FPL 2026/27
Who actually earns
defensive contribution points?
A defensive contribution is worth 2 FPL points, capped at 2 per match. A defender earns it by recording 10 or more clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles in a single game — CBIT. A midfielder or forward needs 12, counting those same four actions plus ball recoveries — CBIRT. Goalkeepers are not eligible. The rules are unchanged for 2026/27.
Defenders score 2 points at 10 defensive actions in a match. Midfielders and forwards need 12, and ball recoveries count for them but not for defenders. That single difference is why last season numbers mislead: 119 of these 276 players changed club, manager or position, so the rate they earned describes a system they have left.
Each projection carries a range. Where the system changed, the range is wide on purpose. We would rather show you the doubt than a confident number we cannot defend. Every one of these is graded in public once the season starts.
PROJECTED POINTS PER START
TOP 60 OF 276 ·| # | Player | Club | Pos | Price | Actions / 90 | Needs | Hit rate | DefCon pts / start | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook | BOU | MID | £5.0m | 14.8 | 12 | 80% | 1.60 | 1.28–1.92 | System changed |
| 2 | Ugarte | MUN | MID | £5.0m | 14.6 | 12 | 79% | 1.57 | 1.26–1.89 | System changed |
| 3 | Anderson | MCI | MID | £6.5m | 13.9 | 12 | 73% | 1.47 | 0.97–1.96 | System changed |
| 4 | Canvot | CRY | DEF | £5.0m | 11.4 | 10 | 70% | 1.41 | 1.27–1.55 | |
| 5 | Senesi | TOT | DEF | £6.0m | 11.5 | 10 | 69% | 1.39 | 0.92–1.86 | System changed |
| 6 | Danso | TOT | DEF | £5.0m | 11.6 | 10 | 69% | 1.38 | 1.10–1.66 | System changed |
| 7 | Hill | BOU | DEF | £5.5m | 11.1 | 10 | 67% | 1.35 | 1.08–1.62 | System changed |
| 8 | Tosin | CHE | DEF | £4.5m | 11.1 | 10 | 67% | 1.34 | 1.07–1.60 | System changed |
| 9 | Ballard | SUN | DEF | £5.0m | 11.1 | 10 | 66% | 1.32 | 1.19–1.45 | |
| 10 | J.Cuenca | FUL | DEF | £4.5m | 11.3 | 10 | 62% | 1.24 | 1.11–1.36 | |
| 11 | Lacroix | CRY | DEF | £6.0m | 10.8 | 10 | 61% | 1.22 | 1.10–1.34 | |
| 12 | Bijol | LEE | DEF | £5.0m | 10.4 | 10 | 59% | 1.19 | 1.07–1.31 | |
| 13 | Keane | EVE | DEF | £5.0m | 10.5 | 10 | 59% | 1.19 | 1.07–1.30 | |
| 14 | Fofana | CHE | DEF | £5.0m | 10.8 | 10 | 58% | 1.16 | 0.93–1.39 | System changed |
| 15 | Botman | NEW | DEF | £5.0m | 10.6 | 10 | 58% | 1.16 | 1.04–1.27 | |
| 16 | Tarkowski | EVE | DEF | £6.0m | 10.2 | 10 | 56% | 1.12 | 1.01–1.24 | |
| 17 | Rodrigo | MCI | MID | £6.5m | 12.3 | 12 | 55% | 1.10 | 0.88–1.32 | System changed |
| 18 | Gomes | AVL | MID | £5.5m | 12.3 | 12 | 55% | 1.10 | 0.83–1.36 | System changed |
| 19 | Bentancur | TOT | MID | £5.5m | 13.3 | 12 | 55% | 1.10 | 0.88–1.32 | System changed |
| 20 | Garner | EVE | MID | £6.0m | 12.1 | 12 | 54% | 1.09 | 0.98–1.20 | |
| 21 | Andersen | FUL | DEF | £5.0m | 10.3 | 10 | 54% | 1.08 | 0.97–1.18 | |
| 22 | Richards | CRY | DEF | £5.0m | 9.9 | 10 | 53% | 1.06 | 0.95–1.17 | |
| 23 | Ampadu | LEE | MID | £5.5m | 12.0 | 12 | 53% | 1.05 | 0.95–1.16 | |
| 24 | N.Gonzalez | MCI | MID | £5.5m | 11.9 | 12 | 52% | 1.05 | 0.84–1.26 | System changed |
| 25 | P.M.Sarr | TOT | MID | £5.0m | 11.9 | 12 | 52% | 1.05 | 0.84–1.26 | System changed |
| 26 | Alderete | SUN | DEF | £5.0m | 10.0 | 10 | 51% | 1.02 | 0.92–1.12 | |
| 27 | Morato | NFO | DEF | £5.0m | 9.7 | 10 | 50% | 1.00 | 0.90–1.10 | |
| 28 | Collins | BRE | DEF | £5.5m | 9.7 | 10 | 50% | 1.00 | 0.90–1.10 | |
| 29 | Ajer | BRE | DEF | £4.5m | 9.6 | 10 | 49% | 0.97 | 0.88–1.07 | |
| 30 | Lerma | CRY | MID | £5.0m | 11.5 | 12 | 48% | 0.96 | 0.86–1.06 | |
| 31 | Janelt | BRE | MID | £5.0m | 11.5 | 12 | 48% | 0.96 | 0.86–1.05 | |
| 32 | Schär | NEW | DEF | £5.0m | 9.5 | 10 | 48% | 0.96 | 0.86–1.05 | |
| 33 | Caicedo | CHE | MID | £5.5m | 11.8 | 12 | 47% | 0.95 | 0.76–1.14 | System changed |
| 34 | Scott | BOU | MID | £6.0m | 12.2 | 12 | 46% | 0.93 | 0.74–1.11 | System changed |
| 35 | Christie | BOU | MID | £5.0m | 11.3 | 12 | 46% | 0.92 | 0.73–1.10 | System changed |
