ve covered this week, Liverpool’s defence has looked shaky so far, and Arsenal’s attacking firepower will mean Van Dijk has to do a lot of work.
More on Liverpool’s defence:
Premier LeagueIs Liverpool’s Leaky Defence a Concern?
2 days ago Ali TweedaleWilliam Saliba, who hit 14 contributions in GW1, is also worth consideration on the other side of this heavyweight clash.
DEF – Maxence Lacroix: Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa (A)
Few picks are as clear-cut as Maxence Lacroix this week. Crystal Palace average just 35.3% possession, the second-lowest in the league, and the Frenchman has already hit his target twice.
Villa, meanwhile, have enabled eight opponents to cash in on DEFCON points – by far the highest in the league. With Villa still searching for their first goal, there’s an opportunity for a clean sheet too. Lacroix looks as close to a lock as you can get.
DEF – Sepp van den Berg: Brentford vs Sunderland (A)
The only team to see less of the ball than Palace so far this season are Brentford (34.6%). That has made them an absolute magnet for defensive contributions points – and they’ve hit the threshold (7) more than any other team. Among their defenders, Sepp van den Berg has emerged as a standout option.
Looking at Brentford’s zones of control map below shows you just how little of the ball they’ve seen. The patches of purple near their own goal are what we’re now referring to as the “Sepp van den Berg zone”.
The Bees are also playing Sunderland, and while that means they won’t be as passive off the ball, there’s a solid chance of a clean sheet as well.
DEF – James Tarkowski: Everton vs Wolves (A)
We can’t talk about defensive contributions points and not reference the poster boy of the scoring system. Of all defenders last season, James Tarkowski would have added the most points had this rule change been present for 2024-25.
He has started this campaign in the same vein, clearing the threshold twice, and Wolves’ anaemic attack makes this as much about clean-sheet potential as bonus points.
DEF – Marcos Senesi: Bournemouth vs Tottenham (A)
Marcos Senesi rounds off our defensive shortlist. Bournemouth players have already hit DEFCON five times, and Senesi himself has cleared the bar twice, with 15 contributions against Liverpool and 14 against Wolves. Spurs are a much tougher test, but Bournemouth’s defensive workload should remain high enough to keep Senesi in play.
MID – Mats Wieffer: Brighton vs Manchester City (H)
Mats Wieffer is the only midfielder to clear his defensive contributions threshold in both matches so far. Nominally listed as a midfielder, Wieffer has actually started at right-back for Brighton in both matches so far, making him an intriguing out-of-position pick.
Against City, he’ll likely be under siege, and our player prediction model has him attempting nearly three tackles – the highest projection of any player in GW3.
MID – Josh Cullen: Burnley vs Manchester United (A)
Josh Cullen was one of our shortlisted differentials last week and promptly rewarded those who picked him with a goal and an assist. He leads the team for overall chances created (6) and showed in Burnley’s first game that he is a candidate for DEFCON points, hitting the 12-contribution threshold.
Man Utd have also allowed three midfielders to hit the threshold – tied most with Aston Villa.
MID – Jack Grealish: Everton vs Wolves (A)
Jack Grealish is back. In just 52 minutes against Brighton, Grealish registered two assists – equalling his entire output across the last two seasons combined at Manchester City. His total of 0.7 expected assists (xA) against Brighton last weekend is the most by a player in a single Premier League match across the opening two matchdays.
His touch map showed just how high and wide he was able to play, constantly probing the final third in advanced positions.
What’s also intriguing is his defensive work rate. He finished just one shy of the defensive contributions mark against Brighton, and if that trend continues, he could be a true dual-way threat.
MID – Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United vs Burnley (H)
Bruno Fernandes has endured a frustrating start so far, but remains in play in a juicy home fixture to Burnley. He should still be on penalties, despite his bad miss against Fulham, and that was a game in which he hit the defensive contributions threshold. He came close to doing so against Arsenal as well (11 overall) and remains a high-upside pick.
Forwards remain the weak link in this ruleset. None have hit the DEFCON threshold yet, so this is a week to focus purely on attacking output.
FWD – João Pedro: Chelsea vs Fulham (H)
Versatile, in form, and thriving at Chelsea, João Pedro is a clear frontrunner this week. His goal and two assists against West Ham underscore his momentum, and he now has six goals in just seven appearances for the Blues.
FWD – Richarlison: Tottenham vs Bournemouth (H)
Operating through the middle in place of Dominic Solanke, Richarlison is taking nearly five shots per 90, the third-most of any player in the league so far. In a Spurs side averaging 14 attempts per game, his potential shot volume is undeniable.
FWD – Chris Wood: Nottingham Forest vs West Ham (H)
Chris Wood has two goals from just four shots so far this season. That 50% conversion rate won’t hold up, but he’s been a consistently clinical goalscorer for Nottingham Forest since joining the club.
West Ham have conceded six shots on target per game on average through two weeks – more than anyone else – and Forest will generate chances.
Our player prediction model has Wood as the second-likeliest player to score in Gameweek 3 among all players, projecting him for 0.55 goals.
Forward Differentials
If you’re chasing upside, Benjamin Sesko could be unleashed by Manchester United against Burnley, while William Osula may get his chance for Newcastle at Leeds with Alexander Isak sidelined and Anthony Gordon suspended. Both are gambles, but both come with tantalising fixtures.
Opta Analyst’s Gameweek 3 FPL Challenge Picks
Given our shortlist, here’s how our team will line up for FPL Challenge GW3:
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FPL Challenge Gameweek 3 Picks: Hunting Defensive Contributions Points in “The Shield” Opta Analyst.
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