See how players who make lots of tackles, blocks and recoveries could now become enticing picks
The Scout explains why the addition of defensive contributions this season will mean more points, more choice and more fun for managers in Fantasy Premier League.
For a while now, attacking threat has often been the main consideration when picking outfield players in Fantasy.
That has even been the case when selecting defenders. Since clean sheets can disappear so quickly, the go-to options have often been offensive full-backs, while centre-backs have frequently been rated according to their ability to score goals from set-pieces rather than their main job of protecting their own penalty box.
Meanwhile, defensive midfielders have largely been overlooked entirely in FPL because of a lack of regular attacking returns, and because they only get one point for a clean sheet.
But 2025/26 is set to be different.
The addition of defensive contributions in Fantasy this season will help to reward these players for their involvement in a match.
Although players in all outfield positions can earn FPL points for making defensive contributions, the aim in particular is to recognise the completed defensive actions of centre-backs and defensive midfielders.
Indeed, as you can see in the table below, out of the 10 players who would have received the most defensive contribution points last season, five were centre-backs and the other five were defensive midfielders. None were forwards.
Top players for defensive contribution points 24/25*
| Player | Position | Club | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Tarkowski | DEF | Everton | 44 |
| Moises Caicedo | MID | Chelsea | 42 |
| Jan Bednarek | DEF | Southampton | 40 |
| Dean Huijsen | DEF | Bournemouth | 38 |
| Murillo | DEF | Nott’m Forest | 38 |
| Elliot Anderson | MID | Nott’m Forest | 36 |
| Joao Gomes | MID | Wolves | 36 |
| Idrissa Gueye | MID | Everton | 36 |
| Wout Faes | DEF | Leicester | 34 |
| Christian Norgaard | MID | Brentford | 34 |
*projected totals
How does it work?
This season, any defender who reaches a combined total of 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (CBIT) in a single match will score two FPL points.
It’s similar to the fact that when a goalkeeper makes three saves, they earn an extra one point in Fantasy.
But unlike save points, defensive contribution points will be capped at two points per match, so if a defender makes 20 CBIT in a match, they would still collect just two points, not four – although they might get further rewards through the Bonus Points System.
You can see in the video below how Everton centre-back James Tarkowski racked up 10 defensive contributions in a match against Manchester City last season. He actually got 18 CBIT in that match, but only the first 10 would have counted in FPL.
Notably, as you can see, he got his seventh, eighth and ninth defensive contributions in the space of just a few seconds, making a tackle, a clearance and a block.
Extra ‘ball recoveries’ for midfielders and forwards
To recognise the defensive work done by midfielders and forwards, including pressing and transitioning defence into attack, they get extra rewards that defenders don’t. In addition to their clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles, their “ball recoveries” will also count towards their total of defensive contributions (CBIRT).
These recoveries include a range of actions that defensive midfielders in particular are good at, like being first to a loose ball.
Notably, what they do with the ball after securing it is taken into account when awarding a recovery. The player will often be rewarded for starting a counter-attack, or for securing stable possession for their team by making the first controlled pass after a moment where the two sides have fought for the ball.
Because midfielders and forwards can benefit from these extra recovery actions, they have to get MORE defensive contributions in total to earn their two FPL points. They have to get 12 defensive contributions, whereas defenders only need 10.
You can see in the video below how Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo accumulated 12 defensive contributions in a match against Arsenal last season, including eight recoveries.
Perhaps most notable in this video is the sequence where Caicedo tackles Declan Rice, comes away with the ball and starts a counter-attack with a forward pass to Nicolas Jackson, who is left 1v1 with a defender.
In that incident, only awarding a tackle to Caicedo would have seemed insufficient. After all, he would have been awarded a tackle if he had just kicked the ball away from Rice and out for a throw-in.
Caicedo therefore gets the extra reward of the “recovery” for coming away with the ball and starting a transition with the pass up to Jackson, earning his 11th defensive contribution straight after his 10th.
Where will you see these points?
You will be able to see which players have earned these new points while a match is happening, in the match pages of the Fantasy website and app.
In the same way that you can already see how many saves a goalkeeper has made in real time, or who is the leading the way for bonus points, there will be a new Defensive Contribution section that will show which players have accumulated enough actions to earn two FPL points.
You won’t be able to see live totals for players who are yet to reach their required threshold.