| 36 | Yarmoliuk | BRE | MID | £5.0m | 11.5 | 12 | 45% | 0.91 | 0.81–1.00 | |
| 37 | Xhaka | SUN | MID | £5.5m | 11.2 | 12 | 45% | 0.90 | 0.81–0.99 | |
| 38 | Virgil | LIV | DEF | £6.5m | 9.3 | 10 | 45% | 0.89 | 0.72–1.07 | System changed |
| 39 | Iroegbunam | EVE | MID | £5.0m | 11.5 | 12 | 43% | 0.87 | 0.78–0.96 | |
| 40 | C.Jones | LIV | MID | £5.5m | 11.1 | 12 | 43% | 0.86 | 0.69–1.04 | System changed |
| 41 | Adams | BOU | MID | £5.0m | 11.8 | 12 | 43% | 0.85 | 0.68–1.02 | System changed |
| 42 | Gabriel | ARS | DEF | £8.0m | 9.1 | 10 | 42% | 0.84 | 0.76–0.93 | |
| 43 | Dorgu | MUN | MID | £6.0m | 10.9 | 12 | 41% | 0.83 | 0.56–1.09 | System changed |
| 44 | Struijk | BHA | DEF | £5.0m | 9.1 | 10 | 41% | 0.82 | 0.63–1.02 | System changed |
| 45 | Burn | NEW | DEF | £5.0m | 9.2 | 10 | 41% | 0.82 | 0.74–0.91 | |
| 46 | Romero | TOT | DEF | £5.0m | 9.5 | 10 | 41% | 0.81 | 0.65–0.98 | System changed |
| 47 | Murillo | NFO | DEF | £5.5m | 9.4 | 10 | 40% | 0.80 | 0.72–0.88 | |
| 48 | Branthwaite | EVE | DEF | £5.5m | 8.9 | 10 | 40% | 0.80 | 0.72–0.88 | |
| 49 | Van den Berg | BRE | DEF | £5.0m | 8.9 | 10 | 40% | 0.79 | 0.71–0.87 | |
| 50 | Thiaw | NEW | DEF | £5.0m | 8.9 | 10 | 39% | 0.79 | 0.71–0.86 | |
| 51 | Rice | ARS | MID | £7.5m | 10.9 | 12 | 39% | 0.78 | 0.70–0.86 | |
| 52 | Van Hecke | TOT | DEF | £5.0m | 8.9 | 10 | 39% | 0.77 | 0.51–1.04 | System changed |
| 53 | Sangaré | NFO | MID | £5.0m | 11.6 | 12 | 38% | 0.77 | 0.69–0.84 | |
| 54 | Justin | LEE | DEF | £4.5m | 8.7 | 10 | 37% | 0.75 | 0.67–0.82 | |
| 55 | Mosquera | ARS | DEF | £5.5m | 8.7 | 10 | 37% | 0.74 | 0.67–0.81 | |
| 56 | Boscagli | BHA | DEF | £4.5m | 8.8 | 10 | 37% | 0.74 | 0.66–0.81 | |
| 57 | Fernandes | TOT | MID | £6.0m | 11.0 | 12 | 37% | 0.73 | 0.48–0.98 | System changed |
| 58 | Ayari | BHA | MID | £5.5m | 10.5 | 12 | 37% | 0.73 | 0.66–0.81 | |
| 59 | Wharton | CRY | MID | £5.5m | 10.7 | 12 | 36% | 0.71 | 0.64–0.78 | |
| 60 | Hincapie | ARS | DEF | £5.5m | 8.6 | 10 | 35% | 0.71 | 0.64–0.78 |
HOW THIS IS BUILT
DEF: clearances+blocks+interceptions+tackles, threshold 10. MID/FWD: the same plus ball recoveries, threshold 12. Goalkeepers are not eligible.
Pool: >=600 minutes and >=5 starts in 2025/26. Seeded from 2025/26 season totals and re-based onto each player 2026/27 position. Snapshot 2026-07-27.
QUESTIONS
What is a defensive contribution in FPL?
Defenders score 2 points in a match when they record 10 or more clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles combined. Midfielders and forwards score 2 points at 12 or more, and for them ball recoveries count towards the total as well. Goalkeepers are not eligible. The 2 points are capped, so there is no extra reward for going well past the threshold.
Why do defenders and midfielders have different thresholds?
Because they are counted differently. A defender total excludes ball recoveries; a midfielder total includes them. The higher threshold for midfielders compensates for the extra category. This is why a player who changes position between defender and midfielder cannot be judged on last season number without re-basing it.
Did defensive contributions change for 2026/27?
The defensive contribution rules themselves are unchanged. What changed is the Bonus Points System around them: clearances, blocks and interceptions now earn 1 BPS per 3 actions instead of 1 per 2, players are no longer penalised for being tackled, and goalkeepers earn 2 BPS for every save plus 1 more for saving a big chance. The stated intention was to reduce the overlap between bonus points and defensive contribution points.
How accurate are these projections?
They are seeded from 2025/26 season totals, re-based onto each player 2026/27 position. Where a player has changed club, manager or position, last season rate describes a system he has left, and we widen the range rather than applying a correction we cannot defend. Once the season starts these projections are graded in public against what actually happens.