An attacking cadre at the top sit comfortably ahead of the pack in the fantasy premier league defender ranks. Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to No. 1 with Pedro Porro, Kieran Trippier, Andrew Robertson and Ben White rounding out the top five. Behind them are no fewer than 24 defenders in the next two tiers.
It's beyond a crapshoot (thanks for the shoutout!) at this point. When I see drafts where other managers are depending on defenders for offensive stats, I just say 'thank you' and move on. Streaming defenders for CS points can be just as successful as blindly relying on defenders to score enough offensive points to offset goals/YC/RC against negatives. Take as many bites out of the MID/FWD apple as you can as early as you can.
It's a good question! There have been a number of transfers since I pulled rosters and stats to look at the original (v.1) position ranks. Some of them, like Everton's Danish midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, will probably make it into my v.2 ranks but aren't good enough to justify a rerank. Only two league starts with Napoli last season is a significant step back from being a regular starter for Frankfurt where he made 48 Bundesliga starts in his age 21 and 22 seasons. If you're grabbing him late, you're looking at the 10-goal, 10-assist campaign he posted Brondby back in 2020-21 and hoping he can take over a well-rounded attacking involvement with the Toffees.
I know you asked about Riccardo Calafiori but it's a bit easier to see where he slots into Arsenal and what we can expect from the 22 year old defender coming off a remarkable campaign with Bologna. 30 Serie A appearances, 26 starts, with 97 interceptions + tackles and modest attacking returns as well (2g, 5a). The best question is if he immediately slots into the Saliba or Gabriel Magalhães spot. I don't think it will happen initially and we haven't had any indication that'll happen at all. This team had a couple deficiencies as they fell just short of an EPL title last season and another starting-quality centre back that didn't strip the depth out of the fullback spots had to be at or near the top of Arteta's shopping list. Had Calafiori ended up at Liverpool as some reports had it, I might have felt better about his chances partnering van Dijk but there he would have been competing with a rotating cast of quality performers instead of trying to crack an established pairing.
It's beyond a crapshoot (thanks for the shoutout!) at this point. When I see drafts where other managers are depending on defenders for offensive stats, I just say 'thank you' and move on. Streaming defenders for CS points can be just as successful as blindly relying on defenders to score enough offensive points to offset goals/YC/RC against negatives. Take as many bites out of the MID/FWD apple as you can as early as you can.
How does Calafiori adjust your Arsenal rankings?
It's a good question! There have been a number of transfers since I pulled rosters and stats to look at the original (v.1) position ranks. Some of them, like Everton's Danish midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, will probably make it into my v.2 ranks but aren't good enough to justify a rerank. Only two league starts with Napoli last season is a significant step back from being a regular starter for Frankfurt where he made 48 Bundesliga starts in his age 21 and 22 seasons. If you're grabbing him late, you're looking at the 10-goal, 10-assist campaign he posted Brondby back in 2020-21 and hoping he can take over a well-rounded attacking involvement with the Toffees.
I know you asked about Riccardo Calafiori but it's a bit easier to see where he slots into Arsenal and what we can expect from the 22 year old defender coming off a remarkable campaign with Bologna. 30 Serie A appearances, 26 starts, with 97 interceptions + tackles and modest attacking returns as well (2g, 5a). The best question is if he immediately slots into the Saliba or Gabriel Magalhães spot. I don't think it will happen initially and we haven't had any indication that'll happen at all. This team had a couple deficiencies as they fell just short of an EPL title last season and another starting-quality centre back that didn't strip the depth out of the fullback spots had to be at or near the top of Arteta's shopping list. Had Calafiori ended up at Liverpool as some reports had it, I might have felt better about his chances partnering van Dijk but there he would have been competing with a rotating cast of quality performers instead of trying to crack an established pairing.